Have you ever encountered snobbery, class discrimination?

[the rye]

I grew up in a very snobby family, anyway growing up in this enviroment i've become aware of the attitudes of the upper class towards the lower class.
To give you an example of this snobbery, my brother started dating a girl. Now the first thing my mother asked when she found out my brother was dating was "Is she lower class?". After she found out she was "lower class" she then told me
"i hope you never bring a lower class girl home".

I've been wondering about this for quite some time and wonder whether any members of the escapist have had experiences linked with class discrimination.

 

[InnerRebellion]

Well, I live in a very small town that is of the attitude, "If you weren't raised here, and your grand parents weren't, you ain't worth shit."

I live in a neighborhood associated with gangs and thugs (ironic, since we are the highest outcome neighborhood, and the one that actually HAS gangs is on the other side of town).

I'm not from here.

My dad is the most prominent figure in the entire town. He got talked into running for Selectman, he runs the entire town's cable network, he ran the campaign for a senator, ran part of a President's campaign, and some other stuff I don't really care about.

He also happens to be a state worker, and my mom is unemployed, but I'd put us around middle-middle class. But, because none of us are from here, we are treated like shit by the "townies".

 

[walruspwner]

Well, this may not be class discrimination per se, but I have a friend who comes from a somewhat rich background and is very materialistic. On occasion, she will make offhanded comments that cheapen my financial situation, as well as the financial situations of our mutual friends -- whether or not she means to offend is debatable, but I digress. A personal favourite of mine:

Friend: "I only have like $1000 in my bank account, I'm poor like you guys now!"

...this after she had just purchased a $40k BMW coupe.

 

[ZombieGenesis]

Well, I live in a very small town that is of the attitude, "If you weren't raised here, and your grand parents weren't, you ain't worth shit."

I live in a neighborhood associated with gangs and thugs (ironic, since we are the highest outcome neighborhood, and the one that actually HAS gangs is on the other side of town).

I'm not from here.

My dad is the most prominent figure in the entire town. He got talked into running for Selectman, he runs the entire town's cable network, he ran the campaign for a senator, ran part of a President's campaign, and some other stuff I don't really care about.

He also happens to be a state worker, and my mom is unemployed, but I'd put us around middle-middle class. But, because none of us are from here, we are treated like shit by the "townies".

This is a very interesting social mentality that I first saw in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.
The idea that social class was determined by how long your family has lived in a certain area (which is how the hillbillies in that story were actually well regarded).
It perplexes me, it really does.

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

No, i'm pretty low class, but I have a huge, vegeta level ego, so I might as well be.

 

[Manicotti]

My ex's mother kept trying to tell us not to drink soda out of the bottle (in favor of pouring it in a glass), under the pretense that the bottle is "low class." I still don't get it.

 

[SeriousIssues]

I'd say middle-middle, maybe uper-middle-middle.
I don't like to be mean, I try to pass off things as jokes or cut myself off if an insult slips out, and money is kind of a low-blow anyways.

 

[InnerRebellion]

Well, I live in a very small town that is of the attitude, "If you weren't raised here, and your grand parents weren't, you ain't worth shit."

I live in a neighborhood associated with gangs and thugs (ironic, since we are the highest outcome neighborhood, and the one that actually HAS gangs is on the other side of town).

I'm not from here.

My dad is the most prominent figure in the entire town. He got talked into running for Selectman, he runs the entire town's cable network, he ran the campaign for a senator, ran part of a President's campaign, and some other stuff I don't really care about.

He also happens to be a state worker, and my mom is unemployed, but I'd put us around middle-middle class. But, because none of us are from here, we are treated like shit by the "townies".

This is a very interesting social mentality that I first saw in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.
The idea that social class was determined by how long your family has lived in a certain area (which is how the hillbillies in that story were actually well regarded).
It perplexes me, it really does.

You know, I would have never made that connection. I think you've given me a point to bring up in class when we start reading that. Of course, the kids of the townies won't like that, but I don't like them anyways. It really is interesting. Kids of "out of towners" seem to band together, and vice versa.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

I've experienced reverse snobbery, which is kind of amusing.

A lot of people tend to take me at my accent, which is Queen's English, or Received Pronunciation. My family aren't particularly upper class, both my grandfather's were in fact very much working class, and it was only my mum and dad who managed to really get lucky and enter the upper middle class during the eighties, but since my mum's a teacher and my dad works in PR they've always emphasised speaking clearly.

Backstory done.

I went to a boarding school that used to be known very much for being a place where RAF parents sent their kids, so when I first joined it was very working class, with the occasional officer's kid thrown in. So like I say I experienced reverse snobbery, people who wouldn't associate with me because they assumed I was some upper class hooray henry who had been packed off to boarding school by my millionaire parents. So not only was my experience of class discrimination actually quite funny in hindsight, but it was made funnier for being completely wrong, and not based on my family's actual class or status, only my accent.

Not that discrimination based on my accent has gone away, I just don't pay attention so much anymore.

 

[Cakes]

Never seen any such thing, outside of American Psycho anyway.

My ex's mother kept trying to tell us not to drink soda out of the bottle (in favor of pouring it in a glass), under the pretense that the bottle is "low class." I still don't get it.

Do you mean "the bottle" as in a 2 litre bottle that multiple people are going to use, or one of the smaller ones meant for a single person? If it's the former, she is completely right.

 

[Manicotti]

Never seen any such thing, outside of American Psycho anyway.

My ex's mother kept trying to tell us not to drink soda out of the bottle (in favor of pouring it in a glass), under the pretense that the bottle is "low class." I still don't get it.

Do you mean "the bottle" as in a 2 litre bottle that multiple people are going to use, or one of the smaller ones meant for a single person? If it's the former, she is completely right.

Single-serving, 20 oz deal. This was at a sit-down restaurant.

 

[Berethond]

Yeah, I've been on the receiving side of class discrimination. Both ways.

When I was growing up, I was lower-middle class, but where my house was I went to a pretty low-class school. None of the other kids really cared much until we got a little older, but they were really bad about when we were a little older. There was also a lot of racism, but I digress.

When I was about to enter middle school, we had finally saved up for a bigger house, so we moved to a middle - middle class neighborhood really close to the upper-class ones, so I went to the same school as them. And they're pretty much douchebags to everyone who doesn't drive a brand-new BMW or a giant Ford truck. (Did I mention they're also rednecks? Rich rednecks?) I almost prefer the racism, to be honest.

 

[Cakes]

Never seen any such thing, outside of American Psycho anyway.

My ex's mother kept trying to tell us not to drink soda out of the bottle (in favor of pouring it in a glass), under the pretense that the bottle is "low class." I still don't get it.

Do you mean "the bottle" as in a 2 litre bottle that multiple people are going to use, or one of the smaller ones meant for a single person? If it's the former, she is completely right.

Single-serving, 20 oz deal. This was at a sit-down restaurant.

In that case it's kind of a weird request, though she may have figured that a glass would be more "proper" for a restaurant.

 

[Tipsy Giant]

Every time i step on my uni campus the rich kids stare, the pricks

 

[Woodsey]

snip

What country are you from?

OT: There was a guy on here who thought he was better than everyone else because he was a public schoolboy.

Honestly, if we get along, I couldn't give a fuck about where you live or what your parents do. Likewise, if you're a twat, you're a twat, and your background/home life don't change that.

 

[the rye]

snip

What country are you from?

OT: There was a guy on here who thought he was better than everyone else because he was a public schoolboy.

Honestly, if we get along, I couldn't give a fuck about where you live or what your parents do. Likewise, if you're a twat, you're a twat, and your background/home life don't change that.

I'm from the UK so not only do i encounter people who dislike the "lower class" but people who hate "new money". I hate how old attitudes of class continue to live among my "peers".

 

[TimeLord]

Yea, it's called the British government.

 

[Vault Citizen]

I used to go to a private school, one time when a few of us were in town someone said "oh look its the privileged kids", so I'm from a well off background, who are they to judge?

 

[Chemical Alia]

I grew up in an older section of town known for a lot of crime, gang activity, drug dealing, etc. The run-down, housing projects just behind my block or crowded row homes were the type of neighborhood that come to mind for most people about the south side of Easton, PA. My family was middle/lower middle-class when I was young, and I lived in a beautiful brick house built by my great grandfather.

Got picked on a lot in school by the students from other parts of town because of where I lived, and the parents of some kids went so far as to discourage them from being friends. There were a lot of kids from troubled homes in my area, so I didn't fit in with them either and my mom discouraged me from walking around alone outside. Was a pretty lonely childhood in that regard v:

 

[Lexodus]

Yes; financially, I'm considered upper class, and all people see is that rich guy who has what they want. It doesn't matter that we started out dirt poor, oh no. Just that we've done well (even though my dad now pays 50p for every single pound he earns to pay for these arrogant fuckers, and, no less, earned that money from providing a valuable service to the country) is enough to make them biased.

On top of this, since I've moved house thirteen times in my life, following my dad's jobs around the country, I don't have an accent other than one which can be described as 'English'. This means that I actually pronounce things correctly, which again is considered posh. Don't get me wrong, I don't speak like a stereotypical Victorian, but I do speak properly.