Who am I? What am I?

It's a tricky one, knowing where you sit in today's society. There's a commonly held belief that our position in society here in Britain is determined essentially by 'class' (as in the Class System), and that in the USA it's all about net worth - in short, money. But even that's not really true, as they definitely distinguish between 'old' and 'new' money (i.e. class)!

The weird thing is that whatever the credit card companies and socio-economic wizards might say (they all seem to determine what we are on the basis of our purchasing power), we - as individuals - undeniably operate by 'class'. Whenever we meet new people, we instinctively know whether we feel superior or inferior in a sort of Darwinian pecking order. And we do so by detecting clues.

We use stereotypes - quick and dirty shortcuts that usually work (which is precisely why they originate). The way someone speaks, behaves, the company they keep: all contribute to which pigeonhole we first pop them into. As we get to know them better, we refine our stereotype and quite possibly allot them a different pigeonhole. Notice that by this stage, money really doesn't come into it.

To be honest, some people sadly never get beyond initial stereotypes. So one particular aspect of a person's initial impression can override all others and can stick for life. Which is why, for some proud (or envious) working class people I've met, the way I speak makes me 'posh'. The worst case scenario pigeonholes me as someone trying to appear superior to them by using long, 'clever' words designed to belittle them. They readily assume the downtrodden working class mantle in the face of the hated upper class oppressor.

In fact in my case, speaking posh is something over which I've had precious little control, being saddled with it by previous generations and a predominantly private education. Nowadays I'm quite comfortable being me and not feeling the need to accommodate chips on shoulders, though in the past my speech often presented a very real obstacle to social mixing. So - being blessed with a great ear - I soon became a highly plausible mimic, adapting both accent and lexicon to those I was with, be they Scottish, Irish, Welsh, East Anglian, Northerners, upper or lower class!! And I soon realised that the ability to speak (and write) posh could be sold as an asset, even to the chippiest. I could comfortably intercede on their behalf with authority figures, even to the extent of persuading bar staff in rough Glaswegian pubs to serve our group more drinks after the 'time bell' had been rung! I soon had my pigeon hole adjusted...