I was mulling over the reading by Paul Fusell we had in class a while back and came across this sentence in Chapter 2: "The middle class is where things like table manners assume an awful importance..." This reminded me of my own middle class background, but prior to reading this I hadn't really associated things like emphasis on table manners with the middle class; I just thought that they were something naggy parents forced their kids to endure so that they would grow up to eat like civilized adults. If anything, I thought it was a hallmark of higher classes because of all the different utensils at fancy restaurants (you're supposed to start from the outside and work your way in!). But upon hearing that generally the higher up you get above middle class the less you really care about table manners and place settings, the logic behind why they would be middle class traits made more sense. The upper classes used to emphasize such things, and the middle classes sought to emulate them, but the upper classes were class secure and stopped caring when the fancy struck them. However, the reputation of proper table manners as something genuinely upper-class stuck, and that is why ultimately those in the middle class place more emphasis on them today.
This also reminds me of a pet peeve of mine; I was taught what proper place setting was by my parents, but for some reason my little brother always used to do everything backwards, and it bugged me like crazy. He put the knife and spoon on the left side of the plate, and the fork on the right, and I couldn't stand it! I have OCPD as it is, and when I walk into my room I can immediately tell and be annoyed if one little thing isn't in its proper place, so a small thing like that just grated against my soul. Ironically, my parents didn't seem to care. My brother doesn't do that much anymore, but whenever I see an incorrect place setting I still die a little on the inside; I guess my habitus will forever be fundamentally middle class!
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