Today a girl who lives with me changed my outlook forever. I need to write this blog to vent my feelings. She went on an incredibly snobby rant about how “common” people, their practices, her stereotypes of their appearances and actions are inferior to her. I must admit I was pretty gobsmacked. I haven’t known this girl that long, but what I did know would never have led me to believe she would harbour these ideas. She is from a well off, middle class background and instead of most students my age she spends whatever she wants and can afford to regularly shop in the likes of Top Shop etc. However, I never judged her for this. I guess if you can afford this kind of lifestyle, then go for it. It appears though that she does make assumptions about people on their background: One of those people being me. This is ironic and you will see why now. I said before that I didn’t know her and this is reciprocated. She doesn’t know me. But, based on my appearance and actions she has decided that I am inferior to her. What is my background? Well, I was from a middle class family too. My father is a Doctor; my mother is an Ultra sonographer. We lived in a huge house. My parents were pretty froogle though and I was anything but spoiled. After their split 3 years ago, my life changed. It was turned upside down. Things have never been the same. I lost my Dad out of all of this. I lost my home. I lost everything really. I was nearly insane for a while. I was hopeless. So all of this has happened and like most of the people who have been through a similar situation, I don’t want to relive the memory and so I don’t like repeating the story. So when I went to college this year, the story was as simple as my father doesn’t live with us. Immediately this house mate must have automatically formed the opinion that I am from a lower class home due to the fact that my parents are split up. She literally knows nothing of my situation, where and how I live. But she has created this opinion of me anyhow. This is how I found out…
The girls I live with thought it would be funny to think of names that would suit us better than our own. Previously this particular housemate had gone on one of her usually snobby rants about common people and so was commenting on her disgust for common names. When it came to their turn to give me a name that would suit me better she disagreed with the girls ideas and said that a more common name would suit me better. I was so shocked. Now, don’t get me wrong, by my definition of the word and what it really is, I’d happily be called common. Happily. But by her definition I am gutted. I can’t believe someone would be so cruel to say that to my face, but to even think that at all. I want to say who do you think you are? Why do you think you are better than anyone else?? My point in writing all of this is that I genuinely think people like this are what are wrong with the world, how can you define people by a class? You cannot help who you are, where you are born or what situation you are in. It is an old fashioned idea that social class is important. I call on the world to stop this. Value all lives. We are all equal and beautiful. We all have the right to feel like we belong and to be valued as much as the next person. We are all human. It is inhumane to regard yourself as more important. Humanity that should be the thing we all have in COMMON.
