谁是中产阶级？（对话）

你好，欢迎收听《轻松英语故事》，这个播客将帮助你把英语从一般提升到良好，再从良好提升到优秀。

Hello, and welcome to Easy Stories in English, the podcast that will take your English from okay to good and from good to great.

我是你的主持人阿里尔·古德贝迪。

I am Ariel Goodbody, your host for this show.

今天的节目是一场关于阶级的对话。

Today's episode is a conversation about class.

这是英国社会和文化中最独特、最敏感的方面之一。

This is one of the most particular and touchy aspects of British society and culture.

这是如果你理解了它，就能明白英国如何运转的唯一关键。

This is the one thing that if you understand it, you will understand how The UK runs.

社会阶层。

Social class.

上层阶级、中产阶级、工人阶级。

Upper class, middle class, working class.

我认为，这种现象存在于世界上所有文化和社会中。

This is something that exists, I think, in all cultures and societies around the world.

有些国家声称在政治体系中已经消除了阶级，但事实上，阶级在世界各地的所有社会中都以某种形式存在。

There are some countries that claim to have eliminated class in their political systems, but it pretty much exists in one form or another in all societies around the world.

然而，在英国，阶级是一个非常复杂的多维度问题。

However, in The UK, class is a very complex multidimensional issue.

它是经济、历史和文化因素的结合。

It's a combination of economic, historical, and cultural factors.

而这正是我今天想重点探讨的：阶级的文化层面。

And that's what I really want to focus on today, the cultural aspects of class.

现在，我将这一集的标题定为：谁是中产阶级？

Now I'm titling this episode, who is middle class?

因为中产阶级的身份正是许多这些问题的根源。

Because middle class identity is really where a lot of these questions form.

英国的中产阶级有着非常特定的关联性。

Middle classness in The UK has such particular associations.

它有着特定的理想、品味和表征，因此聚焦于它，有助于我们全面理解英国社会。

It has such particular ideals, tastes, representations that it's really helpful to focus in on it in order to understand British society as a whole.

通常来说，外界对英国的许多印象，关于英国人礼貌、说话方式的刻板印象，可以说是一种中产阶级和上层阶级特质的混合体。

Generally, a lot of the outward perceptions of The UK, a lot of the stereotypes about The UK, about our politeness, our way of speaking, are, I would say, like a mishmash, a combination of both middle class and upper class traits.

但我认为，许多中产阶级人士内心深处都渴望那种老派的英式气质，尽管他们未必会承认这一点。

But certainly, I think a lot of middle class people secretly aspire to that kind of old worldly Britishness, but they wouldn't necessarily admit it.

所以，随着我开始解释这些内容，事情会变得更容易理解。

So this is gonna get easier, I think, as I start explaining things.

首先，让我谈谈我自己。

So first of all, let me talk about myself.

我是在巴斯长大的。

I grew up in Bath.

巴斯是一座极其中产阶级的城市。

Bath is an extremely middle class city.

就财富而言，这座城市非常不平等——大部分地区都非常富裕，且在文化和种族上高度同质化。

It's very unequal in terms of wealth in the sense that most of the city is very rich, and it tends to be very homogenous, very similar culturally and ethnically.

这是一个非常白人的地方。

It's a very white place.

说实话，成长过程中，我认识的有色人种很少，也几乎没有接触过不同的文化、种族、语言，甚至可以说，也很少接触过许多工人阶级的人。

To be honest, growing up, I did not know many people of color, and I certainly didn't come into contact with a lot of different cultures and races and languages and even, I would say, with many working class people.

当你在这样的环境中长大，可能需要很长时间才能意识到自己所处的环境有多么隔离。

When you grow up in that kind of place, it can take you a while to realize how segregated you really are.

例如，巴斯紧邻布里斯托尔市，小时候人们总会说，天啊，布里斯托尔太危险了。

For example, Bath is next to the city of Bristol, and growing up, people would say things like, oh my god, Bristol is so dangerous.

它太脏了。

It's so dirty.

人人都在吸毒。

Everyone is doing drugs.

我曾经很长一段时间都深信不疑。

And I really bought into that for a long time.

但直到成年后，我住在布里斯托尔，经常去那里，才意识到：这不过就是一座城市而已。

And then it was only as an adult, you know, living in Bristol, visiting Bristol a lot that I realized I was like, it's just a city.

是的，它有毒品，有犯罪，而且，你知道的，它更多元化。

Like, yeah, it has drugs, and it has crime, and, you know, it's more diverse.

但说实话，很多城市都是这样的。

But honestly, that's just what a lot of cities are like.

然后，显然，当你深入了解这段历史时，就会发现布里斯托之所以有庞大的加勒比社区，是因为跨大西洋奴隶贸易。

And then, obviously, when you look into the history of it, one of the reasons Bristol, for example, has a big Caribbean community is because of the Transatlantic slave trade.

所以我成长于一个中产阶级环境，对此并没有太多认知。

So I grew up being very middle class and not really being aware of that.

我想说，这在英国非常普遍。

And I would say that's very common in The UK.

人们往往成长于一个阶级的泡泡中，认为自己的世界是正常的，甚至嘲笑或至少对圈外的人感到困惑和不解。

People tend to grow up in a class bubble, assuming that their world is normal and kind of making fun of people outside their world or at the very least being perplexed, being confused by them.

谈论阶级时的一个问题是，它并非统一的，阶级之间也没有清晰的界限。

One issue when talking about class, of course, is that it's not uniform, and there aren't clear divisions between classes.

我们使用了很多令人困惑的术语，比如谈论‘中产中的中产’和‘上层中产’，而‘上层阶级’的定义有时指拥有世袭头衔（如勋爵、伯爵、男爵）以及随之而来的土地的世袭贵族。

We use a lot of very confusing terms, like we talk about middle middle versus upper middle class, and then the definition of upper class, Sometimes people use it to mean landed gentry, as in people who have inherited titles such as lord, earl, baron, and usually the land that comes with that.

但人们也用‘上层阶级’来仅仅指非常非常富有的人。

But then people also use upper class to just mean really, really rich.

几年前我看到一个梗，我觉得它完美地概括了这种经常发生的误解。

There was a meme I saw years ago that I think perfectly encapsulates, it perfectly summarizes this misunderstanding that happens a lot.

它讲的是布里斯托大学。

It was talking about Bristol University.

布里斯托大学是英国排名最高的大学之一，我想它还有一点名声，就是学生普遍比较富裕。

Bristol University is one of the highest ranking universities in The UK, and I guess it has a bit of a reputation for having quite posh students.

我应该解释一下‘富裕’是什么意思。

So I should explain posh.

‘富裕’指的是精致、富有、昂贵，可能还带点傲慢。

Posh means fancy and rich and expensive and maybe a bit snobby.

富裕感并不一定与阶级相关。

Poshness isn't necessarily linked to class.

这正是令人困惑的地方。

This is the confusing thing.

一个人可能是工人阶级，但相比其他人却显得很富裕。

Someone can be working class, but appear posh compared to other people.

不过我会说，优雅主要与中上层和上层阶级相关。

Although I would say poshness is mainly associated with upper middle and upper classes.

事实上，这可能是最强烈的关联。

In fact, that's probably the strongest association.

但例如，在伦敦，去哈罗德百货或利伯蒂百货这样的高端百货商店，可能会被认为是优雅的。

But, for example, in London, going to Harrods or Liberty, which are very expensive department stores, might be considered posh.

而在曼彻斯特——一个更偏向工人阶级的城市，去马莎百货则会被认为是优雅的。

Whereas in Manchester, a more working class city, going to Marks and Spencer's would be considered posh.

但在伦敦，马莎百货虽然更贵，却更像是个超市。

Where in London, Marks and Spencer's, it's more expensive, but it's kind of just a supermarket.

但不管怎样，我有点跑题了。

But anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself.

所以，我看到的关于布里斯托大学的这个梗说：我以前以为我认识一些优雅的人，直到我去布里斯托大学，才发现我原来只是认识一些吃橄榄的人。

So this meme I saw about Bristol University said, I used to think I knew posh people until I went to Bristol uni, and I realized I just knew people who ate olives.

也就是说，这个人的家乡，他们以为自己认识的是所谓的优雅人士，我想我们可以理解为中产阶级或中上层阶级的人。

As in where this person was from, they thought they knew, you know, posh people by which I guess we can say, you know, middle class, upper middle class people.

但他们后来才意识到，他们衡量上流社会的标准竟然是如此微不足道、如此简单的事情——比如吃橄榄。

But then they just realized that their barometer, their way of judging poshness was something as trivial, as simple as eating olives.

对吧？

Right?

食物是阶级差异体现得最为明显的一个领域。

And food is an area where class comes into play in a large way.

你吃什么样的食物、买什么样的食物，会极大地影响他人对你阶级地位的感知。

So the kind of food you eat and the kind of food you buy has a huge effect on how your class status is perceived.

我认为我的父母对自身的阶级意识远不如我敏锐，即使我从小在像巴斯这样典型的中产阶级小镇长大，他们有时说的话仍让我感到震惊，因为这表明他们与外界、与自己那自由派中产阶级的封闭圈子脱节了。

Now I would say my parents are much more oblivious about their class status than me in the sense that sometimes they say things that I find quite shocking even growing up in a really middle class town like Bath, because to me it suggests that they're very detached from the world outside their kind of liberal middle class bubble.

我并不是想暗示我的父母特别糟糕或者极其上流。

And I don't want to imply that my parents are like really awful or super, super posh.

我认为，像许多同龄人一样，尤其是那些身处学术界、长期处于封闭环境的人，往往会对外界做出一些想当然的假设。

I think like many people of a certain age, especially people working in like academia where you really are isolated in a bubble, you know, you make assumptions about the world.

比如，我和我父亲聊过关于烤肉店或麦当劳的事情。

But for example, my dad, I've had conversations with him about, like, kebab shops or McDonald's.

对他们俩，他都说了一些类似的话：是啊，但你绝不会去那些地方吃饭。

And for both of them, he said things like, yeah, but you would never eat at those places.

我当时就说：不，我会去。

And I was like, yeah, I would.

而且我确实去过。

And I have.

他居然直接假设我根本不会去那种地方，我觉得这非常能说明问题。

And the fact that he just assumed I would never even eat there, I found really telling.

所以，除了快餐店之外，我认为中产阶级更关心食物的健康问题。

So aside from, you know, the fast food places, I would say middle class people are more worried about health with food.

这已经成为一种全球现象，尤其是在美国，人们对健康食品的痴迷尤为明显。

This has become a kind of a global thing, especially in America as well, this obsession with health food.

但在英国，情况却很有趣。

But with The UK, it's very interesting.

许多外国游客来到英国，都说：哦，我们想尝尝传统的英式食物。

A lot of foreign tourists come to The UK and they say, oh, we want to try traditional British food.

但事实是，你知道，这不像意大利那样人人都吃意大利菜。

But the truth is, you know, it's not like Italy where everyone eats Italian food.

你社会阶层越高、越有抱负，就越少真正吃英国本土食物。

The more posh you are and the more aspirational you are with your class, the less actual, like, British food you will eat.

所以小时候，我们每年可能只吃一次炸鱼薯条。

So growing up, we had fish and chips maybe once a year.

当我父母做饭时，经常是意大利菜。

And when my parents cooked, it was often, like, Italian food.

对吧？

Right?

这非常普遍，尤其是在伦敦。

And this is very common, would say, especially in London.

我的意思是，这有点不同，因为伦敦是个大都市，但确实有一种想法，我想吃意大利菜和日本菜。

I mean, that's a bit different, I guess, because it's like a metropolitan city, but there is this sense of I want to eat, you know, Italian food and Japanese food.

我想变得国际化。

I want to be international.

我不想把自己当成英国人，因为那显得过时且属于工人阶级，而我想展示自己对世界有多么不同和博学。

I don't want to be British because that's kind of old fashioned and working class, and, you know, I wanna show how different and knowledgeable I am about the world.

有一些特定的食物，比如腌菜酱，本质上是一种用腌制蔬菜制成的果酱，在英国北部非常流行，尤其在工人阶级中更常见，但在我成长过程中，我们从未吃过。

And there are specific foods like pickle spread, for example, which is basically like a jam made of pickled vegetables, which is a very popular British food up north, for example, and maybe more among working class people, but growing up, we never had it.

我也意识到，我成长过程中的一些经历可能仅仅与我父母的背景有关。

I'm also aware that maybe some of the experiences I had growing up were just quite peculiar to who my parents were.

但是

But

我不知道。

I don't know.

我小时候习以为常的许多事情，长大后才意识到，这真的不是普遍的经历。

There are so many things that I took for granted growing up that I realized when I was older, I was like, oh, this really is not the universal experience.

口音可能是判断一个人社会阶层最快、最明显的指标，因为中产阶级往往说着更中性的口音。

Accent is probably the quickest and clearest indicator of someone's class status in the sense that the middle classes tend to speak with a much more neutral accent.

我就是这方面的典型例子。

I'm kind of a prime example of that.

我来自西英格兰，传统的西英格兰口音听起来就像我之前在播客中提到过的那样。

I come from the West Country, and the traditional West Country accent kinda sounds like the so I've talked about it a bit on the podcast before.

它有点像海盗或农民的口音，但绝对不是一种高贵的英国口音。

It's kinda like a pirate or a farmer, but it's certainly not like a prestigious English accent.

你知道的？

You know?

它并不是人们学习英语时渴望模仿的那种口音。

It's not like something that people aspire to sound like when they're learning English.

但巴斯就像是西英格兰地区的一个Received Pronunciation孤岛。

But Bath is like this island of received pronunciation within the West Country.

通常你会发现，无论出生在哪里，中产阶级的人说话都会带有更优雅的标准英语口音。

And generally, you find that that people, regardless of where they're born, if they're middle class, they will speak with a more posh standard English.

我刚才说了Received Pronunciation，也就是RP。

Now I said received pronunciation, also known as RP.

这是一种典型的英语尊贵口音。

This is the, like, kind of prestige accents of English.

对吧？

Right?

很多人学英语时都想掌握的发音。

The pronunciation that many people want to learn.

他们学英语时会说，我想听起来像个地道的英国人之类的。

When they learn English, they say, I want to sound like a a proper Englishman or something like that.

事实上，正宗的RP口音实际上只有上层阶级的人才会说，通常是上私立学校和寄宿学校的人。

The truth is proper RP is really only spoken by the upper classes and usually by people who go to private school and boarding school.

我所说的在技术上被归类为南部标准英式英语。

What I speak would technically be classed as southern standard British English.

当你听到纯正的RP时，你真的能注意到差异。

When you hear pure RP, you really notice the difference.

这种口音有点像

This is kind of the

休·格兰特在他早期电影中的说话方式，比如《四个婚礼和一个葬礼》。

way that Hugh Grant talks in his older films, you know, in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

特别是，我将这种口音与我在牛津和剑桥等大学遇到的非常富裕的人联系在一起，他们往往非常烦人，完全意识不到自己相对于全国其他人的特权地位。

And in particular, I associate this accent with very posh people who I've met at, you know, universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, who tend to be very, very annoying and completely oblivious to the level of privilege that they maintain over the rest of the country.

他们以为每个人小时候都有女仆，会骑马，上私立学校，而且 frankly 去马略卡岛。

They think everybody grows up with a maid or going horse riding and going to private school and, frankly, going to Majorca.

嗯，不是马略卡岛。

Well, not Majorca.

那是普通人去的地方。

That's where common people would go.

但你知道的，夏天去他们姑妈的城堡，诸如此类的事情，比如去滑雪。

But, you know, going to their great aunt's castle in the summer, such things, you know, going skiing.

谁不去滑雪呢？

Who doesn't go skiing?

我的意思是，你绝对必须去奥地利滑雪。

I mean, you absolutely must go skiing in Austria.

如果你没去过奥地利滑雪，那你等于没活过。

If you haven't been skiing in Austria, you haven't lived.

这才是标准的Received Pronunciation。

That's proper RP.

正如你所听到的，这种口音往往伴随着某种态度。

And as you can hear, it kind of comes with a certain attitude.

许多著名的英国人，尤其是演员，都说这种话，因为不幸的是，英国的演艺行业普遍很难入行，但在英国，如果你没有富裕的背景，那就尤其困难。

And many famous British people, especially actors, talk this way because unfortunately, the British acting industry, it's very difficult to be a working actor generally, but in The UK, if you're not from a very wealthy background, it's particularly hard.

中产阶级喜欢做的另一件事是听广播。英国广播公司（BBC）拥有多个广播电台，而第四台广播的独特之处在于它完全是谈话类节目。

Another thing that middle class people love to do is listen to Radio So the BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation, has many radio stations, and Radio four is unique in that it's just talk radio.

第四台广播不播放任何音乐。

They play no music on Radio four.

它混合了访谈、小组讨论、有声剧、新闻等内容。

So it's a mixture of interviews, panel shows, audio dramas, the news, and so on.

特别是，第四台广播有一种纯粹的中产阶级气息。

And in particular, Radio four has this just completely middle class sense about it.

我强烈推荐你，或许在你的国家可以免费收听；如果不行，你肯定能在YouTube上找到相关片段。

I really recommend you might be able to listen to it for free in your country, and if not, you can certainly find clips on YouTube.

但只要听听第四广播电台，你就能明白我的意思了。

But just listen to Radio four, and you'll hopefully understand what I mean.

它非常自由派、左倾，非常有教养，还带点势利。

It's very liberal, left leaning, it's very educated, it's a bit snobbish.

有很多节目是关于园艺、文学、诗歌、历史这类话题的。

There's a lot of shows about, like, gardening and literature and poetry and history and things of that nature.

而最能体现这一点的节目是《阿奇斯》。

And the show that really sums this up is The Arches.

《阿奇斯》是英国播出时间最长的广播节目之一，最初我认为是在二战后或二战期间开播的，目的是讨论农业技术。

So The Arches is one of the longest running radio shows in The UK, and it originally started, I think, after World War II or maybe during World War II as a way to talk about agricultural techniques.

它本质上就是农民们谈论如何经营农场。

So it was basically farmers talking about how to run a farm.

我不确定它最初是作为戏剧系列播出的，还是后来演变成戏剧系列的，但它最终发展成了一部关于我家乡西英格兰一个村庄生活的戏剧系列。

And I'm not sure if it started off doing that as a drama series or it turned into a drama series, but it basically evolved into this drama series about the life of a village in the West Country where I'm from.

所以，如果你想听到大量西英格兰口音，这个节目非听不可。

So if you really wanna hear lots of West Country accents, this is the show to listen to.

但《阿奇斯》太无聊了。

But The Arches is so boring.

什么都没发生。

Nothing happens.

它对英国乡村生活的描绘很可能带有偏见。

It's a very probably biased portrayal of rural life in The UK.

它大概是一种中产阶级对农民生活如何的想象。

Like, it it it kind of probably is like a very middle class portrayal of what they think being a farmer is like.

这并不是说它写得不好。

That's not to say it's not well written.

我其实不怎么听，但我父母听。

I don't really listen to it, but my parents listen to it.

我妈妈尤其虔诚地听。

My mom in particular listens to it quite religiously.

但这是中产阶级喜欢听的那种节目。

But it's the kind of thing that middle class people like to listen to.

我甚至很难解释它有什么吸引力，因为正如我所说，它真的很无聊，尽管我妈妈经常听，但她一直抱怨，所以我也搞不懂。

I can't even really explain the appeal, because as I said, it's it's quite boring, and even though my mom listens to it a lot, she complains about it constantly, so I don't know.

我只能说有一个叫琳达·斯内尔的角色，她非常有贵族气派，说话就是这种腔调。

All I will say is there's this one character called Linda Snell, and Linda Snell is incredibly posh, and she kind of talks like this.

她在剧中的角色就是一个极度社交无能的女人，总是说错话、做错事，还瞧不起其他人。

And her role in the series is to just be this really socially incompetent woman who's always sticking her foot in things and looks down on everyone else.

她代表了那种上层阶级的反派，我想，她其实非常善良，但私下里可能看不起所有人，甚至自己都没意识到这一点。

And she kind of represents the, like, upper class villain, I guess, who is really, really well intentioned, but, you know, secretly probably looks down on everyone, probably doesn't even realize herself.

所以，就是这样。

So yeah.

最后，我想说，中产阶级的特征是一种焦虑。

Finally, I would say that middle class people are defined by an anxiety.

中产阶级的人焦虑于维持现有的财富水平，或者希望变得更富有。

Middle class people are anxious to remain at the same level of wealth that they have or to become more wealthy.

因此，他们一方面仰望上层阶级，一方面又嫉妒他们。

So at the same time, they look up to the upper class and envy them.

但由于中产阶级根深蒂固的自由主义价值观，他们常常反对上层阶级这个概念。

But because of this kind of ingrained liberal set of values that middle class people have, they often, you know, are against the upper classes as a concept.

而这一点是差异最大的地方。

And this is the area where it varies the most.

但我的父母，或者说我母亲，代表了一种非常普遍的中产阶级观念：我小时候上的是私立学校，但从根本上说，我反对私立学校这种制度，所以我一定会让我的孩子上公立学校，因为这样更公平。

But my parents or my mom represents, I think, a very common middle class idea, which is, well, when I grew up, I went to private school, but fundamentally, I'm against private schools as an institution, so I'm going to send all of my children to state schools, as in public schools, because that's more fair.

但接着他们会怎么做呢？

But then what do they do?

他们仍然希望孩子成功，于是让孩子参加课后兴趣班，聘请私人家教，让所有孩子都学乐器，都参加戏剧社之类的活动。

They still want their kids to succeed, so they'd send them to after school clubs and they get them private tutors and they all learn to play an instrument and they all go to drama clubs and stuff like that.

这是一种既想平等进步，又想暗中调整优势的焦虑。

So it's this kind of anxiety to be equal and progressive, but also still kind of fixing the odds.

是的。

Yeah.

仍然在暗中为孩子铺路，确保他们能成功。

Still kind of loading the deck so that your children will succeed.

这源于一种观念：在当今的英国社会，极度奢华并不一定令人向往，因为很多人会反感你，认为你完全脱离现实。

It it comes from this sense that being really, really posh nowadays in British society isn't necessarily super desirable because a lot of people are going to resent you, and a lot of people are gonna think you're completely out of touch.

因此，人们在究竟该保持怎样的‘上流’程度上，进行了很多纠结和争斗。

So there's a lot of kind of wrangling and fighting over what is the right level of poshness to be, I guess.

除了口音之外，你如何区分上层阶级和中产阶级呢？

So how can you tell like an upper class person from a middle class person aside from accents?

正如我提到的，他们更有可能上私立学校或寄宿学校。

Private school, as I mentioned, they're much more likely to go to private school or boarding school.

如果他们去伊顿公学这类顶尖寄宿学校，那他们基本上就自动归入这一阶层了。

If they're going to places like Eton, these really, really elite boarding schools, then they're like automatically in that category, usually.

他们喜欢骑马，喜欢英式长曲棍球这项运动。

They love horse riding, they love lacrosse, the sport lacrosse.

有一些商店特别受真正上流人士欢迎，比如杰克·威尔斯，我想就是其中之一。

There's certain shops that are really popular for like really posh people like Jack Wills, I think is one of them.

而且穿衣方式也有讲究。

And there's also a way of dressing.

这通常与乡村有关，因为这些人常常住在乡下的大房子里，所以他们常穿卡其裤、领衬衫，外面再套一件毛衣。

It's often like kind of associated with the countryside because these people often live in big houses in the country, so they often wear chinos, kind of trousers, collared shirts with sweaters over them.

如果他们的肘部有灯芯绒补丁，那就绝对是上层阶级了。

If they have tweed patches on their elbows, then they're like really upper class.

他们经常穿雨靴，也就是韦利靴，因为他们经常在户外活动。

They're often wearing Wellington boots or Wellies because they're outside a lot.

他们常常养很多宠物，比如狗、马等等。

They often have a lot of pets, dogs, horses, and so on.

他们常常有着非常红润的脸颊。

And they they often kind of have, like, these really red cheeks.

我不确定。

I don't know.

甚至还有一些特定的面部特征。

There's even certain, like, facial structures.

我认为，由于英国社会阶级的历史，上层阶级尤其是可能比普通人群的基因多样性更少。

I think because of the history of class in British society, the upper classes in particular maybe have less genetic diversity than the general population.

我前男友说过，他曾在剑桥的三一学院或圣约翰学院读书，就是这两所之一。

So there's something that my ex said, he studied at Trinity in Cambridge or St John's, one of the two.

这两所是剑桥最富有的学院，实际上剑桥的三一学院拥有全国约三分之一的土地，简直不可思议。

These are the two kind of richest colleges in Cambridge, and actually Trinity College in Cambridge owns like a third of all land in the country, it's insane.

但他去了其中一所，他说，我想是圣约翰学院。

But he went to one of them and he said, yeah, I think it was St John's.

他说在圣约翰学院，你只会看到三种面孔。

And he said at St John's, you see about three faces.

每个人都是这三种面孔之一，因为他们长得几乎一模一样。

Everyone has one of three faces because they all look the same, essentially.

所以我能通过一个人的面相、面部特征来判断他是否属于上层阶级。

So I can kind of clock an upper class person based on their physiognomy, their facial features.

最后，还有一种社会态度，我会称之为吹牛，尤其是如果你上过私立学校或寄宿学校的话。

And then finally, there's this kind of social attitude, which I would call bullshitting, especially if you go to private school and boarding school.

你从小就被灌输一种观念：世界是属于你的，即使你不够聪明或没有技能，你依然配得上一切。

You're kind of taught that, like, the world is yours and that if you're not clever or skilled enough for something, you still deserve it.

所以这些人常常学会变得非常迷人且有魅力，能够为自己在几乎任何情况下开脱，从不感到羞愧。

So these people often learn to be very charming and charismatic and to be able to talk themselves out of pretty much any situation and to never kind of feel ashamed.

举个例子，我曾在马尔伯勒学院担任技术助理，那是一所极其奢华的寄宿学校。

So an example, I worked just as a technical assistant at Marlborough College, which is this really, really fancy boarding school.

它实际上是全国最昂贵的寄宿学校。

It's actually the most expensive boarding school in the country.

那里有个学生，所有考试都挂了。

And there was some student there who just was failing all his exams.

他表现得非常糟糕。

He was doing really badly.

他从不学习，但总是表现得非常乐观。

He was doing no work, but he was always very cheery about it.

基本上，他心里清楚：我家非常富有。

And basically it was like, he knew that it's like, well, my family's really rich.

即使我不断失败也没关系，因为我将来在社会上一定会成功。

It doesn't really matter if I keep failing because I'm going to succeed out there in the world.

他有人脉，有金钱，也有机会。

He has the connections, he has the money and he has the opportunities.

所以，他到底得什么成绩根本不重要，因为他终究会成功。

So really what grades he get doesn't doesn't matter because he's still gonna succeed.

他完全可以靠胡扯过完这一生。

He can just bullshit his way through life.

所以，这可能是我嫉妒的一点。

So, that's one thing maybe I'm jealous of.

如果我们谈论的是典型的工人阶级特征，比如什么让人成为工人阶级，这就很难说了，因为很多都是刻板印象。

And then if we're talking about particularly working class signifiers, like what makes someone working class, it's difficult because a lot of the things are stereotypes.

这一点我不想多说，因为那样会显得我在居高临下地看待别人，而我也意识到，当我这么说时，这本身就是一个很中产阶级的态度——天啊，我不想冒犯任何人，但我觉得这在某种程度上是真实的。

And this is something where I don't want to say too much because it would come across as me like looking down on people, and I'm aware that as I say that, that's a very middle class attitude, like, oh my god, I don't want to offend anyone, but I think it's it's kind of true.

此外，不同地区差异也很大，因为工人阶级文化往往与特定地区紧密相关。

It also varies a lot by region because working class culture tends to be a lot more tied to particular areas.

历史上，工人阶级的社会流动性较低，因此他们长期定居在同一个地方，像利物浦和曼彻斯特这样的地方，其文化主要是工人阶级文化。

Historically, working class people have had less social mobility, and as a result, they have stayed in the same area for longer, and therefore the culture of places like Liverpool and Manchester is predominantly a working class culture.

但确实存在一种形象，常被称为‘查夫’，对吧？

But there is this image, it's often referred to as like the chav, right?

这种刻板印象中的工人阶级人士会穿运动套装、运动服，花很多钱在酒精和香烟上，还戴连帽衫。

That this stereotype of like a working class person who wears a track suit, like a sports outfit, sports clothes, spends a lot of money on alcohol and cigarettes, wears a hoodie.

这样的人确实存在。

These people do exist.

你可能在网上看到过这些图片，作为英国文化的代表，但我觉得这并不是无处不在的现象。

You might've seen pictures of it online as like a representation of like British culture, but I would say it's not this omnipresent thing.

我不知道，我觉得网上有很多关于英国文化这一面的梗图。

I don't know, I feel like there's a lot of like memes online about this side of British culture.

过去，人们只在英国国内才真正了解这些，而现在它在国际上也逐渐为人所知，但这真的取决于你身处何地。

It used to be something that people only really knew about within The UK and now it's become more well known internationally, but it really depends where you are.

老实说，我在伦敦根本看不到多少这种现象，但要注意，我是在巴斯长大的，住在过巴斯、牛津、剑桥和伦敦。

I don't see it very much at all in London to be honest, but then keep in mind, I grew up in Bath, I've lived in Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, London.

而且没错，我确实曾在德文郡的偏远地区住过。

And okay, I did live in the middle of nowhere in Devon.

所以那大概就是我对工人阶级生活的一点体验。

So that was like my, like kind of taste of working class life, I guess.

但这并不是我的亲身经历，你知道吗？

But it's not my experience, you know?

就连超市也因阶级而明显分化。

And then even supermarkets are really stratified by class.

最底层是Aldi和Lidl，然后是Morrisons和Asda，它们可能比Aldi和Lidl高一个档次。

So at the bottom, we have Aldi and Lidl, then we have Morrisons and Asda, which are maybe like a step above Aldi and Lidl.

Tesco则处于一个灰色地带，几乎任何阶层的人都能舒适地在Tesco购物。

Tesco's is this, like, gray area where pretty much anyone of any class can shop at Tesco's comfortably.

它是一家廉价超市，但也没像Aldi或Lidl那样便宜到极致。

It's a budget supermarket, but it's also not, like, really, really cheap like Aldi or Lidl.

Sainsbury's是典型的中产阶级超市。

Sainsbury's is the quintessential middle class supermarket.

你去Sainsbury's时会想：好吧，我没去M&S或Waitrose，所以我不是特别奢华，但实际上，相比我刚提到的那些超市，Sainsbury's已经相当体面了。

You go to Sainsbury's and you think, oh, well, I'm not going to M and S or Waitrose, so I'm not super, super posh, but actually, Sainsbury's is relatively quite posh compared to some of the ones I just mentioned.

我小时候和家人一起去Sainsbury's购物，以为那是普通的超市，对吧？

I grew up going to Sainsbury's with my family thinking it was the normal supermarket, right?

但后来我意识到，在很多人眼里，Sainsbury's其实相当高档。

And then I realized at a certain point that for a lot of people, Sainsbury's is quite posh.

正如我刚才提到的，马莎百货（M&S）和Waitrose被认为是高档精致的超市。

As I just mentioned, Marks and Spencer's or M and S and Waitrose are kind of considered the posh fancy supermarkets.

我想在伦敦以外的地方，这些超市也可能存在。

And then I think just within London, they might exist elsewhere.

还有一些百货公司也设有超市。

There are these department stores which also have supermarkets.

比如塞尔福里奇和哈罗德，它们非常高档、价格昂贵，而最顶级的则是福廷、梅森斯和利伯蒂。

So there's Selfridges and Harrods, which are very nice, very expensive, and then at the very top there's Fortin and Masons and Liberty.

我把它们归为另一类，因为来自沙特阿拉伯的富人来到伦敦后，会去塞尔福里奇和哈罗德大肆消费。

And I put them in a separate category because Saudis, people from Saudi Arabia, rich Saudis come to London and they go and spend all their money at Selfridges and Harrods.

但对英国人来说，如果你真的非常高档、非常讲究，你根本不会去塞尔福里奇或哈罗德。

But to British people, if you're really posh, if you're really fancy, you don't go to Selfridges or Harrods.

你会去福南梅森或利伯蒂。

You go to Fortnum and Masons or Liberty.

所以这甚至还要更高级一些。

So it's, like, even a step above that.

举例来说，我出于好奇探索过利伯蒂，因为那是一座美丽的古老建筑，里面有很多有趣的产品。

As an example, I've explored Liberty out of curiosity because it's a beautiful old building, there's lots of interesting products there.

我在那里发现了一只真人大小的机械老虎。

I found a life-sized animatronic tiger there.

所以那是一只假老虎，大小和真老虎一样，会动还会发出声音，售价超过13,000英镑。

So a a fake tiger, the size of a real tiger, that moved around and made noises, and it cost over £13,000.

1.03美元 0.00美元 0。

$1.03 $0.00 0.

它的价格大约是13,497英镑。

It cost about, I think, £13,497.

我根本无法理解，谁会买这样一只机械老虎？为什么这样的机械老虎会存在？

That I it's just impossible to even understand or comprehend who would buy such an animatronic tiger, why such an animatronic tiger even exists.

但就是这样了。

But there we go.

这就是利伯蒂的世界。

That's the world of liberty.

所以我会说，在伦敦，你购物时往往会逛各种超市，因为外出时经常要买食物。

So I will say London, you end up shopping, I think, more a variety of supermarkets because you often go food shopping when you're out and about.

而且，也不像某些社会阶层的人就从不进某家店。

And also, it's not like people never go into one shop if they're of a certain class status.

在我这一生中，我经常光顾阿尔迪、利德尔、特易购、森斯伯里、玛莎百货和韦特罗斯。

In my lifetime, I've shopped regularly at Aldi, Lidl, Tesco's, Sainsbury's, M and S, and Waitrose.

所以我的购物范围可以说遍布各地。

So where I've, like, kind of been all over the place.

我从未regularly光顾福德汉姆和马森或利伯蒂，因为我的钱包承受不起。

I've never shopped regularly at Fordham and Mason's or Liberty because my wallet would not recover.

但公平地说，我认为中产阶级购买利德尔和阿尔迪的商品，主要是在生活成本危机之后才变得更普遍。

But to be fair, I think middle class people shopping at Lidl and Aldi has mainly become more popular since the cost of living crisis.

而且通常还有一种感觉，好像我在这里是 undercover 一样。

And there's still often this kind of sense of, like, oh, I'm undercover here.

就像我只是来买便宜货的，但这不是我该来的地方。

Like, I'm just here to get a cheap deal, but this isn't where I belong.

或者你会混合搭配。

Or you'll mix and match.

对吧？

Right?

比如，你会去 Aldi 和 Lidl 买日用品，但可能会去 Waitrose 买一些优质的蔬菜或一瓶不错的香槟。

Like, you'll go to Aldi and Lidl for the basics, but then you might go to Waitrose to get some really nice vegetables or like a nice bottle of champagne.

这就是中产阶级会做的事。

That's the kind of stuff that middle class people do.

现在有一个领域，上层和中产阶级真正走到一起，形成统一战线，那就是看不起工人阶级。

Now there is one area where the upper and middle classes really come together and form a united front, and that is looking down on the working class.

我知道这听起来很糟糕，但确实有一些具体的行为是被鄙视和看不起的。

I know that sounds awful, but there is specific practices that I would say are frowned upon that are looked down upon.

一个是晒黑，我觉得特别是人工晒黑。

So one is tanning, and I think maybe specifically fake tanning.

然后总体而言，有一种整体的审美风格，包括浓重的妆容、漂白的头发、人工晒黑、丰唇、整容手术、整形手术，这种风格常与来自埃塞克斯和利兹等地的工人阶级派对女孩联系在一起，而这种风格被中产和上层阶级深深鄙视。

And then in general, there's this whole kind of aesthetic of very heavy makeup, bleached hair, fake tan, lip fillers, cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery, that's associated with a kind of working class party girl, especially from areas such as Essex and Leeds, and this is really looked down upon by, like, middle and upper classes.

有趣的是，过去十年里，公众对整形手术的讨论发生了很大变化。

And it's interesting because the public discourse around plastic surgery has changed a lot in the past ten years.

现在通过社交媒体，普遍有一种观念，认为‘你的身体就是你的身体’。

And now there's generally this idea through social media that like, oh, your body is your body.

如果你想做整形手术，那是你的决定。

If you wanna get plastic surgery, that's your decision.

我觉得这也没错，但我仍然觉得整形手术在大多数人身上看起来很糟糕，我不认为人们应该做。

And I'm like, fair enough, but I still think plastic surgery looks awful on most people, I don't think people should do it.

也许这只是我的中产阶级身份在显露出来。

So maybe that's just my middle class status coming out.

他们鄙视的另一件事是超加工食品。

Another thing that they look down upon is ultra processed food.

我之前提到过麦当劳之类的东西，但有一种观念是，你不能让那些垃圾填满你的身体。

I've kind of talked about McDonald's and stuff like that, but there's this idea of, you know, you shouldn't fill your body with that crap.

在这个类别中，什么被认为是垃圾食品或偶尔放纵一下的食物，差异非常大。

And what's considered like junk food or cheat food that's okay to eat varies hugely in this category.

另一件相当具体的事情是打包度假。

Another thing that's quite specific is package holidays.

也就是说，那种一次性支付机票和酒店费用的度假方式，非常不被看好，以至于我从未参加过打包度假，实际上我也不认识多少有过这种经历的人。

So, you know, these holidays where you pay for the flights, the hotels all in one, that's really looked down upon to the extent that I've never been on a package holiday, and I actually don't know many people who have been on package holidays.

我的理解是，这种度假通常就是坐在酒店的泳池边喝便宜的酒，我真的不明白这种度假有什么吸引力。

I mean, on these holidays, often you're just, as far as I can tell, sitting by a pool in a hotel drinking cheap alcohol, and I really don't see the appeal of that.

但确实，中产阶级有一种观念，就是我必须自己规划假期，不去住酒店，而是住别墅，我们要做一些不一样的事情，去体验真正的当地文化。

But, yeah, there's this thing middle class people really have of, like, I need to plan my own holiday, and I'm not going to a hotel, I'm going to a villa, and we're gonna go do something a bit different, you know, and we're gonna we're gonna sample the authentic culture.

然后总的来说，现在尤其被上层阶级所鄙视，中产阶级也有很多人看不起这种表现，即显得像新贵或暴发户。

And then really generally, now this is especially looked down upon by the upper classes, but also a lot by the middle classes is coming across as new money or nouveau riche.

所谓新贵或暴发户，意思是你的家族最近才获得财富，因此你会把钱花在设计师服装、跑车、名表、豪宅、去那些非常昂贵但文化品位不高的餐厅吃饭，甚至在食物上撒金箔——所有这些为富人发明的奇怪玩意儿。

So new money or nouveau riche means your family came into money relatively recently and therefore you spend your money on things like designer clothes, sports cars, designer watches, massive mansions, eating out at really fancy, but not particularly well cultured restaurants, getting things like gold flakes on your food, all of this weird kind of stuff that has been invented for rich people.

我之前提到过沙特富人来到伦敦，在哈罗德和塞尔福里奇百货购物，这在很大程度上体现了中产和上层阶级对新富的恐惧。

And I talked about before Saudis coming, rich Saudis coming to London and going shopping in Harrods and Selfridges, and that kind of encapsulates a lot of this, like, new money phobia, I guess, that the middle and upper classes have.

我觉得这种现象在富裕的中国游客身上也很常见。

I'd say it's often seen a lot with like rich Chinese tourists.

然后你还会看到那些努力提升自己的工人阶级人群。

And then you see it from the working class people who, you know, pull themselves up, right?

甚至还有一个专门的词。

There's even a word.

这词有点文雅，但你可以用‘暴发户’来形容。

It's it's a bit of a fancy word, but you can say parvenous.

对吧？

Right?

‘暴发户’这个词源自法语。

Parvenous comes from French.

它的意思是‘刚到的’。

It means, like, just arrived.

这些人的财富是刚刚获得的。

And it's these people who they've just arrived at wealth.

他们并没有逐步积累财富。

They've not gained wealth.

而且，关于传承富有阶层的知识与文化，而不仅仅是金钱本身，他们并没有经过几代人的积淀。

And, like, this idea of passing down the knowledge and culture of being rich and not just the actual money, they haven't earned that over several generations.

因此，他们花钱极为奢侈，热衷于炫耀财富。

So they spend their money very lavishly, they display their wealth.

而许多上层阶级的人则会极力隐藏自己的财富。

Whereas a lot of upper class people really hide their wealth.

如果他们有一栋漂亮的房子，也会把它藏在远离视线的地方。

If they have a lovely house, they'll keep it far out of sight.

他们会购买设计师品牌和H&M等平价品牌的混搭服饰。

They'll buy a mixture of both designer and then normal clothes from places like H and M.

他们会带着口音说话，但在某些场合会避免公开谈论巨额开销。

They will speak with an accent, but they'll avoid talking really openly about huge expenses in certain spaces.

因此，他们在展示财富时非常有策略。

So they're very tactical about how they display their wealth.

当他们身处同类之中时，会说很多在其他地方不会说的话。

When they're among their own kind, they'll say lots of things that they wouldn't say elsewhere.

作为中产阶级，你确实有办法展示财富，但不能明目张胆，必须以一种含蓄的方式进行。

There are ways to display your wealth when you're middle class, but you're not allowed to do it overtly, you kind of have to do it in a subtle way.

因此，我提到的几乎所有这些标志——比如你购物的地点、对育儿的态度、服装品味等——都是在不直接言明的情况下展现财富的微妙方式。

So pretty much all of these markers I've talked about, like the place you shop at, your attitude towards child rearing, tastes in clothing and things like that, these are subtle ways of showing wealth without outright saying it.

考虑到我即将移居中国，而中国据说是一个无阶级社会，这对我来说非常有趣。

So this is all very interesting for me to consider, given that I'm about to move to China, which allegedly is a classless society.

实际上，我不知道中国人现在是否还持这种说法。

I actually don't know if people in China still make that claim.

我知道，历史上许多共产主义国家都声称已经废除了阶级，消除了阶级差异，但我认为这很少是真的。

I know certainly a lot of communist countries historically have claimed to have abolished class, that they got rid of class, but I think this is rarely the case.

而人类文化的特点是，无论我们做什么，总会发展出各种方式来表明自己属于某个群体，同时排斥另一个群体。

And the thing with human culture is that no matter what we do, we're always going to develop these ways of showing we belong to a certain group and we're excluding another group.

所以，我认为彻底消除阶级几乎是不可能的。

So it's, I think, pretty much impossible to completely eradicate class.

有趣的是，近年来，由于世界经济状况，按经济水平划分的中产阶级人数实际上减少了。

Interestingly enough, within recent years, because of the economic situation of the world, the actual number of middle class by economic levels has shrunk.

西方处于这种舒适中产阶层的人数大大减少，但我认为在英国，阶级观念仍然非常相关。

There are far fewer people who are in this comfortable category of middle class in the West, but I think culturally in The UK, it's still very relevant.

英国政治中的许多问题，以及像脱欧这样的事件，都是因为我们生活在各自的泡泡中，无法真正理解其他阶级、不同背景的人。

And a lot of the issues with British politics, a lot of the issues with things like Brexit are because we live in these bubbles and we don't really understand other classes, people from different backgrounds.

我们仍然以一种相当过时的方式看待世界。

We still kind of see the world in quite an antiquated way.

我认为伦敦是一个很多人来到这里后，无论有意识还是无意识地都试图攀爬阶级阶梯的地方，因为伦敦提供了丰富的文化资源、就业机会，以及体验多元生活的机会，这让你能够超越自己的阶级身份，如果这么说能理解的话。

I would say London is very much a place where many people arrive here and kind of whether consciously or subconsciously try to climb up the class ladder because London gives you a lot of access to culture, job opportunities, and just experiencing a rich mixture of life that allows you to kind of move beyond your class status, if that makes sense.

一个非常普遍的现象是，工人阶级的孩子上大学，往往是家族中第一个上大学的人，但当他们回家时，家人都会觉得：你变了，我们再也无法与你产生共鸣了，你有了不切实际的想法。

And there is a very common phenomenon of working class people going to university, often being the first in their family to go to university, and then when they come home, everyone's like, you've changed, we can't relate to you anymore, You've got ideas above your station.

你变得太讲究了。

You've become too fancy.

总之，目前就说到这里吧。

Anyway, that's enough to go into for now.

我现在得赶紧去上热瑜伽课了。

I have to literally run now to my hot yoga class.

今天气温高达28度，正经历热浪，我要去练热瑜伽，肯定会大汗淋漓，搞不好真会中暑死掉。

It's like 28 degrees today, having a heat wave, and I'm off to do hot bloody yoga, and I'm going to sweat so much, I might actually die.

所以这还挺有趣的。

So that's fun.

不过，总之，谢谢你们收听这期《简易英语故事》。

But, yeah, anyway, thanks for listening to this episode of Easy Stories in English.

如果你想要更多我的故事，就应该买我的书。

And if you would like even more stories from me, you should buy my books.

看在老天的份上，我在这一期里，还有平时生活中，已经说了太多自我宣传的话了，我就此打住。

Look, I've blabbed on enough in this episode and generally in life about self promotion and things, so I'm just gonna leave.

我得去上我的热瑜伽课了。

I need to get to my hot yoga class.

你了解我。

You know me.

你爱我。

You love me.

订阅这个播客。

Subscribe to the podcast.

在Ko-fi上给我买杯咖啡。

Buy me a coffee on Ko fi.

去网站看看。

Go to the website.

加入我的电子邮件通讯。

Join my email newsletter.

告诉你的所有朋友关于《Easy Stories in English》。

Tell all your friends about easy stories in English.

晚上梦见我，在日记里写下我的名字，周围画上爱心，去福南梅森买我……不，更好的是，去利伯缇买一只13000英镑的机械老虎，寄到我在伦敦的地址。

Dream about me at night, write my name in your diary, put hearts around it, go to Fortnum and Masons and buy me no, even better, go to Liberty and buy me a £13,000 animatronic tiger and send it to me here in London.

哦，我等不及了。

Oh, I can't wait.

实际上，也许把它寄到中国吧，因为寄一只价值13000英镑的机械老虎运费会非常昂贵。

Actually, maybe send it to China because it's gonna be very expensive to ship a 13,000 pound animatronic tiger.

好了，关于我的事就说这么多吧。

Alright, that's enough of me.

再见。

Bye.