Sunday NY Times piece on British Snobbery, for all you little plebs and gits

[garbon]

But in Britain class extends way beyond economic standing. It is about subculture. You can be very poor and still be solidly upper class or upper-middle, similarly you can be very rich and still very proud of the fact you're working class. In fact both are pretty common.

Which is totally alien here. Closest, would be old money vs. new money but that isn't a distinction that has any bearing except on the elite.

To me it is perfectly familiar. Even during communism we had the term "intelligentsia" which pretty much served to capture the upper class in a supposedly classless society.

So yet another way that America is actually unique on the class issue and not just hiding it as many have suggested.

[Admiral Yi]

Everybody could afford piano or gloves. And they were all equally poor.

Gloves sure, but a piano?  Did Communist Poland manage to produce remarkably cheap pianos? 

[Ideologue]

Everybody could afford piano or gloves. And they were all equally poor.

Gloves sure, but a piano?  Did Communist Poland manage to produce remarkably cheap pianos? 

That's what I'm saying.  Pianos are pretty expensive.