This is an outdated definition. Class used to mean everything in society. Upper class individuals received the best education, the best jobs and had the best social image. It was the aim of the lower classes to move up in class and appear as higher class as possible. To achieve a high rank in the army it was considered essential that you were upper class, actual skill meant less than the family you were born into. This higher class superiority/lower class inferiority was strongly reinforced for a generation when WW2 came around. Conscription meant that many had to serve in the forces and if there were ever a system which reinforced class it is the armed forces. Whilst this class system affected this generation and their offspring, lending to the above definition, this is no longer the case in modern Britain. this young lady articulates it rather well.
No that wasn't sarcasm before, she makes a good point. In modern society it isn't what you ae born into or what your parents do, its what you do that defines you.
Where as in previous generations the upper classes were idolised, contemporary culture glorifies those that emerged from working class backgrounds to find immense success.
Class is a silly indicator really. Ones class can be interpreted completly differently by 2 different people, one mans working class person is anothers upper middle class person.
Despite my protests however, social class is still used a lot as an indicator and marketing tool by marketeers.
Modern social class models are much more complex than ones of days past. There are far more groups and the lines between them are blurred.
The determining factors of class tend to be: Income, ownership, occupation, education, family backgrounds, costume, cultural refinement, reputation and language. However individuals have their own ideas of what constitues which class group soemone belongs to.
Marketeers split the classes into these groups:
Here are a few videos of characters that represent the social classes.
A and B
Jack Dee's character is well off enough to afford a nanny and a nice house. See the contrast between him and the working class electricians interests.
C1 and C2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za8PoCIT-dY
The individuals depicted here are skilled working class people, their social interactions suggest they are lower class however they are skilled salesmen and have full time jobs. Funny program to.
D and E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_xd7vmN4oY&feature=related
These people are on benefits and are manipulating the system, a sign that they are lower class.
Determining social class and exploiting it can be very useful in marketing campaigns. Individuals may purchase a product because they feel it represents their social class and place in society, alternativly they may purchase a product because the feel it has the attatched value of making them appear higher class than they are.
Social class is a good indicator of purchase for moderatly priced items that have a symbolic meaning e.g. lower class people buying fake eyelashes, hair extensions and lots of make up where as upper class people may choose to get an expensive hair cut instead.
Income is a better indicator for high priced items that don't carry a symbolic meaning e.g. a hoover or a fridge.
A combination of income and social class data is required for high price, high symbolism products e.g. cars.
Conclusion
Social class is not the indicator it once was, it has become much more abstract. Classes mix much more than they used to and people are able to move between classes much more freely than in previous generations. Behaviour has become much more universal thanks largely to a change in social ideology and more respect being attributed to lower class individuals.
It ain't cool to be posh no more blud.
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