Class
The strange suburban mundanity of San Fernando Valley’s porn industry
The Valley — Legendary photographer Larry Sultan grew up in the northern Los Angeles suburb, which also happened to be the 20th century epicentre of the country’s adult film industry. Spending days on set shooting life behind the scenes, his now-canon series blurred fantasy, desire and domesticity.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Bobby Gillespie: “This country is poisoned by class”
Primal Scream’s legendary lead singer writes about the band’s latest album ‘Come Ahead’ and the themes of class, conflict and compassion that run throughout it.
Written by: Bobby Gillespie
The sinister new politics of public space
Your prejudice is showing — Closing parks during a lockdown is inhumane, especially when housing is so cramped and gardens a rare luxury.
Written by: Dawn Foster
Inside the wild world of college cheerleading
Class, community and capitalism — New Netflix series Cheer is filled with high stakes stunts and drama – but it can also teach us a lot about America’s class problem.
Written by: Ruby Lott-Lavigna
The great myth of the British working class
A flat cap fallacy — Treating the working class as homogenous, white, and uniquely motivated by very specific political ideologies is damaging, writes Dawn Foster.
Written by: Dawn Foster
Behind the walls of Brazil's secretive gated communities
This side of paradise — Photographer Giovana Schluter grew up uneasy in one of Brazil’s many private neighbourhoods – artificial worlds built for the middle classes. So years later, she returned to a manufactured enclave just like the one of her youth, hoping to get to the heart of their emptiness.
Written by: Benjamin Cook
Top Boy exposes the problem with British broadcasting
Middle class mediocrity — The show, which considers financial struggle, alienation and racism, was one of the few important documents of life in modern Britain. So why did Channel 4 cancel it?
Written by: Nathalie Olah
Television has always hated working class people
Good riddance Jeremy Kyle — Jeremy Kyle may finally be gone, but what it stands for – the hateful demonisation of working-class communities – remains stronger than ever. Dawn Foster explains why the show was always just a small part of a much larger toxic ecosystem.
Written by: Dawn Foster
This year I learnt... to not feel ashamed of being working class
What 2017 taught me — From Grenfell to universal credit, 2017 exposed how working class Brits continue to be treated with contempt. For Tom Rasmussen, this was the year of defiantly taking pride in having working class roots.
Written by: Tom Rasmussen
Privileged kids need to stop fetishising working class culture
From Where I Stand — Artist Hetty Douglas' offensive Instagram post about blokes in construction gear having few GCSEs has pissed off a lot people, but it's reflective of a wider trend: people embracing working class culture while also showing contempt for working class people, writes Dawn Foster.
Written by: Dawn Foster
Northern Ireland's repressive abortion laws are a class issue
Women who can't afford a choice — When women face imprisonment over their right to choose, those who can't afford abortions are turning to drastic measures. Huck speaks to Mara Clarke of Abortion Support Network about helping women receive legal abortions in England and why class plays such a huge role in the debate.
Written by: Natasha Turner
