Discussion Main / BritishStuffiness

Particularly true of upper and aspiring middle class, whereas "Lower-class Brits will often be rowdy and bawdy."?

I know we are talking tropes, but the article confuses them with myths about life in the UK.

In British life, it is still true, or at any rate held to be true by those concerned, that the right accent and what goes with it (schools one went to) will see on through. A stoic laconic carelessness is easy to affect under these circumstances, as nothing much is at play. On the other hand, the "lower" classes are capable of rationality, courage, and resolve in the face of very real adversity.

By the way, upper and lower class are terms that you will not actually hear in modern British life. What was once the upper class (nobility and landed gentry) has dwindled in numbers and importance. Peasants and servants have likewise disappeared, although the breadline and the people living on it are still very real. What constitutes the "middle class" in say Jane Austen's time has expanded to range from what is now called the working class at the bottom and millionaires and celebs at the top. Many of those who would consider themselves middle class make less then "working class" tradesman and do office work.

Image Pickin'— Not that an image is a priority for this page, but considering that Queen Elizabeth II's absolutely deadpan expression from the opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics has become a Memetic Mutation in just hours, I thought it seemed to fit the trope perfectly. Thoughts? Pic can be found here.