But the site's messed up.

It was along the lines of, anybody who works for someone who isn't a family member (and even a few of those who do) are "working class". Anybody who depends on a paycheck or a salary for their keep is "working class".

Sociology goes even further. It breaks down the working class amongst the generations. For example, if your father was working class but you are an entrepreneur, you're still working class. If your father was an aristocrat, but you are a bum, you're still "upper class"! (That perfectly describes the European - especially the British - class system).

So the logic in Europe goes, if you can be a billionaire but still be in the working class, then why not elevate the stature of the working class? The traditional British working classes in Europe are satisfied to be called that, because they know the cultural label doesn't mean a whole lot in a country where most plumbers makes more money than some doctors, and where it's a good thing to be the "David" compared to the corporate "Goliath". You can't change it, so why not celebrate it?

Unions are still very strong in Europe. Their influence has diminished somewhat, but not across all industries. In some countries, they even name their political parties after the working class (the UK Labour Party, Irish Labour Party, Workers Party in Ireland, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal; Dutch Democratic Workers Party).