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There was a pause; then the voice began again. "Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever. I'm really awfully glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. They all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don't want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They're too stupid to be able..." - Excerpt from Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley Today's subject is class, as covered in Paul Fussell's Class: A Guide Through The American Status System, as mentioned a couple of months ago. Incidentally, this comes on the back of a spate of articles in the local news about "social mobility" - e.g. "More help to boost social mobility", "'Significant' degree of social mobility", and "School system 'still best way to move up'" and reader responses, e.g. "Social mobility: Examine elite PSLE band". And what exactly is this vaunted "social mobility", and why has it become an issue? To the former, Wikipedia tells of social hierarchies and, yes, class systems. There, the C-word is out. Indeed, nowadays, it can be in polite conversation more fraught with danger than even religion or sex. As the book seriously deserves a full read, the following discussion of its content is neither comprehensive nor complete. It should, however, serve as a passable overview. Warning: Caution Advised Class can be very dangerous. Some people can get extremely upset at the mere suggestion of its existence - are we not all equal citizens/comrades/humans? (Short answer: No.) Even those who might entertain the possibility, are often adamant that it doesn't happen where they live, and everybody regards everybody else identically. Hmm. Fussell declares at the outset that where he examines class, he examines choice. That is, influences such as race (since it isn't chosen), religion and politics (which while chosen, are not usually too obviously displayed) [N.B. This applies less when some religions are associated with distinct dress codes, as in Singapore] are heavily downplayed in his analysis. Somewhat paradoxically, Fussell later reveals that it is very hard to choose/change classes in practice, which is likely where the recent interest in social mobility has come from. Fussell's Nine Classes Fussell divides American society (at least circa 1983, the year in which the book was published) into nine classes, which lie in three tiers (tier titles are my own): (Upper)
One distinction noted by Fussell is that the danger that a person's job entails is a good predictor of class, with explicit reference to the Vietnam War, where those sent to fight on the ground (and likely die) were more often than not the sons of the working-class, while the more-privileged often ducked the draft by entering college. Also, Fussell stresses that money alone doesn't determine class - a low-life's suddenly becoming a multi-millionaire certainly doesn't confer automatic upper-class status. However, it is kind of hard to maintain upper-classedness without significant resources, as more than one impoverished gentleman has probably discovered (would Mr. Darcy be Darcy enough if he were penniless?). From top to bottom (or, if one subscribes to "separate but equal", from side-to-side): The top-out-of-sight class is all old money - they certainly didn't work for it, and are not ashamed to admit so, that is if one manages to encounter them at all. However, when found, one may struggle to distinguish them from the common masses - their sheer, obscene wealth allows themselves to be free of all social concerns, including maintaining appearances with the merely very rich. The upper class, while usually inheriting a fair bit, still feels compelled to work in some ceremonial position, even if they don't need to; they are the "rich" that most people know. [N.B. By Fussell's definition, even Bill Gates is only upper class at best - but his grandkids may have a shot at top-out-of-sight if he leaves them enough cash (probably not)] We now come to the upper-middle class, which is characterised by having earned the bulk of its money (so Gates and most self-made men might best be described as upper-middle). As a group, they tend to have the most education of all the (sub-)classes, since many of them are professionals (i.e. the doctors and lawyers many Singaporean parents exhort their kids to become), and are the most-aspired-to class (since the upper, and certainly top-out-of-sight, classes aren't exactly accessible solely through personal effort) Then comes the middle class, certainly the most popular category to be in, but also the least self-assured; while the uppers are mostly secure, and the working people generally comfortable with their station in life, the true middle class is highly status-aware, knowing that they could ascend - but also as easily (or more easily) sink. Thus, they are in behaviour and deed the most conservative and guarded. Here, Fussell breaks with convention by declaring the lower-middle class dead, the key reason being that the jobs traditionally associated with this class have steadily been reduced with respect to freedom and self-respect. Therefore, the high prole (working) class follows middle, and comprises highly skilled blue-collar workers (alas, such professions seem to be dwindling too) Next are the mid-proles, who are characterised by being operators, and then the low proles, who are unskilled labourers. Fussell observes that each have their unique insecurities - high proles about their skilledness ("I'm not a mere worker!"), mid-proles about employment, and low proles about ever going past survival mode. Finally, we come to the destitute, who subsist on welfare, and the bottom-out-of-sights, who are usually institutionalised in charity homes, prisons or mental hospitals, and there languish, unseen, by the vast majority of humanity. Looks Matter Every now and then, a letter will be written to The Straits Times by a disgruntled consumer. In it, he will describe his less-than-satisfying experience at a retail outlet, the self-diagnosed reason for which is his less-than-impressive apparel. It usually ends with an admonition along the lines of "Hey, just because I'm in singlet, shorts, socks and sandals (the SSSS of the Singapore fashion world), don't assume I don't have the money to buy whatever crummy goods you were selling, ok? Why you judge by appearances?" The CS student in me responds that well, on balance of probability the can't-afford assumption given the prior of dress is more than likely true, and we all play the probabilities in everyday life; the Econs student in me responds that however, it doesn't pay to let the customer know that, and the local consumer in me says that service is quite often bad in any case, so it may have nothing to do with what you're wearing anyway. Back to the book. Chapter Three is "Appearance Counts", and in it Fussell begins by noting that good looks are more prevalent in the upper classes, because when the rich "marry down", they tend to go for looks, in accordance with pop evo-psych theory. Next, Fussell mentions height, and states that upper-class people are relatively unlikely to be short and squat. Indeed, there is a not-insignificant relationship between height and income, at least for males. [N.B. In another library book I read, on migrant Chinese female workers, it was mentioned that many of the girls would outright reject any suitor below five-foot-seven (1.7m) in height - impressive if only because roughly half the male population there doesn't meet this first criteria. Sorry Tom Cruise, you're outta luck] But if we can't help our height, we can do so for weight, and being reasonably slim is usually a good sign as far as class goes, but being too overtly muscular, less so - possibly as it connotes manual labour (Fussell notes that suits wear awkwardly on a powerful frame). Other things to look out for: scarves, no jewelry (for men), and moderate-length, undyed hair; the key is understatement, but layering [N.B. perhaps slightly pretentious in the tropical heat here, which may be a reason why Singapore isn't exactly known for dress style] Continuing with understatement, this means no "legible clothing", and generally the bigger/cruder the words imprinted, the lower the class. No synthetic material (especially polyester, though this probably is more prevalent in the US and British cultures), and the colours shown should be navy blue, or faded pastels (personally, one can't go far wrong with white or black) One caveat - trying too hard is a no-no. For example, the effect of being too neat, or wearing stuff that is too new, or behaving too conscientiously, is bad if an upper(-middle) class effect is craved (this can be extended to washing one's car too much, etc). Two insightful quotes are given: "...you're almost too well-dressed to be a gentleman", and "...he's not a gentleman: he divides his coattails when he sits down." A recurring theme that comes up whenever the upper class is concerned is age - old, threadbare clothes are quite acceptable, if they are (were) exquisitely well-made. For example, where suits are concerned, having a collar that gapes at the back of the neck is a huge letdown. Here, I will skip the advice on more specific articles of clothing, if only to motivate actual readership. Location, Location, Name Fussell recounts an episode where a friend of his, a housing developer, enlisted his help on choosing classy-sounding property names that would appeal to his mostly middle-class buyers. Fussell's list was composed of stereotypically British constructions (e.g. Albemarle, Berkeley, Cavendish, Devonshire, Exeter, Fanshawe...) Given that Singapore shares this British heritage to an extent, I sought a list of condominium developments in my curiosity, and was confronted with Aquene, Beaufort, Casero, D'Evelyn, Emprado, Fontaine etc. So it appears that a vague suggestion of Frenchiness is all the vogue here. Bet our Brit administrators didn't see this coming. Top-out-of-sight houses are, as expected, located where they can't easily be seen, and for an added touch of class can have long, curved driveways, as a sign of "futility". The rules for colour come back into play, with beige gravel classier than stark white, being more subtle. The same goes for the building proper, with bright red roof tiles, for instance, not as good as muted brown. These properties probably don't exist locally, however, for want of land. Again, as with personal appearances, being too concerned about one's property is not too classy - Fussell observes that middle-class homeowners are the most careful of their lawns, lest they invite sanctions from their equally class-conscious neighbours (this clearly doesn't apply in Singapore - a person in possession of a lawn here can hardly justify himself as middle-class) While much of Fussell's data on houses probably isn't transplantable, those on cars probably can, especially as they are far harder to obtain here than just about anywhere else. Fussell teaches that the upper class often just doesn't care (as with other status symbols) - a normal, beaten-up Toyota is quite acceptable. Otherwise, the right thing to get is a "good" car, (Jaguar and BMW are quoted), but noticeably old (note the parallel with suits) Interestingly, Fussell singles out Mercedes-Benzes as "a sign of high vulgarity", maybe unfairly - it is true that it seems the go-to car for many local businessmen. [N.B. As brands go, there often is a "popular" perception that most people hold, and then "insider" knowledge. Take watches - the men-in-the-street, when asked to name a top luxury brand, would likely respond with Rolex, and they aren't wrong, or at least not very wrong; in any case, there likely is a further super-insider list or two, but frankly nothing any of us need be concerned with] Following this, it is noted that class correlates with slow driving speed (and likely a slow, precise walking gait too, come to think of it). Amusingly, Fussell states that much speeding arises from a drive to impress females, which holds true here looking at the occasional ricers on the roads... [To be continued] Next: Remedial Class (Interlude)
anonymous said... D'Evelyn doesn't sound like a place to stay, sounds more like a place where you put your cock into
gilbert said... I see you have made a new acquaintance?
anonymous said... also, does the author just list these various signals of class status...does he delve into how these signals arise? any trends? mechanisms? i.e. why upper class prefer jaguar and bmw etc...what are the general mechanisms that can account for any of the signalling preferences...
anonymous said... u fucker i dun see u online on msn leh garsatie sons
gilbert said... ninja mode success, part two upcoming, as soon as i do enough research not to get fired
anonymous said... gogogo
after that you can stick your cock in D'Evelyn
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