Heartland

That's why I am so fascinated by the potato chart, which unfortunately I know only for Germany. The "lowest" part of society, (defined by income, status, education, etc.) is obsessed with TVs, phones, Blu Ray players and all, like no other part of society. They lack security, self-esteem, orientation and all, and compensate by consumer goods. I have heard descriptions of how in some of those apartments the children sleep on a plain matress on the floor, and have no table or desk to do their homework on, but there is a large flat screen and game console.

Sita wrote:That's why I am so fascinated by the potato chart, which unfortunately I know only for Germany. The "lowest" part of society, (defined by income, status, education, etc.) is obsessed with TVs, phones, Blu Ray players and all, like no other part of society. They lack security, self-esteem, orientation and all, and compensate by consumer goods. I have heard descriptions of how in some of those apartments the children sleep on a plain matress on the floor, and have no table or desk to do their homework on, but there is a large flat screen and game console.

Sorry to say, Sita, but no, the "lowest" part of society is not more obsessed with TVs, phones, Blu Ray and so on as any other part. Only for those other parts it is understood they just buy athese things when ever they please without further ado ...

I think you got hooked on that anti-precarious-milieu envy campagne they are feeding daily in German media ...

In fact, there are no - and hardly ever will be any - reports on what happens to kids in households of "higher" parts of society ...

Also I find this potato chart sort of upper middle-class oriented afterwork entertainment. IMHO, societal relations cannot be represented halfway correctly by any two-dimensional figure.

Sita wrote:That's why I am so fascinated by the potato chart, which unfortunately I know only for Germany. The "lowest" part of society, (defined by income, status, education, etc.) is obsessed with TVs, phones, Blu Ray players and all, like no other part of society. They lack security, self-esteem, orientation and all, and compensate by consumer goods. I have heard descriptions of how in some of those apartments the children sleep on a plain matress on the floor, and have no table or desk to do their homework on, but there is a large flat screen and game console.

Sorry to say, Sita, but no, the "lowest" part of society is not more obsessed with TVs, phones, Blu Ray and so on as any other part. Only for those other parts it is understood they just buy all these things when ever they please without further ado ...

I think you got hooked on that anti-precarious-milieu envy campagne they are feeding daily in German media ...
In fact, there are no - and hardly ever will be any - reports on what happens to kids in households of "higher" parts of society ... apart from such at RTL niveau of course ...

Also I find this potato chart (here a version not about the UK but in English) sort of upper middle-class oriented afterwork entertainment.
IMHO, societal relations cannot even halfway be represented correctly by two-dimensional figures as such.