Monday, January 23, 2006
It used to be easy to categorise people. There was the aristocracy, the middle-classes and the working class - broadly speaking: those with titles and country estates; home-owning office-workers; people who worked with their hands. But in a post-industrial Britain with an increased proportion of homeowners and graduates, how to distinguish between people like us, and the horny-handed sons and daughters of toil? The distinction now is between the tasteful, and the vulgar. What was once determined by production is now indicated by consumption. Things which are enjoyable must be offered with a patina of tastefulness if they want to attract the self-proclaimed middle-class. They must also be more expensive - some people must be put off, leaving the buyer smug in the knowledge that they are more discerning than the majority.
Some examples:
"Vintage" clothing
Vinyl
Director's Cuts of films
Non-representative art
CDs with bonus tracks
Unpopular music
Second-hand books/hardbacks
This bowling alley (thanks Marty)
The class-warfare is fiercest over food:
Marks and Spencer hand-picked Brussel Sprouts
Vietnamese food
Espresso
Anything organic
As these things filter through and become more widespread, they become vulgar - e.g. ordering a cappuccino or latte is now common. In order to maintain a position of self-regarding superiority, the tasteful must forever be looking out for the next thing.
There are loads of examples, feel free to leave any you think of in the comments.
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