Is the concept of class still relevant in todays society? (in Britain?)?
467778
Is it relevant? no.. does it exist? yes.
186347
Actually YES! They still do even now and have allways been so during known human history. \nDuring the industrial revolution there were mainly two social classes: the owners of the land and means of production and the laborers.\nFirst there were the manufacturing workers. These were over-abused over exploited people, forced sometimes to work even 12 to 16 hours a day to earn their living. They wore plain cotton and linnen clothes, sometimes in the winter they also used woolen clothes. Since payment was very low and there was no actual compensation of the hard work, people had to primarily attend to their basic needs: home and food and there was often too little to be spent on clothing and footwear. Wooden sabots were often the basic footwear, with leather boots as a sign of distinction.\nJewels were rare and often included plain metal rings and earrings, or glass beads. Later on, as manufacturing developped, better clothing became more or less available for the masses as cotton and linnen clothes were cheaper and easier accessible.\nThen there were the agricultural workers whose status and quality of life differed and who often wore woollen garments made in house (knittings and sort) and also home made linnen. They too purchased cotton fabrics and also at times, more expensive cotton fabrics such as velvet for use in their sunday clothes.\nThe upper classes wore fashionable clothing, made from materials ranging from silk brocade, wool, cashmere, silk shirts and underwear. As allways, female clothing was extremely ellaborate and often, precious metal ornaments could be found even in footwear.\nWomen wore, in accordance to the occasion and weather a wide range of footwear, in all sorts of materials, from silk, embroidered brocade to high quality soft leather.
770906
Hey I don't know why everyone's getting their knickers in a knot! I totally agree, kids like that do seem middle class. I suppose it's cos there's a kind of intellectual side to this kind of look too, you know poetry, looking for a deeper meaning in lyrics, they've got nothing else to worry about so they can reflect on the meaning of life, or death, politics, etc. \n\nAnd yes this is a question about stereotypes, about people with a certain style. Nobody gets upset when you say 'hippy' or 'punk' do they? Why's everyone being so defensive? Are they all middle class with long hair or what?
193393
I was a student at King's College, London, many years ago. Probably there is not much difference, but they are possibly more disciplinarian? Of course students are always 'lively people' the World over.There is not so much emphasis on success-certainly there is much hard studying involved. The ethnic makeup of the British population has changed much over the years.
822764
agree with you as the best times I remember were family orientated. seems as though modern society in having to make a living has taken over
571654
Ok, to summarize:\n\n1) Working Class: fewer jobs in rural areas, more in the cities, urban congestion results in higher rents, poorer standards of living, disease more easily spread.\n2) Middle Class: benefits the most, higher standards of living, greater social respectablility as income increases.\n3) Aristocracy: less control of cultural norms as middle class becomes much more prominent, loss of rural tenants and farmers as working class moves to the cities.\n\nThere is alot more to this, but this is what I remember off the top of my head. Hope it helps.
917549
Try asking this same question in the education department, not society and culture. Good Luck!
529203
Revolution? Hmmmmm, wishful thinking.\nI wish I knew the answer to this one. I think that our (UK) society has to take a giant evolutionary leap and realise that actually, the royals are not all that great and that their vast wealth could be redistributed to make better schools, hospitals, public transport.\nIs it going to happen? That's another question....
691013
Absolutely. Look at the segregation of class, first of all, then break it down again. I firmly believe that the people in power gain a lot by keeping segregation viable. When you have first class distinctions, then the poorer people feel bad about themselves, what they can or better yet can not provide for their families. Next they can not afford decent health care or schooling. This further segregates the people. Next you have race segregation in different neighborhoods. Not much has really changed in this area at all. a black family while having legal rights, will still be set apart from their white or Hispanic neighbors. The same holds true for a white family in a Barrio or predominately Black neighborhood. This keeps people from building each other up. When we are all kept down and separate, we don't have the strength or the resources to fight the power of the oppressors.
781288
Totally agree, I'm afraid it seems 'cool' to be as ignorant as shite these days and I guess they are just reflecting these 'modern' manners.\n\nWhat a great World we are becoming eh!\n\nMind you, we should probably be glad that it was Noel and not Liam, at least Noel is sort of house trained!\n\nWhatever happened to class celeb's?
442159
Yes and no.  What is more happening is the middle class is changing, more people are falling into the lower middle class realm with fewer moving to upper middle class or higher or staying in the 'true' middle class.  It is a defitnate threat that the middle class could end up falling, but it is happening slow enough that most people dont really notice it but also slow enough that the problem can be fixed.
377670
American society is very much a "black & white" society, very consumerist society.  People, as a rule, are discriminatory (not the same as prejudiced), they have a definite us vs. them streak.  There are myriad of institutions that reinforce this view, religion and patritotism, to name two.  In the us vs. them view, regardless of fact or opinion I am right and you are wrong.  The educational system in the United States further reinforces this by not making people think, just memorize.  I could go on and on, but I feel that I would end up ranting.  I hope this helps you.
499671
I think discrimination isn't exactly racial anymore, but it's still prevalent in society nonetheless. It's cleverly hidden and well lives in today's "politically correct" social and office rules (some of which have even been made into laws).\n\nSo instead of a certain cultural facet of society being singled out, now EVERYONE gets burned in one way or another. We see it take on many fomrs: from job applicants being "under" or "over qualified", to "affirmative action" hiring pratices, to "no smoking" in just about all areas in your city. \n\nAnd let's not forget there's "economic discrimination", where you pay more or less depending on your sex or paying higher prices and sales taxes due to "theft threats" by certain areas of society...or even to benefit "underprivilged/handicapped" certain citizens of society.\n\nDiscrmination has been given new politically correct/sanitized names...but it's still what it is: and it's NOT going out of society anytime soon.
623352
Gentically we are 99 percent the same. I have met some people born without limbs, born blind or born with CP, they had no choice in the matter. \n\nSo socially we are not equal true, high class people by your account means money... \n\n1) rich people want money poor poeple want money \n2) rich people want love, poor poeple want love\n3) rich people make families, poor people make families.\nect ect \n\nso you've been socially conditioned to need to feel better than someone else. other groups..that do this...and no you are not one of these.....\n\n\nRacist.\nSexist.\n\n\nyou by your stament are a Classist...your point is we are not equal...maybe under the law, society, community ect....\n\nthat it is ignorant...maybe...but it is a better option than having the conditioning of either a classist, racist, or sexist. not that you are those last too, its just under the same catagory of thinking.
1121390
It is propaganda from the War of Independence, basically.\n\n If you live in the US, you are a citizen, in the UK you are just a "subject of The Crown".\n\nIn the US there is no class system (not that there is so much in the UK anymore, but there used to be)...\n\nFreedom means different things to different people at different times. For example, during the Cold War, people in the US had the right to freedom of speech, and in the Soviet Union they had freedom from hunger.\n\nThe brave bit? well thats just pure Hollywood
650293
Definitely!The term education is not just restricted to your textbooks.The term education encompasses moral as well as literary values.A world without proper education cannot be better place to live.Today,if we have the anti-socialists,the nationalists,the fanatics and the insurgents....the prime reason behind this is that they didn't get a proper educational backing.
899716
No, I believe that most people realize a class system is necessary for our nation to survive.