Embarrassing English snobs in France

[Kingdingaling]

Looking at the other thread, i'd just like to add this

I'm working class, didnt want to work, had a good job, packed it in and moved over here after a few visits.

I have been to Mcdonalds once since moving here 6 months ago, would murder fish n chips and a KFC.

I'm from up north (Lancashire), wash my hands in the kitchen sink after messing with the car.

And despite all these - what shall we call them - negatives, i dont argue in public, I miss my job, rarely go to McDonalds, I dont shout 'your avin a larf', I dont call anyone for wanting to change their lives and above all I dont charge my fellow English person a fortune to do a job on their newly aquired French property.

 

One thing I've noticed whilst here in France is that amongst the French there is a lack of snobbery and pretention that is - get this - so COMMON in the UK and I noticed in the UK that people moaned a lot.

 

 

[Russethouse]

I'm not sure why this is, but people who you may consider 'upper class' never say 'I am upper class' where as people who consider themselves to be 'working class' are more inclined to pigeon hole themselves by saying 'I'm working class' often adding 'and proud of it'

In my experience people with *real* class just treat everyone with respect, no matter who.

[letrangere]

wash my hands in the kitchen sink after messing with the car

Forget hands, I used to wash the dog in the kitchen sink when he was smaller.  If we're using this as a benchmark, presumably there isn't a social class low enough for me...   M 

[Dick Smith]

I'd be pretty worried if you washed the dog anywhere else in the house...

[Coral]

I wash my cats in the bathroom. I'd do the same for a dog if I had one.

[Alexis]

I used to wash the baby in the sink.  If it was good enough for Albert Steptoe, it was good enough for her.

My dog used to take showers though.  Perhaps I have moved up a class

[Will]

Well, I'm a snob and proud of it.

The dog's too big to go in the kitchen sink, and anyway, the cats pee in it. Real snobs don't wash themselves, let alone the dog.

Seriously, I think you will find there is a social structure and the consequent snobbery in France, but it's based more on where you come from and who your parents are rather than material wealth or what job you do. It's a bit more like what I grew up with in rural England in the 1950s where I couldn't play with certain kids because their mother came from a wealthy family, hence was a snob herself, or certain other kids because they lived in semis or (worse) terraces, and our bungalow was detached. 

[Creusois]

Snob, eh?  "You're first up against the wall" - to quote the great Wolfie Smith (I am still a member of the TLF although less active now than I used to be - well there's only me in the Bas-Berry Bourbonnais branch at this moment in time!)

[Piprob]

Anyone who pays the least attention knows there's no such thing as right or wrong anymore. The concept has been abolished. To comment upon behaviour of any kind is a completely unjustified infringement of personal liberty. Setting 'standards' in anything is outdated and ridiculous if not actually criminally divisive. The dwindling number of conformists who complain about others who say and do just what they like are elitist idiots.

I'm a banana.

Vive la France!

 

[Teamedup]

Why on earth are you saying that there is no snobbery in France. There is.

I have a friend who amuses me no end and certainly is a snob of sorts. She has beautiful diamond rings and wears clothes that I can't afford. Has a rather large house, with a covered swimming pool and any wif of anything being said about money and she says that they are ouvrieres and life is hard, as she waves her hands, diamonds a flashing. She isn't at ease with her middle son's in laws as they are lawyers, where as her eldest son's in laws are ouvrieres like themselves.

A friend of another friend is certainly snobby and very BCBG, wears that particular uniform with pride.

I've seen more than enough snobbery here. May not quite manifest itself as it does in the UK, but it certainly is alive and well. 

[Teejay]

[quote]Why on earth are you saying that there is no snobbery in France. There is. I have a friend who amuses me no end and certainly is a snob of sorts. She has beautiful diamond rings and wears clothes th...[/quote]

Teamedup this is the second day running that I endorse your observations.

Of course there is snobbery in France, and virtually indistinguishable from that in the UK.

Mr Big in his large maison looks down from his balcony on to Mr Middle-size's maison and thinks I'm better than him, and Mr Middle-size in his turn leans over his wall and looks over to Mr Little-maison, and promptly grows some Leylandi in order to blot out such a vulgar sight.

Then there are the 'spéciales' who are treated with total contempt by most.

It is alive and well in our village. On the surface they are very polite to each other, but beneath all the manners lurks 'good old snobbery' in all its manifestations.

[Val_2]

Will. Can do better than you, one of my cats crapped in the bath and then in my son's bed. Perhaps a snob would have chucked the bath and the bed out, us lower classes have to clean and make do.  Snobbery is alive and well in Paris but not too much round here due to the fact that everyone seems to be poor,a farmer or a fisherman and we all love shopping in Lidl. Snobs abound inthe UK because everyone lives on high credit which allows them to buy the latest things,but look what happens when the bubble bursts or they lose their jobs. Live as yourself and if others don't like it, tough!

[Dick Smith]

TJ and TU - the banana was being ironic...

[SaligoBay]

This is all most interesting, but I'm missing the point about hand-washing.

Why wouldn't you wash your hands after messing with the car?   

[Deby]

When we lived in Grenoble, my daughter went to a very bourgeois (sp) school.  The BCBG set I found equally as nice as the non BCBG set and it was only those of the non-BCBG set who had issues with class.  The point which I am making is I felt accepted at the school as I chose to ignore any class distinctions.  Class hierachy does exist in France but like the UK it depends on how a person chooses to deal with it themselves. 

Deby

ps BCBG means Bon Chic Bon Genre (sort of sloane rangerish)

[Creusois]

Another thing - snobs speak a different langauge to us common lot - so what's a BCBG?  Can you buy them in Atac? 

[Teamedup]

Bon chic bon genre, or it is said by some, to be, beau cul belle gueule, which isn't really very nice, but amusing never the less.

 

SorryCreusois, it is french and common usage.

 

 

And I like banana's ironic or not.

[Dick Smith]

"And I like banana's ironic or not."

Eh?

[letrangere]

SB, I didn't understand the washing hands in kitchen sink after fixing car reference either but assumed the poster felt it was something that was non-U.  And this got me thinking about other non-U things and all those tell tale words that supposedly give away a person's background and how they're invariably words that are used in French such as parfum, serviette, toilette, etc. but (gasp!) should never be used in English as it's always scent, napkin, loo, etc.  And now I'm thinking why am I having this conversation??? 

But before I go, no one's mentioned la bourgeoisie?  (Yes, isn't it a pain to spell, never looks right.)   Now, there's real class for you French style.

M

[Creusois]

FMOB is that what BCBG means!

[Russethouse]

>>>And this got me thinking about other non-U things and all those tell tale words that supposedly give away a person's background and how they're invariably words that are used in French such as parfum, serviette, toilette, etc. but (gasp!) should never be used in English as it's always scent, napkin, loo, etc. And now I'm thinking why am I having this conversation??? <<<<<<

My pet hate is the word 'lounge' (and even worse the aussie 'lounge room' )

I think its lavatory, not loo

[Dick Smith]

[quote]FMOB is that what BCBG means![/quote]

FYOB? FMOB! IGTTBOOS.

[Teamedup]

Creusois, in french you will  hear 'beh say beh jay', the initials are spoken, rather than the words, so now you know................ I didn't use BCBG just as a short cut when typing.  And in english we don't eff emm owe bee when speaking, do we? Well I wouldn't as I don't even know what these initials stand for.

 

 

 

[Piprob]

ACRONYMBYS Rule OK?

[Val_2]

BCBG - Big Car Big Garage peut-être or beaucoup croissants,big gut