Classism in University is not just Edinburgh's Problem
My time at Edinburgh University was short-lived but left a lasting impact on me. I somewhat knew the university’s reputation before going but didn’t expect it to be so accurate. When imagining the type of people who attend Edinburgh University... many think of rich trust fund kids who go skiing over winter break and have ‘rah’ in their daily vocabulary. I spent two weeks there, and I can say that the uni is full of them. This felt like a culture shock to me. I felt alienated from my group of friends. My dialect was different to theirs and I came from such a different background. I was the only person in the group who hadn't attended a private school.
Yet, even Scottish students feel isolated as Edinburgh University is becoming branded a ‘mini-England’ due to the mass influx of English students. This feeling of isolation has now manifested in the cancellation of the Edinburgh Tab - a social media and news outlet for the university’s students. The publication has been called out for its ignorance of valid complaints of low representation... One person pointed out the lack of Scottish people in the Tab’s videos and received the response ‘as god intended’. This outraged many as its dismissiveness pushes the idea that this lack of Scottish representation in their videos is neither a problem nor something to be questioned. The backlash towards the Edinburgh tab signifies the general annoyance many of the University's students have towards posh English students in particular as it brings to light wider issues of classism.
But these are issues that are rife in universities across the UK, not only in Edinburgh. Durham students lost their place at university for joking about sleeping with the poorest student after their group chat was exposed and their messages shared across social media. Such big cases have garnered lots of attention and have shed light on issues of class. But many issues of classism go unnoticed, somewhat becoming normalised.
A common, and often overlooked way in which classism plays out at university is the mocking of regional accents. I am Northern Irish and have lived in England for 3 years now, so I am used to the frequent ‘where are you from’ questions. They are often followed by either a politically charged ‘Protestant or Catholic’ interrogation (stop doing this) or mocking my accent. I usually look past the latter, assuming it is harmless. After all... It is quite entertaining to get English people to say ‘how now brown cow’ in my accent. But having posh English students mocking it or claiming to not understand what I’m saying rubs me the wrong way. Given the history and power imbalance between England and Northern Ireland, it can reinforce some sense of English superiority. That it is not ‘proper’ English.
It is the same for regional English accents too. Northern English accents are often judged by privileged Southerners because of classist stereotypes stemming from industrialisation and the later de-industrialisation that characterises the North. The majority of this workforce was working class. My friend from Sunderland being asked at the start of university if her granddad still 'worked down the coal mine' is a prime example of how these classist stereotypes continue today. That, and the constant mockery of her pronunciation of ‘cook’ and ‘book’.
Despite these classist mockeries of both working-class people and those assumed to be working-class. It is common for symbols of working-class culture to be co-opted by posh students. From fashion (Adidas tracksuits and Spezials) to slang (like the classic posh Southerner calling their mates the ‘mandem’). They use working-class culture to fit in with trends and with those around them.
Even in Manchester, the most sought-after accommodation, Oak House, is the cheapest and shabbiest (literally built by a prison architect). Yet, it has the reputation for being the 'party halls' of UoM and so attracts even the poshest students. The accommodation then becomes inaccessible to students struggling with their finances, leaving them in a hard position, often having to work alongside studying - which can have a massive effect on their studies. Hearing comments from these posh students complaining about the standards of the halls made me think of 'Common People' by Pulp. They can cosplay being working class by living in these horrible halls but will most likely never experience living somewhere like that again. Because 'if you called your dad he could stop it all'. It gives them their brief party experience and a funny anecdote to tell at some dinner party. There is an obvious disconnect these posh students have from the realities a lot of working-class people face. Most don't have the option to up and leave.
I don't want to paint it out that all posh people who go to university are classists or bad people. Many are lovely! But... if any of this article rings true to you, then it may be good to reflect on that. Understand why certain comments and actions can be hurtful. The cancellation of the Edinburgh Tab is a great example of people standing up to normalised classism within university settings and gives hope that this kind of behaviour will no longer be tolerated.
