What is your- Social Class?

[Marco]

Never met a poor chipshop owner in Glasgow... its better than the bookies lol

Indeed, and it wasn't just one either...

How do you think I developed a taste for fine wine and gourmet food, from the age of 5?

Marco.

[RichB]

I thought your parents owned a chippy? Or is that middle-class by Glasgow standards?

By traditional measures, small business ownership was an identifier of middle class.

However it's been a long time since my sociology studies.

[struth]

Indeed, and it wasn't just one either...

How do you think I developed a taste for fine wine and gourmet food, from the age of 5?

Marco.

Serafini in our town way back when i was young had a big sit down place with ice cream and fish teas etc. He was loaded. Wasnt a big town but you could make a lot, especially in 60/70,s ...

[Scooby]

Whilst not a class thing maybe in the traditional meaning of it, I'll admit to being a bit of a snob in that yes I look down on yer inner city council estate, thick, chav type.... You'll know the type, can't get one sentence out without multiple swear words, life seems to revolve around footie, the dogs and whose " 'ardest"... often seem to be coked out of their brains such is their natural "nervous, energy"/agitation (a friend calls them "jumpy Jacks" which seems to fit well!). I try to avoid offending such types (I don't consciously want to offend them!) by saying little and trying to distance myself physically as soon as I can without making it too obvious.... but close friends have imparted to me that when in the company of such types my body language, facial expressions and tone of voice make it only too clear as to what I think of them... and that it doesn't go down well to put it mildly!

For me, this is the biggest class divide in society: Those who contribute to society and those who leech off it, spoil it for others, disrespect law and morality, commit crimes and generally drag our society down. Essentially it's those who have class and those who don't.

[Marco]

By traditional measures, small business ownership was an identifier of middle class.

That's actually very true, Rich

In terms of chippies, and making good money from them, the key is to locate them in typically working-class areas, ideally right in the middle of a housing estate, as a) the cuisine would be appreciated by the locals, many of whom would be far from 'cash poor', and b) being right on their doorstep makes them use you [if you're good, and we were], and once you build up a good rapport with them, you've got regular customers for life!

We had queues, for miles, outside our shops every Friday and Saturday night... I can tell you, in all seriousness, that my parents earned a very good living indeed from it, and with being an only child, I, shall we say, benefited rather nicely, accordingly!

Marco.

[Marco]

Serafini in our town way back when i was young had a big sit down place with ice cream and fish teas etc. He was loaded. Wasnt a big town but you could make a lot, especially in 60/70,s ...

Damned right, mate, but you had to put the hours in! It's quite an unsociable existence, and not really a life for a young guy, which is why I swerved it when the old boy retired. By that time, I had my own, equally successful, business anyway

Marco.

[struth]

By traditional measures, small business ownership was an identifier of middle class.

However it's been a long time since my sociology studies.

Dad must have been in upper middle lol as he ran a huge company ...the coop. . Not bad for a labours son in the 20,s... shows what hard graft can get you...and a bit of luck

[Arkless Electronics]

By traditional measures, small business ownership was an identifier of middle class.

However it's been a long time since my sociology studies.

Nowadays it's more an indication of having recently been made redundant!

[Barry]

My father was definitely working class. My mother came from an upper middle class background, but without the money.

Dad realised from a very early age the only way he could improve his 'lot', was through his own hard work. Owing to childhood illness, hehad missed out on much of his schooling, so when he could he went to evening classes to catch up. (He taught me how to derive the square root of a number by hand, and how to calculate the area of a circle). After a few years working for Bristol cars, he and a mechanic collegue decided to start their own business. The early days were hard and difficult; he would work six days week, and went through times of financial uncertainty. But eventually the business grew to a size where they employed 100 staff. It was all down to their hard work - no claiming benefits.

[southall-1998]

Interesting post, Barry.

S.