Working class histories threaten the ideology of the ‘good old days.’ To tell a story that is unafraid of discussing the realities of poverty is to rebel against the narrative of the ‘good old days’ which is used to romanticise oppression using false nostalgia.
Already one of the most talked about pieces of television in recent years, Benefits Street has been accused of demonising the working classes. Ben Beach explores the history of working class derision, from the petty punishments of the middle ages to the slums of the industrial revolution and beyond.
Jack Crutcher reviews the People’s History Museum as one of Manchester’s significant, historical gems.
