VIII.

IDENTITY AND CLASS, ATTITUDES

ATTITUDES
- opinions and feelings, the way one behaves
- believes, way we behave towards someone or in a certain situation

 STEREOTYPES AND CHANGE

o change over time, what is typically British is derived from books, songs or plays (sometimes
no longer representative of modern life) – it is said they are cold, distinctive, old-fashion,
gentlemen, polite, conservative
o land of tradition – changes are not well accepted, for example London double-deckers (in
1990s companies wanted to change its colour, but the government was against), the
changing of the guard outside Buckingham Place never changes, even they are in the EU
still pounds instead of kilograms, inches instead of centimetres, Fahrenheit instead of
Celsius
o in private everyday lives, the British as individuals are less inclined to follow the
tradition than people in other countries, for example very few ancient customs that are
followed by many families on special occasions
o many examples of typical British habits that are not typical anymore, for example
image of London city gentleman wearing a bowler hat, fry-up breakfast preceded by cereal
with milk followed by toast, butter and marmalade and tea – now more continental, British
as tea drinkers, now more coffee

 ENGLISH VS. BRITISH

o English culture dominates the cultures of the three nations of the British Isles –
everyday habits, attitudes and values are for all four nations very similar, but not identical
o so what is sometimes called typically British may be only typically English
o for example English anti-intellectualism (teachers and academic staff do not have as high a
status as they do in most other countries), in Scotland they always placed a high value on
education for all classes, in Ireland of all classes place a high value on being quick, ready
and able with words and Welsh are famous for exporting teachers to other parts of Britain

 MULTICULTURALISM
o immigration to Britain in the 20th century – Britain is a multicultural society
o in London there are areas, in which a distinctively Indian way of life predominates (Indian
shops, languages, schools) – “New British” – many new different identities and attitudes
o new British have made their own contribution to British life and attitudes – not so closed
communities as in the USA

 CONSERVATISM
o British don’t like changes even they don’t behave in traditional ways anymore, they like
symbols of tradition and stability
o they have a general sentimental attachment to older, supposedly safer times – they like
living in old houses, they like their pubs look old and they don’t want to change their
currency
o “not being like everyone else is a good reason not to change” (driving, the metric system,
GMT Greenwich mean time, financial year – in April)

 INDIVIDUALISM
o conservatism mixed with individuality (they are more individualistic than other countries –
difficult to work for them in a team, they live only in nuclear families – only one generation)
o they are proud of being different – they will never change driving on the left, never
abandon their red buses, change their currency or measurements

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 Love of nature and countryside
- most of British live in towns and cities (because of job opportunities)
- life was better in the countryside in the past , no negative associations with it – quiet,
healthy, no crime
- village ideal, origin in literature, thatched houses, surrounded by a “village green”
- because they can’t live there they take part in organizations and programmes connected with
nature - The Ramblers Association
 Love of animals
- half of the households keep at least one domestic pet
- connected with the love of nature
- illegal to run over a dog and not inform the owner
 The national trust
- charity organisations to preserve the countryside and historic buildings
 Respect for privacy
- rude to ask a personal question, even “How do you do” – not genuine interest, merely a
conversational phrase – the answer seconds this

 FORMALITY AND INFORMALITY

o public role – formal when they are ‘on duty’ – at work they have to wear smart clothes,
act professionally
o in private life they are just being themselves – no rules at all, informal
o what you do after work is only your business, they don’t ask questions about marriage or
children – respect for privacy

 STIFF UPPER LIP

o means you are have a great self-restraint (sebeovládání) in expressing emotions
o English people are more reserved than people in other countries
o they find it difficult to indicate friendship
o being friendly in Britain means that you don’t bother with formalities – no title (Mr or
Mrs or Professor), not dressing formal when entertaining guests, no shaking hands when
meeting them, no please for requests, when they are not doing this and act formal it isn’t a
sign that they are rude, they are just implying you are not in a ‘friend’ category
 observing formalities = putting a distance between people
 ignoring those = being informal, friendly (“help yourself”, being casual, wearing casual
clothes – sometimes “the scruffy British”)
o ‘my house, my castle’ – once they ask you to come to their house, you must be a good
friend

 THE CULT OF THE TALENTED AMATEUR

o means being too professionally dedicated is looked at with suspicion
o in free time they help in many ways - voluntary activities, charity organization (e.g. Oxfam)

 SOCIALIZATION
o it is common to be a part of an organization or a club, not like in the Czech Republic

 SELF-HELP
o without the involvement of government: The National Trust, The Family Planning
Association, (NHS 1948 gov. involved in public health matters), etc.

IDENTITY
- image of oneself (how we see ourselves) based on various aspects (place of origin, family,
education, gender)
- in terms of loyalties and sense of identity
- compared to national stereotypes = how others see us
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 NATIONAL
o Ethnicity
 given identity, often entails certain extent of national loyalty – other than English –
felt strongly (sporting events and teams, marrying among themselves)
o Non-white
 Caribbean and South Asia (3% + 7% of population respectively) , British citizens
o The sentimental nationalist
 (e.g. the Scottish – Burns suppers)
 Wales – more loyal to England, although there is significant symbol - the Welsh
language, and even extremist groups
 Northern Ireland –discussed in “Religion” topic
 FAMILY
o rather weak especially in England
o the notion of family = nuclear family (a family group consisting of a pair of adults and their
children)
o extended family in other ethnic groups (a family that extends beyond the immediate family,
consisting of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all living nearby)
o traditional family on decline (“cereal packet family” – normal family), however the
number children born outside marriage increasing
o Finland and UK the highest divorce rates in Europe (2014)

 GEOGRAPHICAL
o Conservation – pride themselves on the place x not necessarily the sense of belonging
o Larger geographical areas – stronger sense of belonging (region, city) - e.g. Liverpudlians,
Mancunians, Geordies, Cockneys
o North x south divide
 a stereotypical northerner is rather uncultured, ignorant, sport enthusiast and beer-
drinker
 a stereotypical southerner is soft, hypocritical, unfriendly
o resentment of South-east domination by the North

 POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS

o (with the exception of Northern Ireland) not significant, possibly due to the fact that they do
not relate

CLASSES
- it depends on how much money you possess, your education, occupation – job, language you are
speaking, family background, social contacts – who you know
- the class system in UK survived due to its flexibility
- the British are rather “class conscious” although they claim not to approve of class division
- marry up, work your way up the career ladder – social climbing
- main social mobility factors are education or marriage – it is no longer about money but about
opportunities
- in society it is very sensitive topic – even when British people are asked they do not want to admit
the class system, they integrate themselves into a class

 ORIGIN
o in the past the class system – hierarchy based on wealth, political power, family you were
born in
o until 17th century only 2 classes – workers & aristocracy, couldn’t move from class to
another

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 o in the 18th/19th century fragmentation of the class system thank to Industrial Revolution and
many new jobs and workers needed
o emergence (vznik) of the middle class
o self-mobility – self-made man which means that even you are not born in a wealthy family
you can climb the class leader thank to for example education and your hard work
o social mobility - spread of education, the distribution of wealth
o in 1980s Hurricane Thatcher and her idea of meritocracy – how you work, the way you
merit (přínos) to the society should help you to climb the class ladder (she was born in not
wealthy family)

 CLASS DIVISION
o different attitudes
o sets of values
o past times
o different types of schools (public x state) – misleading names – public means older, more
prestigious kinds, expensive, elite, originally boarding schools (Eton)
o strongest indicator not wealth but speech (accent)

- Property price rises will cause the middle classes to disappear within 30 years, leaving only a
“wealthy elite and sprawling proletariat”, government adviser says

 UPPER CLASS
o before hereditary élite – you were born in a rich family, you inherited wealth and your
position in the society, now managerial élite – upper class is more open
o old money families – families that transformed their money from one generation to another
o but now money can’t buy you a place in the upper class
o ‘new aristocracy’ – celebrities that are super rich, but they are not considered as upper class
(footballers for example)
o public schools – private schools, you have to pay school fee to attend it, the oldest is the
best, emphasis individualities, net-working friends – when you make friend in public school
you probably know them for the rest of your life, narrow connection with graduates and they
school (contributions)

 MIDDLE CLASS
o middle class should overtake working class by 2020
o ‘Upper classes are a nation’s past, the middle class its future.’
o it should became even more fragmented, biggest class
o also called muddle class – difficult to say who is in the class
o universally ridiculed, universally insecure
 upper-middle class – doctors and architects
 middle-middle class – teachers
 white colour workers – clerks
 WORKING CLASS
o increasingly fragmented
o more than 50 % female (single-mother families) or ethnic minorities members, lots of
immigrants, difficult to do a career
o new emerging classes – underclass or benefit class or precariat – unemployed, taking
benefits from the state
o neet – a young person who leaves school and don’t want to work, big problem in Britain
now, higher number of teenage pregnancy, dropouts from schools at 16 and no willingness
to find a job, David Cameron and his Learn or Earn policy
o ‘The worst fault of the working classes is telling their children they’re not going to succeed,
saying: There is life, but it’s not for you.’ Sir John Mortimer
o new emerging classes – Underclass, ‚Benefits Class, Precariat (precarity – existence
without security)
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 Seven Class Model
o primarily based on occupation
o academic theory that is not very used among people

 CLASS INDICATORS – STATUS SIGNALS

o NAMES – Jade, Chelsea – W.C., Emily, Tom – M.C., Pierce, Sebastian, Fiona, Susanna –
U.C.
o CLOTHES – The most difficult to detect among the young, Overdressing, Shininess,
Fussiness – W.C., Simple and Understated – U.C.
o HAIR “done“ vs. “natural“
o POSTCODE – A?B?C?
o FURNISHINGS – fitted carpets, garish colours – W.C., bare floorboards, solid colours
U.M.C., U.C., Coasters
o GARDEN – colourful, cheerful, garish – French garden – W.C., neat and tidy –U.C.
o ANIMALS – W.C. rats, guinea pigs, U.C. horses
o SHOPS – Sainsbury x Harrods
o LANGUAGE
 upper class – dropping vowels
 lower class – dropping consonants

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