Class

Today we had a lovely session at Make it Mine. Therapeutic time with clay in the company of women. A new to us local councillor came to see us. Sheila, she’s standing this year. I think she’ll be a good fit for the community. 

Then off to Netherton accompanying some women to experience the afternoon tea at the L30 Community Centre. It was right up their street. A good sing and dance on a Tuesday afternoon. Something very familiar to the local community.  Really inclusive too. Local care home. Shared lives. Everyone together. Made me think about class and an often misunderstanding of the way that working class communities organise. 

Like if I posted a little video strip of the afternoon today on Twitter, how might that land in the middle class intersectional world? Do they understand what we are doing?  Do they believe it belongs in the past? I  often get a sense of looking down nostrils. Like, we are in the middle of an existential crisis and you are having a party?! I guess many people have been living under those conditions for generations, and a dance and a sing is part of the essential survival kit.  We have much more to learn from communities like Netherton than we first think.

Class is at the forefront of my mind right now as I’ve been asked to write an article about class for a family therapy magazine, Context.