Reply to Social Class: How do you know what social class do you belong to?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Read “Class” by Paul Fussell (or by Jilly Cooper for the UK equivalent). It’s now very dated, but the principles still hold up. It is a combination of money and social mindset, but honestly more social expectations than actual dollars. I can tell that I have jumped up a class as a result of actions taken over several generations - my extended family and I at this point are no longer in the same group, but it was a result more of education and environment than one family getting “richer”. I have no idea which branch of the family earns more. But I went to the Ivy League, work around the highest level of government, have very different expectations of my children in terms of expectations for them like advanced degrees vs trade school, value completely different forms of activity, entertainment (think the opera vs NASCAR), and so forth. [/quote]

I think you’re trying to claim you are at a higher class than some of your extended family because you went to an Ivy League school, you want your kids to be the same as you and you don’t like NASCAR?

I’m willing to bet other family members make more money than you or else you wouldn’t claim you don’t know.  I too like opera, ballet and plays over nascar.  Not living in the South I know nothing about car racing but I know about the arts having several family members professional artists.  That doesn’t level up my class, that’s just what I like.

The oddest part of your thinking you jumped up a class is you expect your kids to get advanced degrees and not trade schools.   Wealthy families secure with who they are accept their children for who they are and do their best to help them reach their potential.

My friend whose family is in the 1% has a daughter who went to hairdressing school.  They are proud and are looking to buy her a salon and get her help starting up the business.  My SIL graduated from Community College and my in-laws who are very wealthy and Ivy League educated accept their daughter and her limitations.  It’s not unusual at all for kids not to be mini-me’s of their parents.  These are the types with class. [/quote]

Sigh. Read the book and you completely missed the point. The point was that class isn’t solely tied to money or even lifestyle. It’s shared norms, expectations, and habits. It’s what you gravitate towards in your surroundings - antique Chesterfields vs BarcaLoungers with a massage function. It’s “code switching” when you’re around one group and being able to read the room and respond appropriately. Think of the classic skit where someone went to a dinner party with finger bowls and the person from another social structure picks it up and drinks from it. It’s knowing what to wear to different kinds of functions. Think of the themes in Downton Abbey. The rich American daughters being wed off to cash-strapped English barons but also being snubbed because they were “not of our kind, dear”.

It’s not about money. I just now “fit” in different places than my extended family. [/quote]

You can learn these things. It’s not brain surgery. And if you have a hard time learning, which is possible, your kids will learn them.

This isn’t Downton Abbey. [/quote]

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