Thursday, September 11, 2014

Class representation in the newspaper

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22000973
BBC News Magazine has a 'class calculator', where one can answer questions about one's social & economic lifestyle in order to gage which tier of the UK class system one belongs in. Rather than the traditional three- or four-tier class system, the calculator has seven distinct classes. These are, as pasted from the website:

Britain's new social classes

  • Elite: Most privileged group, set apart from other classes because of wealth. Highest scoring economically, socially and culturally
  • Established middle class: Largest class group and second wealthiest. Also score high culturally and socially
  • Technical middle class: Small distinct group that aren't so social but have money and are into emerging culture such as gaming, the internet and rock music
  • New affluent workers: A young group, socially and culturally active with middling levels of income
  • Traditional working class: Score low economically, socially and culturally but have reasonably high house values and oldest average age
  • Emergent service workers: New young urban group who don't have much money but are very social and cultural. They "live for today"
  • Precariat: Poorest, most deprived class who score low economically, socially and culturally
When I took this test, I landed in the Precariat, or precarious proletariat, class. This is due to lack of money, & social circle. 
This website, being owned by the BBC, is sympathetic to all classes, from elite to precariat, because the BBC is funded by taxpayers from all strata of society. The BBC would not want to alienate any particular class, as it belongs to all.  

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