An upper class ?

[otago]

Interesting that I see the word upper class being used at times on this board.
So what makes a person upper class ? wealth ? some sportsman who is coining it becomes upper class because of his income ?

Yes, the UK does have an upper class, but even being married into the UK royal family like one of our mob does not make the bloke upper class.
We are one country that certainly does not have an upper class, and I would say the same would apply to the Aussies, unless there is a bogan upper class ?

Does your country have a so called upper class ? if so what makes them upper class, breeding ? wealth ? education ?

 

[Labtec600]

Upper class is a member of something that you do no agree with.

Happy?

 

[Joecoolyo]

Yeah, my family is actually close to being upper class, since we are upper-middle. Then again, its pretty hard to define "what is?" and such, so to make it easy lets just say it has to do with income. That way my family is really only a stones throw away from being in the upper class.

 

[otago]

Yeah, my family is actually close to being upper class, since we are upper-middle. Then again, its pretty hard to define "what is?" and such, so to make it easy lets just say it has to do with income. That way my family is really only a stones throw away from being in the upper class.

So any bubba who wins a lottery worth say $100 mil. automatically becomes upper class, that is different.

 

[Mowque]

So any bubba who wins a lottery worth say $100 mil. automatically becomes upper class, that is different.

Yes, he does.

 

[kulade]

the upper class drinks wine has two kinds of spoons and chews with their mouths closed.

 

[Cutlass]

Upper class and an aristocratic class are two different things. Pretty much every society has an upper class. It's simply people whose wealth allows them to live in a different manner from the majority of the people. An upper class in and of itself is not a problem for a society. An aristocratic class often is. What matters is not wealth, but how the wealthy behave.

 

[scherbchen]

well I'd say that Germany has no upper class comparable to the UK in the sense that they are easily spotted by speech patterns or some such thing. our princes (the ones that did not go and buy their titles) take a leak in public when they make the headlines or rarely ever appear at all.

maybe it is a case of "ye good old days" for me but the days of the von Weizsäckers is pretty much over. it's mostly new money from now on....

 

[Elta]

So any bubba who wins a lottery worth say $100 mil. automatically becomes upper class, that is different.

Yes, he does.

Class can be defined as wealth or social class, but the fact of the matter is 100 million dollars will not make you fit in in a neighborhood where the median home price is 1000k and the median home income is 350k per year.

There are things that you are brought up with, things people find acceptable and things others don't.


For example, I don't think you need a naturalist to follow you around in a national park to tell you about things and to keep you safe. Nor am I afraid to walk in any neighborhood in America.

I think it is okay if my middle school age cousin and 3 or 4 of his friends are in the backyard after school duking it out with boxing gloves on for sport. Neither would their friends parents. Because I have always lived in working and lower middle class areas.


If I move into a million dollar home, and my younger cousin lives there with me, when he brings a few rich kids from private school home and I let one of them gey a swollen cheek in my back yard...... well I'd get sued.

You see, you never out grow your class really, you can make more money, but you never change class really.


There is a really really good PBS Doc I could point you too, but I don't remember the name of it.

 

[snakeseare]

OK, Otago, what is your country? You say it has no upper class, but do not name it, in the thread or your profile. Sloppy.

As for the US, just winning the lottery or any other new-found wealth certainly does NOT elevate one to the upper class. Britney Spears is the perfect example. All her money cannot make her anything but trailer trash.

In the US "upper class" is about more than money just as in the UK. But unlike the UK it's about more than breeding. My parents were born middle and working class, but they sent me to the right schools, and I have been around the seamy side as well, so that I can comfortably mingle with anyone, including trailer trash and the Vanderbilts.

Why? Because in America there are just two classes: those who have class, and those who don't.

I didn't always. A short anecdote: in 1973, when I was 11 years old, I went to the UT-Auburn game. We won 21-0. An Auburn fan sat next to us, and I gave him a real ear full. He was gracious in defeat, and complimented our team for the win. I have no idea who that man was, but he taught me a lot about class that day.

You can't buy class.

 

[otago]

OK, Otago, what is your country? You say it has no upper class, but do not name it, in the thread or your profile. Sloppy.

As for the US, just winning the lottery or any other new-found wealth certainly does NOT elevate one to the upper class. Britney Spears is the perfect example. All her money cannot make her anything but trailer trash.

In the US "upper class" is about more than money just as in the UK. But unlike the UK it's about more than breeding. My parents were born middle and working class, but they sent me to the right schools, and I have been around the seamy side as well, so that I can comfortably mingle with anyone, including trailer trash and the Vanderbilts.

Why? Because in America there are just two classes: those who have class, and those who don't.

I didn't always. A short anecdote: in 1973, when I was 11 years old, I went to the UT-Auburn game. We won 21-0. An Auburn fan sat next to us, and I gave him a real ear full. He was gracious in defeat, and complimented our team for the win. I have no idea who that man was, but he taught me a lot about class that day.

You can't buy class.

My country, New Zealand, part of the Commonwealth.
I do find it amusing that terms like upper middle class are used in the USA.

Nope, no upper class in either NZ or Australia, for the term upper class would be followed by the word twit.
No upper class rednecks, one is disappointed.

 

[Joecoolyo]

I do find it amusing that terms like upper middle class are used in the USA.

This is because in the U.S., the "class" definition is based on income. So lower class is has the lowest yearly income, while upper class has the highest. Middle class falls in the middle as the "average" income. Then of course people like to add sub-definitions (such as upper-middle), this is because (like my family and I) those people who earn lower than upper class, but higher than middle class (average).

 

[Kerozine]

Depends how much influence they have on society.

 

[otago]

This is because in the U.S., the "class" definition is based on income. So lower class is has the lowest yearly income, while upper class has the highest. Middle class falls in the middle as the "average" income. Then of course people like to add sub-definitions (such as upper-middle), this is because (like my family and I) those people who earn lower than upper class, but higher than middle class (average).

Some one is wrong, one person is saying class is money based only, another is saying other factors come in to play in the US class system.
So is it possible to be upper class trailer trash ?

 

[Shylock]

Upper class is someone who is richer than you are.

 

[Elta]

Some one is wrong, one person is saying class is money based only, another is saying other factors come in to play in the US class system.
So is it possible to be upper class trailer trash ?

Yes, someone already mentioned Britney Spears.


In reality, it depends on who's definition you are using.


The taxman or the sociologist.

 

[ricketyclik]

My country, New Zealand, part of the Commonwealth.
I do find it amusing that terms like upper middle class are used in the USA.

Nope, no upper class in either NZ or Australia, for the term upper class would be followed by the word twit.
No upper class rednecks, one is disappointed.

I'm Australian, and believe me, there is an upper class. It's just that you and I rarely see them otago.

 

[civ_king]

I'd classify myself as Upper-Middle Class, my dad pulls in 300k some years however we live in California where that is only "Upper-Middle Class" while in more Rural Areas we would simply be Upper Class

 

[Whomp]

My country, New Zealand, part of the Commonwealth.
I do find it amusing that terms like upper middle class are used in the USA.

Nope, no upper class in either NZ or Australia, for the term upper class would be followed by the word twit.
No upper class rednecks, one is disappointed.

As my brother in law (from NZ) would say, Kiwis have a case of "tall poppy syndrome".

 

[otago]

I'd classify myself as Upper-Middle Class, my dad pulls in 300k some years however we live in California where that is only "Upper-Middle Class" while in more Rural Areas we would simply be Upper Class

Do they not use the term landed gentry in rural areas ?