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What is middle class in Ireland

Sappa

Now since the Celtic Tiger has lost it's fizz and we are in a major recession burning all those paper millionaires and part time property developers what defines middle class in Ireland.
It came up in another thread that you must earn net 100k minimum to be considered middle class,or does Ireland no longer have a core middle class just the have and have nots?

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Augmerson

cosbloodymick wrote: »

Being middle class has nothing to do with income.
Middle class is a question of attitude.
Its the desire to achieve in life. To work hard and provide for yourself and your family. To educate yourself and broaden your mind, to experience different things in life, to educate your children so that they may achieve even better than yourself.

That could be just about anybody. From working class to middle class to the upper classes. Wanting a better life for yourself is in 99% of us.

I think, in this country, that an overwhelming number of us are working class. There's nothing wrong with being working class - genuine and proud working people. Not the horrible negative stigma that the media has attached to it over the years. I work for a living - I'm working class. Simple as that.

If I didn't need to work for a living because I was well off, I'd be middle to upper class.

carlmango11

Madam_X wrote: »

Those can apply to people from all walks of life though.

Unfortunately they often don't but where they do I would consider that person middle class. It's not about money really - they just often go hand-in-hand.

Madam_X

cosbloodymick wrote: »

Being middle class has nothing to do with income.
Middle class is a question of attitude.
Its the desire to achieve in life. To work hard and provide for yourself and your family. To educate yourself and broaden your mind, to experience different things in life, to educate your children so that they may achieve even better than yourself.

Those can apply to people from all walks of life though.

Beef_Injection

Anyone living behind the barbed wire fences south east of west and south inner city Dublin and East of the Howth road.

Damn plebeians.

*Deeply inhales gaseous matter from Waterford crystal champagne glass*

cosbloodymick

Being middle class has nothing to do with income.
Middle class is a question of attitude.
Its the desire to achieve in life. To work hard and provide for yourself and your family. To educate yourself and broaden your mind, to experience different things in life, to educate your children so that they may achieve even better than yourself.

The Aussie

Mahogany wrote: »

Aw, thats so sad

Can I read this after I've finished eating my Venison and Caviar while I watch my 200 inch TV, oh and after I go for a dump and get my servent to wipe my asre (:pac:) with fresh €20 notes, yes I know the horror I used to use €50 notes but you know there is a recession on and all.....

carlmango11

Mahogany wrote: »

So cut child benefit and make families struggle to put food on the table while middle income families think they have it bad because they can't afford the second car. Aw, thats so sad

What's the alternative? Take more money from the middle class? This will do nothing but discourage people from working. It sends out the message that if you stay on welfare everything will be handed to you; if you work your money will go towards those on benefits. I know so many people who don't work purely because it's better for them to stay on welfare payments.

Chop Chop

humbert wrote: »

If you don't say "I done ..." you are middle class. I don't really believe Ireland has an upper class.

What planet are you living on? There are plenty of upper class in this country. The likes of JP Mc Manus, real billionaires not Sean Quinn the paper billionaire. There is an elite upper class in this country, it's made up of very shrewd business men.

tayto lover

Middle income are the middle class that are keeping the country running.
The people at the top and those at the bottom are paying feck all.

Mahogany

carlmango11 wrote: »

Everyone took a hit when **** hit the fan. It's unfair if those on the lower end of the scale were made immune to losses by higher tax rates for those of higher income.

Every country has classes.

So cut child benefit and make families struggle to put food on the table while middle income families think they have it bad because they can't afford the second car. Aw, thats so sad

humbert

If you don't say "I done ..." you are middle class. I don't really believe Ireland has an upper class.

carlmango11

Mahogany wrote: »

You're wrong, people with feck all income took a hit in the child benefit, explain how that is fair?

Everyone took a hit when **** hit the fan. It's unfair if those on the lower end of the scale were made immune to losses by higher tax rates for those of higher income.

Chain_reaction wrote: »

I thought we didn't have a class system in Ireland?

Every country has classes.

macsauce

As someone said already, class has nothing to do with money or income. "Class" is fundamentally about breeding.

Chucken

The Aussie wrote: »

Mahogany, I think you might be chronologically lost, was Children's Benefit not cut at the start of December 2012 and you dig up a post from what September 2012????

Now unless Mike69er is Nostradamus or something. :pac:

Are you saying he's not? :eek:

Mahogany

Doesn't mean I'm wrong. He's suggesting people on welfare havn't klost out on anything the last few years, well thats far from true

The Aussie

Mahogany, I think you might be chronologically lost, was Children's Benefit not cut at the start of December 2012 and you dig up a post from what September 2012????

Now unless Mike69er is Nostradamus or something. :pac:

Mahogany

mike65 wrote: »

The social welfare class (in the broadest sense ie pensioners too) have lost the least in this crash, but don't anyone dare suggest that eh?

You're wrong, people with feck all income took a hit in the child benefit, explain how that is fair?

If you wanted to buy a house, you should've known what you were getting yourself into.

zenno

These are the words of the middle class...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSqQ-0TwMiM

Owen_S

Being middle class in Ireland is having decking outside your house. Lots of Celtic Tiger decking.

retroactive

Someone once defined "working class" as having a television bigger than your bookcase. Would the converse be true? Working class is having a bookcase bigger than your television?

Many working, middle class and upper class families are saddled with a heavy amount of post property bubble debt. This has blurred the lines between the classes - no longer will having a large home and an up to date car be considered "doing well". I always defined class on more than wealth, what profession are you in - Construction, Gardai, Judge? What holidays do you go on - boozing in Benidorm or Skiing near the Alps? What books are you reading - Jordan's bio, Dalia Smith's book or Dostoevsky. Class is more than mere wealth, it's in the newspapers we read, the jobs we do and the interests we have.

oldyouth

Currently, the Middle Class in Ireland have to be Public Service employees. Yes, they are finding it as hard as the rest of us to make ends meet, but with a bit of belt tightening they will come out at the other end. The rest of us might not

zenno

Silentcorner wrote: »

Steady on son, if you don't subscribe to what is often referred to an honest days work fair enough but no need to rubbish the opinion of someone who does

And by the way I never claimed to be anything, where in my post did I claim to be a perfect human being

No, i didn't mean you personally, the "you" part was just in relation to others not you personally, sorry if it sounded that way Silentcorner.

Silentcorner

zenno wrote: »

This is rubbish, just because you are hard working doesn't mean you are an honest person, why does "honest" always come into it as if you are the perfect human being. Just because someone works, that means they are honest ? It's just work and everyone has to do it, what's honest about it ? it's just called work.

Steady on son, if you don't subscribe to what is often referred to an honest days work fair enough but no need to rubbish the opinion of someone who does

And by the way I never claimed to be anything, where in my post did I claim to be a perfect human being

Teyla Emmagan

I don't think the concept of 'class' equates to 'income'.

You can be born upper class (as an English Duke, say) and still be as poor as a churchmouse. Or, if you're a total chav, and win the lottery, you're still not upper class.

Richard Hillman

FloatingVoter wrote: »

Under class, working class, upper class - don't give a toss about what class they are and just get on with the day.

The middle class worry about things like class. It is self-defeating because there is nothing more classless than caring about class.

I find that in Ireland it is the underclass and some members of the Working classes that care most about they class system. If you go to a random punter from the underclasses and ask them about something like Rugby or Cricket, the first thing they would mention would be something about classes. If you live in an area filled with lifetime welfare people and you have a nice car, house and want to send your kids to a good school rather than the local school with major discipline problems, you would be considered to be a snob.

mikemac1

Filling up the HETAC (or was that FETAC?) survey, farmers were in a class of their own
You filled this up when you started college and probably when you finished too

Makes sense

You could be a millionaire or a pauper, labour and sweat all day or be a "gentleman farmer" like Michael O'Leary and his prize herd.

Impossible to nail down farmers into a class, best to leave them out on their own

ehcocmeo

FloatingVoter wrote: »

Under class, working class, upper class - don't give a toss about what class they are and just get on with the day.

The middle class worry about things like class. It is self-defeating because there is nothing more classless than caring about class.

Exactly....!. Upper class.. Just look at the tetra pack heiress dead in her house for weeks.. What does money bring a person?

What is a comfortable wage in Ireland today for a Family I would say 50K.

But Money is not everything.

mike65

The middle class are the squeezed class, the coping class. The ones with a massive paper debt on their home and a commute that nearly costs as much as the crèche does.

The social welfare class (in the broadest sense ie pensioners too) have lost the least in this crash, but don't anyone dare suggest that eh?

FloatingVoter

Under class, working class, upper class - don't give a toss about what class they are and just get on with the day.

The middle class worry about things like class. It is self-defeating because there is nothing more classless than caring about class.

cartell_best

Middle class is the people who are paying a mortgage, down the road from you, at €1200 per month. But yet you're paying your landlord 500 per month. Middle class are the people who own a '09 reg car, wishing they owned a 12 reg, so the neighbours don't think any less of them. Thank God, I'm working class...regardless, if I'm earning 35 or 70K per year!....