More Struggles...

It is sometimes said that the upper class and working class have certain commonalities. Since the demise of heavy industry, the closure of the shipyards and the mines, some say there is no longer a working class. This is kind of true but it leaves the people still there, even if they deserve a different name. Poor communities continue, just lost of class identity. These commonalities were stronger when there was real working class identity, and it was the self assurance, the awareness of ones lot that was the common feature. That and the resultant modesty. The upper class see themselves as custodians, temporarily at the helm, hoping to leave things as good as if not better than when they arrived. The working class too were custodians, of craft skills, often passed on from father to son. These days, the lower classes have lost identity. It really isn't money that matters. Purpose and security in ones identity are more steady posts to cling to. Traditionally the middle class were the ones who were unsure of where they stood. Essentially a transitional class. People on the move. Climbing some imaginary ladder of social mobility. They still look sideways to see who drives what, who wears what and seek social reassurance through the vanity of small differences. The workplace arena is where these little signals are sent and recieved. Offices, colleges, schools, all theatres of social standing.

The upper class respect qualities like self depracation, understatement. These are strong in working class culture too. Bragging is frowned upon. It is easy to come across as being above ones station. Showing off, being indulgent in ones abilities. It is up to others to say you are good. Sadly, this working class modesty plays out poorly in the bigger world. At job interviews, university place interviews, seeking awards, advertising ones worth, ones business, all require self promotion. A quality both the lower and upper class regard as bragging, boastful, a little crass. Perhaps it has always been so but from my experiences of interviewing young people hoping to become students, it is class, not ability that gets them through the door. The lecturing staff are mostly middle class and stand as gate keepers to this promised land. It is through judging which concepts the prospective students understand, these are mostly heald in language, that entry is gained, not through ability. In recent years the trapdoor has all but closed for the poor. With the increased tuition fees hardly any without parental wealth gets in. It should also be understood that the lower class have no social connections that can enable them to financially develope outside of the family unit. I recall socially minded lecturers telling me that one could begin a business making things for family and friends. Nearly all successful designer makers are from above average socio economic group. Some build businesses through their social connections through family and friends in middle class communities. Others speak the language essential to operate in the middle class gallery and funded commission arena. It is impossible to express how impregnable this fortress is to lower class people. There are, of course, exceptions to this but on the whole ones chance of success in the field is predetermined. Through the painstaking application for public commissions, awards, bursaries etc it is possible to get through but those who manage this route exist in single digit numbers. I also feel that this is not real success. It is not built on any societal or community relevance. The furniture designer maker ought to be as useful and valued a member of society as a mechanic, fixing the neighbourhood cars, known and 'good morninged' by the community. A healthy member of the private sector. The artist craftsman, surviving on government commissions may exist in times of abundance and left leaning governance but, increasingly, market forces will shape business patterns.