Is it Funny to Say 'Povo'?

Classism in St Andrews

St Andrews, home of our university, world-famous amongst rich, middle-aged men embarking on golf pilgrimages, is a town so steeped in its rich history that some of its persisting values are as medieval as the buildings. Schemes such as contextual admissions designed to diversify our student body, make accessibility a priority, and even out institutional hierarchies have undeniably started to bring about change. Students of disadvantaged backgrounds, whether pertaining to socio-economic, race, or disabilities (to name a few) have increasingly been given a seat at the table. 

As fantastic as this is, we mustn't forget the fact that we have one of the highest private-school intakes of British universities. Of course, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with this, as long as systems are in place to level out the playing field for students of less privilege. However, to deny that it has been deeply influential in the student culture of this town would be ignorant and false. Maybe the prestige that attracts a certain student demographic here at the University of St Andrews comes from its age; perhaps it comes from its notable alumni, who fall nothing short of royalty. Whatever it may be, the role this prestige has had on the vacuum of class is not explicit, but certainly an undeniable aspect of our student culture. 

With the aim of gaining some perspective, I sat down with an access scholarship student from Manchester. Having stated how pervasive she has found British classism to be in St Andrews, she described the pressure and internal battle that came with trying to adapt herself to her new environment. She felt and continues to feel, that this battle has very much to do with her ‘working class’ background, but more specifically, the aspects of her identity and manner reflecting it. She emphasised what class consciousness meant to her, how she only really began to perceive class as a distinguishing characteristic when she left home, where those she grew up with were of similar backgrounds. Class to her is more than net worth, it’s about the culture and opportunities one is raised with. The exclusivity of their manner. She made a concerted effort to change her mannerisms, her accent, and the way she dresses, and there came consistent degrading comments about how she ‘used to be’. People were distinct in how they changed the way they treated her, and that is classism. 

In reading this, your mind might jump to the post made recently by Overheardrews. The tongue-in-cheek Instagram account, which shares out-of-context ‘overheards’ sent in by nosy eavesdroppers with over 7,000 followers, is a true reflection of St Andrews student humour. Class is a recurring theme that pops out left, right, and centre in these posts. Most Overheardrews followers would doubtless agree that these entries are often sent in as an ironic underlining of the out-of-touchness of the uber-posh, of whom there is no shortage in this town. The reason, I think, for this popular brand of humour among us is the shared acknowledgement of classism in this town co-existing with a general understanding that it is outdated and wrong. 

When asked about their thoughts on the ‘overheards’ that get sent in, the account owner of Overheardrews responded: “No one should generalise, and every group has its good and bad eggs, but the issue with St Andrews is the sheer amount of places/societies/events that allow for, and even encourage this division.” They went on to say that “St Andrews as a university is diverse in many ways, but economically it is not, and that is something that, for people who do not feel at home in said societies/events, is a really tough thing to manage.” On the housing crisis, which St Andrews students have been grappling with for years, they said: “Furthermore, a CASH Instagram post from 18 April 2023 shows that this university is uniquely skilled at pricing out people who cannot afford it. Economically, this is the most expensive university in the UK (outside of London), and socially, this is a place that breeds classism, and creates safe spaces for degrading attitudes.”

The culture of this university specifically, and of the UK in general, has been steeped in class divisions for as long as its history goes back. But, for the generation of ‘wokeness’ (sorry), characterised by slanderous language targeting our supposedly conservative elders (all ‘Karens’ and ‘boomers’), there is an alarming persistence of such values and worldviews in the undercurrents of our university culture. Maybe a vague awareness of the fact that bigotry is no longer en vogue has changed things on a surface level, but Overheardrews shows us direct quotes of real conversations, not jokes told to amuse the gallery. The active, everyday use of derogatory language against those of different socio-economic backgrounds is reprehensible. It is deeply indicative of a bigger issue of class and social hierarchy in this town, and it should no longer be tolerated.

Image from Wikimedia Commons