When I moved to London at age 17 I was blown away by the diversity of people I met. I loved how all my new friends came from every walk of life. However, when I went ice skating with one of my ‘friends’ (who was born with multiple silver spoons in her mouth), and couldn’t work out how to fasten my skates, she told me I would find it much easier if I fastened them the same way I would ski boots. Now this was the first time I had ever been ice skating, as it was the first time in my life I could afford to go. But my ‘friend’s’ little anecdotes about her yearly trips to Vienna to ski with her family really didn’t help me work out how to put on my ice skates.
Her useless help to my dilemma really highlighted what class means to me. In addition, with the cold winter months fast approaching and the energy price cap rising by over 10% at the start of this October, the issues attached to what class you were born into are wider than ever. For me, the definition of class is having to work insanely hard just to get a glimpse of what is so simple to others. Coming from a working-class family also brings hyper-independence and maturity. You are constantly trying to figure out how to get somewhere that isn’t a job paying minimum wage and something you don't really want to do, but would put food on the table so your mum doesn’t lose more hair due to stress about finances and bailiffs. This, in turn, brings a childhood of being an adult. Then, when you finally reach an age to be an adult, a lonesome wish grows that you could be carefree and child-like just once in your life. In my opinion, class means unjustified inequality as well as missed childhood fun and memories.
The argument I am making is simply evident in my story about ski boots and ice skates. As investigated by the Office of National Statistics, multiple annual holidays abroad are the norm for 64% of people in the UK. However, for working class families, only 45% of them have ever been on holiday before. For the families worst off in the country, 8% of them have never been abroad. I was part of this statistic before a project that my old college was part of took teenagers who had never been abroad before to Malta for them to learn about different cultures and places. The two weeks I spent in Malta were easily the best of my life as it was the only time I was stress-free about finances and not thinking of ways I could support my family while trying to better our situation. Children from poorer backgrounds are limited in their fun and creativity as they are often dealing with difficult issues, unlike people from other backgrounds who can afford to be sheltered.
In the arts the divide between the classes is still staggering and completely under-reported. From research conducted by ‘Shout It Out’, working class actors only make up 10% of the industry, while 73% of actors come from a middle class background. This is due to the lack of opportunities for working class people. Having to balance finances, family and working a side-hustle will seem impossible, while people from other classes can receive help from parents and others. While there are some charities and organisations that offer training and opportunities to working class people in the arts, the harsh reality is that this will never equal the comfort and ease people from different backgrounds are gifted with from birth.
As mentioned, with the harsh winter months quickly approaching and the 5.3 million people having to make the decision between hypothermia or starvation once again, it is irritating to me that the government we voted for – which promised to reduce gas prices on average by £400 a month, yet increased the cap over 10% – is seemingly doing very little to help the people who grew up like me. But it’s all fine and dandy, as when you can finally afford to do fun things like ice skating you can just fasten them like ski boots.
What a great read - very well written and hits the class nail on the head!