Social Classes

The St John's Wood Library Book Group had a discussion earlier this week of The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Of course, because the plot deals with a man trying to win over a woman from a higher social status, the conversation got around to social class differences in the United States. Since I am the only American in this group, I became the lucky representative and spokesperson for the US. Most of the people in the group felt that there are no REAL social classes in the U.S., that our classes are all based primarily on money. They pointed out that in England there is royalty and aristocracy, which doesn't exist in America. That is true.

I asked them how much mobility they felt there was today between the social classes in England. One young woman felt that today all that mattered in England was money -- that with enough money you could go as high as you wished. Not everyone agreed with that.

Later that evening, Carl and I went to dinner with Louise, a member of the book group, and her husband, Bruce. (Bruce is a barrister originally from South Africa, and Louise works with museums in London, recording oral histories of British people.) We continued the discussion of social classes during dinner. Bruce said he did not agree that there were no real social classes in the U.S. Louise said that there was a great deal of upward mobility within the social classes in England these days. She explained that this was a direct result of the increased educational opportunities to all Britons after World War II. As more people attended universities, they were able to raise their income and their standard of living, and they were able to join professions. Through several generations people were then able to move to a higher social class.

That's pretty much how it happens in the U.S., too, I think. If that is how it is in England now, then England has changed a great deal during the last half century. As Louise stated during dinner, it used to be that in England everyone knew their place or station in life, and that is where they stayed.