The Seven Class System

The number of classes in society is increasing exponentially. In the 1800s there were the two classes of the bourgeoisie and proletariat. In the 1900s, there were three classes; upper, middle and working. Now a study by the BBC has revealed there are now 7 classes.

Obsession with class has long been a part of the British psyche, as shown in our political discourse. There are calls on the left for Labour to begin re-representing the economic interests of the working class. Meanwhile, the centre ground of politics has a tradition of championing "the squeezed middle."

Another reason class is so dominant in our political discourse, leaving aside cultural compulsion, is it's effectiveness as a rhetorical tool. If you can quickly summon the image of a vast group, with reasonable economic similarities and shared concerns, that is a valuable tool in powerful speech making. "The squeezed middle" carries momentum much further than "People who earn between £x and £y." Secondly, given Britain's history of class consciousness, the phrases themselves carry power. These pillars of reference can, not only keep a speech going through snappy labels, but emotionally charge it as well.

One need only look at the BBC's proposed new class system to see it is unfit for purpose. "Emergent Service Workers" is a long, flaccid phrase. Meanwhile, "Precariat" tries to presumably combine "precarious" and "proletariat." This attempt to appropriate marxist language just sounds absurd given its lack of grounding in marxist historical context and tradition. Any politician who used these phrases would be laughed out of the pulpit.

If there is one advantage going for this new class system, that is its more holistic approach to class. An increasing tendency by society to judge class on factors other than the economic combined with a greater mixing of values and interests between economic classes, means the boundaries between some classes are blurred if existent. By taking into account "cultural and social capital" as well as the traditional "economic capital," the BBC has been able to reinstate boundaries between an increased number of classes. Now your class is determined by areas such as your internet use, eating habits and the music you like as well as your economic status.

However, given it cannot perform as rhetoric like its predecessor, what is the point of this improved accuracy? It seems to exist only to be a means of identification. Unlike the three class system, which we could evaluate on it's usefulness elsewhere as well as it's accuracy, the only criteria for this one is it's accuracy in providing identity.

On this front all class systems fall down. Instead of introspection, the identity is derived from the economy and culture surrounding us, referenced from society and our position within it. When asking "Who am I?" this system responds by saying "You are a qualified accountant with a partner and 3 kids, who likes indie music, uses social media, and has income of x pounds" This answer of who we are resembles describing somebody through a narrow window. It is defining yourself through the third person. Our identity becomes the superficial things we outwardly project, not the way we think or our emotions. We have a definite outline of identity but no stuffing to be within it.

The ability of this class system to aid our understanding of ourselves is extremely limited, nor is it a system that can effectively use these outlines in rhetoric. It is a system invented merely to indulge the British obsession with class.