Class Conscious

Beginning of article

Our society makes a fetish out of modernity, so it is taboo to talk in terms of class. Almost everyone I interview for this column denies its importance, whether it be an Oxfam spokesperson attesting to the broad appeal of diced organic mangoes from the developing world, or the crisp manufacturer claiming ignorance of the social profile of those who buy his jalapeno pepper crisps cooked with their jackets on. But, in my experience, almost everything comes down to class except (a) sexual perversion and (b) Formula One racing. This week, I will look at Formula One. (Thank you, incidentally, for staying with me after that disappointing announcement).

Once, it was very clear. …