The current cost of housing in Cambridge (where I am) sometimes makes me feel a whole lot less "middle class" than my parents (who own the lovely 4-bed detached house I grew up in; and who would never dream of claiming not to be at the very least middle-middle).
The BBC think I'm "Established Middle" if I claim I own my home and "Emergent Service" if I claim to rent; I think this new class system places "owns own home" as a very important part of being "Middle Class" (you can be a middle or even elite renter but you have to be very very rich and have all the 'right' hobbies).
[My current housing position might best be described as "kept woman" which doesn't feel middle class *at all*; although it means I have lots of disposable cash which makes me feel very middle class indeed.]
I think the problem with people saying they aren't "upper class" is different to the problem of people who are clearly not poor claiming poverty. That is that traditionally the "upper class" is not about being *rich* but rather about Daddy being a Duke. I'm not sure how much that's really true anymore - the BBC widgit certainly takes "I'm very rich" and spits out "Elite" and doesn't bother to ask about being a Duke.
Yeah, for what its worth if I lie and say I own rather than rent it puts me as technical middle class (even if I put my house vale in the lowest bracket). This suggests that it puts a lot of weight on home ownership. Technical middle class describes me a lot better than emergent service worker too (i.e. work in science, comes from a middle class background).
Yes, I *feel* like I'm middle class; although from the descriptions I think "Established" rather than "Technical" because I have a wider range of both tastes and friends even though I do work in IT.
The BBC think I'm "Established Middle" if I claim I own my home and "Emergent Service" if I claim to rent; I think this new class system places "owns own home" as a very important part of being "Middle Class" (you can be a middle or even elite renter but you have to be very very rich and have all the 'right' hobbies).
[My current housing position might best be described as "kept woman" which doesn't feel middle class *at all*; although it means I have lots of disposable cash which makes me feel very middle class indeed.]
I think the problem with people saying they aren't "upper class" is different to the problem of people who are clearly not poor claiming poverty. That is that traditionally the "upper class" is not about being *rich* but rather about Daddy being a Duke. I'm not sure how much that's really true anymore - the BBC widgit certainly takes "I'm very rich" and spits out "Elite" and doesn't bother to ask about being a Duke.
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