Re Recurring "Joke"

[MollyBrown]

There was such a nice atmosphere on QE2, but QM2 is becoming subject to, in my view, the kind of "dog-eat-dog" atmosphere of American upward mobility, with these constant references to people in Britannia being "steerage" and all that.

 

Some say it is a joke and I have no sense of humour. That is a typically passive-aggressive thing to say. I insult you, and then if you get upset, accuse you of being too sensitive or not getting "the joke".

[tabascored]

MollyBrown,

I'm with you. I don't get this "steerage" thing. To me being in steerage is sleeping on a burlap bag in the bilge of the ship and eating stale bread and drinking bad water while the upper decks leak on your head.

Who's posting this stuff anyway. The Grill passengers or Britannia "Grill wanna be's"? Lighten up, guys. Is this really that important?

 

Happy to be doing a westbound TA in BRITANNIA.

 

Sue

[patwell]

With all due respect MollyBrown, this topic will continue to be incendiary as long as people keep starting posts that perpetuate it. Perhaps we could all agree to let this topic die...I think it's been beaten to death enough lately. If the "S......." word comes up, ignore it. If people stop pouncing on it, sooner or later it will go away.

 

I enjoyed this forum so much for the helpful tips people shared with each other....with the reviews they posted and the recommendations of ways to enjoy your QM2 experience. I was reading on another board a while back and a poster commented on how much more civilized it was than other boards they had read....hope they weren't referring to this one.

 

I wish we could let the inflammatory subjects go by...they do a disservice to what this board has to offer to newcomers and experienced travelers both. Penny

[HeelMD]

Totally agree patwell. I think these threads recur because 1) some have an axe gring and 2) people don't learn to stop pouncing on it.

 

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result...

[mufi]

patwell - You are so right. I can recall a Laurel And Hardy film where Olly was punched in the face by a baddy. Standing full on to the guy he said "do dat again", and of couse the guy did. There must be some reason why some folk do this sort of thing, but it is beyond me.

 

David.

[wripro]

mollybrown,

 

you seem VERY preoccupied with who sails in what class on QM2. Why do you care so much?

[Cunard Cruiser]

I agree with Molly Brown. The “steerage” topic is way out of hand. Those who dine in the Grills may go once or twice where those in Britannia, like me, can afford to travel 40+ times.

The steerage remark is more of an insult than a joke and I find it unappealing.

[guernseyguy]

MollyBrown,

 

I tend to agree with Patwell et al - you are keeping this going - why not just drop it?

 

Peter

[berry22192]

I wish we could let the inflammatory subjects go by...they do a disservice to what this board has to offer to newcomers and experienced travelers both. Penny

 

Penny, while I appreciate your attempt to pour oil on troubled waters, I have not witnessed anyone on this board being inflammatory. Just because some people are humorless and single-minded doesn't mean that we should adjust to their predilections and write messages that lack wit, subtlety, or irony. The morose will always be with us -- we shouldn't let them spoil the party. OK, so the on-topic question is: what dining room on the QM2 do the hoi polloi use?

 

 

Chris

[guernseyguy]

OK, so the on-topic question is: what dining room on the QM2 do the hoi polloi use? Chris

 

That would be the same one as the proles.......;)

 

Peter

[MollyBrown]

mollybrown,

 

you seem VERY preoccupied with who sails in what class on QM2. Why do you care so much?

 

You people are pouncing on me, and I'm just responding to yet another post referring to "lowly steerage" that was recently posted.

 

I don't give a damn who sails in what cabin grade. Just don't keep perpetually referring to Britannia as some kind of across-the-board low class accommodation for plebians.

 

I was enjoying traveling in Caronia on QE2 and then Britannia on QM2, and never cared a damn about cabin grades. I just don't like being insulted.

[MollyBrown]

[quote=guernseyguy]MollyBrown,

 

I tend to agree with Patwell et al - you are keeping this going - why not just drop it?

 

Peter

 

Because people keep bringing it up again and again, and I find it offensive.

[MollyBrown]

I wish we could let the inflammatory subjects go by...they do a disservice to what this board has to offer to newcomers and experienced travelers both. Penny

 

I completely agree with you. I wish people would not keep bringing this up. Ok, I should just ignore it (and I know having a knee-jerk response only tends to encourage flamers to continue...), but I suppose it represents to me something deeper that is going on in our society, and that I find very unpleasant.

[guernseyguy]

I'm just responding to yet another post referring to "lowly steerage" that was recently posted.

 

Could you link to that post please so we may see what is causing such offense?

 

Peter

[MollyBrown]

That would be the same one as the proles.......;)

 

Peter

 

That's it, there's a mix in all grades, just as there is in society nowadays. It's more fun that way, I think.

[HeelMD]

Still waiting on the link for the offending post. If you can't drop this at least contain to one thread. The only mentions of "steerage" I can find were quoting others and seemed very innocent. Either a) there is a terribly offensive post out there that everyone is missing but you or b) you need to relax a bit before you declare class warfare. Of the six posts where the word "steerage" was used....four were by you.

 

I came to this board because I had used a message board to learn about a Disney cruise we were going on and thought this might be useful for preparing for our upcoming cruise on Cunard. So far, there has been way too many ruffled feathers and not enough goodwill and information.

[berry22192]

To me being in steerage is sleeping on a burlap bag in the bilge of the ship and eating stale bread and drinking bad water while the upper decks leak on your head.

Sue

 

Sue, to me being in steerage means sleeping in the bilge on a sodden burlap bag. The bilge water has seeped in to a depth of 4 inches (fortunately drowning the many bed bugs). Food (except for the midnight buffet of suspicious sausage) consists of stale and moldy bread and water that is not bottled at the source. It is the passengers of the upper decks who leak upon your head. Now, who could be insulted by such high life?

 

Chris

[stowaway2k]

 

I was enjoying traveling in Caronia on QE2

 

So, what's wrong with Mauretania? ;) :rolleyes:

[travel-to-go]

Penny, while I appreciate your attempt to pour oil on troubled waters, I have not witnessed anyone on this board being inflammatory. Just because some people are humorless and single-minded doesn't mean that we should adjust to their predilections and write messages that lack wit, subtlety, or irony. The morose will always be with us -- we shouldn't let them spoil the party. OK, so the on-topic question is: what dining room on the QM2 do the hoi polloi use?

 

 

Chris

 

Chris,

I'm sorry. I can no longer dine/book in the same class as you.

I understand that Hoi in the term Hoi Polloi means "the" therefore, "the Hoi Polloi" would be repetative and redundant! I am a language snob, so I cannot FATHOM (by at least six feet, anyway!) being considered in the same class! (Which was Mrs. Grinch's 8th grade English- I forget her real name!)

 

Now steerage, on the other hand! To me, isn't that the guy who stands up front with the big wheel (with the spokes for his donut) and STEERS? <G>

 

Karie,

Who doesn't really mean any of this, and thinks we sometimes find insults where we look for them! I look for plenty, personally, in case I might need them some day. Which I haven't yet! At least not on purpose (or to follow our nautical theme, not on porpoise! - and I really don't know WHAT hoi polloi means- I just heard that somewhere!- From the deprtment of repetativeness and redundancy division. )

 

P.S. I don't go in grill class, because I can put up with a week or two in a small room, and I can think of a LOT of things I can do with that money besides get a bigger room and a restaurant that I think looks blah, and I'm already getting more fabulous food than I should eat! They'd have to wheel me off if it was any better! I'd rather spend the extra money on another or a longer cruise instead. I already own a fairly good-sized house. And my stuff always seems to expand to fill it. When I had a smaller house it was neater and things were in their place. The more room you have the more you need!

[JeffStevenson]

Who cares?? If these jokes are acrually coming from the passengers in the grill, then they are passengers who are not used to travelling in this class. They feel they can joke about it as they are out of their usual situation. However, if they travel like this all the time, I doubt they will make these jokes. Anyway, it's a joke.....get over it.

[TJL]

There was such a nice atmosphere on QE2, but QM2 is becoming subject to, in my view, the kind of "dog-eat-dog" atmosphere of American upward mobility, with these constant references to people in Britannia being "steerage" and all that.

Some say it is a joke and I have no sense of humour. That is a typically passive-aggressive thing to say. I insult you, and then if you get upset, accuse you of being too sensitive or not getting "the joke".

 

Were I to cruise on QM2 then I'd happily class myself as a "Steerage" passenger.

I only have to see the dreaded "S" word in print and I experience an instantaneous, involuntary inward titter. Which is nice. Anyway, it rolls off the tongue far more easily than "Britannia Class". Yet such a cruise is unlikely to happen because I can't afford Grill Class and I don't really get on with early and late sittings.

So it's QE2 and Caronia for me! Hmmm, but does that mean Steerage or Second Class? Tourist Class maybe.....? Excuse my while I rummage in my drawers for a suitable kitchen implement with which to crack open yet another can of worms....

 

Tim x.

[guernseyguy]

I understand that Hoi in the term Hoi Polloi means "the" therefore, "the Hoi Polloi" would be repetative and redundant!

 

Yu wuz tot rong! Aint yo nott get no edukasun? Sea hear:

 

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/english/data/d0082206.html

 

Peatah

[oldgit]

So far as I can tell by trawling this board, the term "steerage" is used only by those who travel in "steerage". It is therefore not an insult but an effective, picturesque and somewhat self-deprecating shorthand for a variety of longer phrases which could be used to describe the least expensive grades.

I appreciate that the determined can always find an excuse to be offended but this is all getting a tad boring.

Might I therefore suggest (with great deference) that this is the penultimate post on this subject.

The last word should be reserved for MollyBrown (who I suspect might be winding us all up) - because she wants it so much (please forgive me if this gender assumption is unfounded).

[KenC]

It seems to me that 'steerage' may have been first used on this board as a light hearted self-depreciating comment by someone who was happy to sail 'Britannia' as opposed to spending a lot more money to sail 'Grill'. Now however it is often bandied about in a more demeaning context with those old chestnuts such as 'Princess Captains', 'Princessifaction', 'Carnivore', 'barge' etc. by those who can't or won't join the rest of us in the 21st Century.

 

For the life of me, having seen some of the hideously small Mauretania grade inside bunk bed cabins on QE2, I cannot understand how anyone could refer to anything on QM2 as 'steerage' - especially when some have yet to sail on her?

 

I agree with the other posters who suggest ignoring the comments in future.

 

Ken

[Bramcruiser]

Molly, Up until now I used to be in your corner. Everyone has their idea of what constitutes a joke and some people are just more sensitive than others so you will always find friction. I myself had been astounded at some of the "steerage" and "class" remarks because a few had definitely come across as sounding downright snooty. However, I cannot believe that everyone who used the terms that got some upset really are just class-snobs. Unfortunately the joke became a common set of terms and I think most here use it without giving it a second thought -for good or bad. Even outsiders visiting Cunard are now using the term "steerage".

 

That being said, I think you have brought up the topic on more than one occassion and we got your reasons for being upset or at least curious as to why the berating of Britannia passengers. I agreed with you but I also agree with those who are calling for a truce. I think we are not getting further ahead on this argument and we've been circling around for ages now on the topic.

 

I think there's an awful lot wrong with society but that's besides the point. I believe you have the right to say your peace but I think you got the message out several times so I don't see what could possibly come out of a new thread on the same matter.

 

David

Who chooses Brittania Class because he wanted to!