My dad, diehard Marxist that he was, had this simple test to determine if you are working-class: do you have to work to earn a living?

Yes? Congratulations. You're working class and you have a lot in common with the other members of same whatever covers their neck.

Dad was a scientist and civil servant, previous to that an intinerant industrial chemist and university teacher. We looked as middle-class as it is possible to be.

His point was that there is no such thing as a middle class, (which could be classified as white-collar) only a middle income group, and the definition of middle-class as a higher status than working (aka lower) class leads to artificial divisions of interests which are only useful to those who don't want to see all working people engaged in pursuing their common interests.   

W-O