Simple question. I would think so what with the recession, high food/gas prices, college debt, and high unemployent. And many reports have said the gap between the rich and the poor is growing larger.
Poll: Is the middle class dissapearing?
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I believe Frankie Boyle spoke on the classes best and he used the scenario of sighting a fox in your back yard for his illustration.
If you're of the upper classes, you mercilessly hunt it for sport while laughing about paying taxes.
If you're middle class, you take a photo of it for your kids and post it to Blue Peter.
If you're of the lower classes, you kill it, and make soup out of it.
Actually, Frankie Boyle's probably not the best commentator on socio-economic strata.
In all seriousness though, the conditions that define the middle will change, but it's always going to be there. That group of people doing well enough to not be considered "lower class" but not doing quite so good as to be worthy of the company of the "higher ups".
If you're of the upper classes, you mercilessly hunt it for sport while laughing about paying taxes.
If you're middle class, you take a photo of it for your kids and post it to Blue Peter.
If you're of the lower classes, you kill it, and make soup out of it.
Actually, Frankie Boyle's probably not the best commentator on socio-economic strata.
In all seriousness though, the conditions that define the middle will change, but it's always going to be there. That group of people doing well enough to not be considered "lower class" but not doing quite so good as to be worthy of the company of the "higher ups".
Well the adult middle class are still around. But the kids kind of went two ways.
The stupid ones all started acting working class (Okay well like little chavs and wanna be G's) and the poncy ones all get themselves into debt trying to maintain a facade of being upper class... (well what they think would make them upper class).
Just my observations.
The stupid ones all started acting working class (Okay well like little chavs and wanna be G's) and the poncy ones all get themselves into debt trying to maintain a facade of being upper class... (well what they think would make them upper class).
Just my observations.
Well I know we're always going to have it. But how much will it change in the future? Will the middle class be less relevant then it is today?Matthew94 said:
No, it's not. Middle class is every person who is neither poor nor rich. That is, someone who is not living in a mansion with wine and steak on tap, but neither is that person necessarily threatened with hunger or an inability to pay for basic utilities.
What is happening is that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class are caught in the eye of the storm.
What is happening is that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class are caught in the eye of the storm.
Nope. I do think that the fiscal choices of any given middle-class citizen have much more impact than they used to, but if the middle class is getting poorer, it's because they generally fail money forever.
I'm from a family that gets very middle-class income, but live in an upper-middle class situation. I don't see us moving out of this position.
I'm from a family that gets very middle-class income, but live in an upper-middle class situation. I don't see us moving out of this position.
Well, I think what is defined as middle class is shrinking, though it will never really disappear. What we have been seeing as of late is what was once defined as the middle class is getting knocked down a peg into the realm of poor.
Basically.. in short, the rich get richer. Same as it ever was.
Basically.. in short, the rich get richer. Same as it ever was.
"The upper class does none of the work, and keeps all of the money. The middle class does all of the work, and pays all of the taxes. The poor are there, to scare the shit out of the middle class. Keep them showing up at those jobs." - George Carlin
Now that 80% of everyone I know is currently unemployeed, and will probably remain that way for a good long time I'd say the middle class is going to start scaring the upper class.
Now that 80% of everyone I know is currently unemployeed, and will probably remain that way for a good long time I'd say the middle class is going to start scaring the upper class.
The middle class isn't simply those who make the middle amount of money, it's actually defined more closely with the standard of living maintained by it's occupants. Those who make enough to be more than self sufficient with a secure job, stable home, healthcare, transportation, higher education for children, available vacation, and enough money to retire but who still need to work to maintain this lifestyle.Matthew94 said:
In the united states I would guess this group is shrinking, around the world it's growing since many countries are becoming industrialized.
Well, I'm IN that middle class. The recession's a ***** but standards of living haven't quite been Great Depression era. After all, this recession is monetary in origin, while the real one had such problems as a dust bole ruining the ability to produce crops. Finally, middle class fluctuates, alot, because there is indeed a huge gap between rich and poor. The rest of us are the cream of a double-stuff Oreo with extra filling.DVS BSTrD said:
It depends on where you currently are. Right now I live in North Dakota and I'm making some real bank. Ill have 46% of by debt paid off by Feb 2013 and I just graduated in May. The college debt thing... I understand that its a burden but if your willing to go out into the world and pursue a job outside your immediate comfort zone then its really nothing. Unemployment in this state is at 2.5% courtesy of the oil shale and natural gas boom. People are literally homeless here but making 75k (not counting 25k+ in benefits) a year and that's because housing is scarce. We call them homeless millionaires.
I'm not trying to sugarcoat anything. The job market is shit BUT people are also unwilling to take an extra risk, get themselves out there and LOOK for employment.
As far as it disappearing... Its flexing along with the difficult economic times. That's actually an understatement but one that has to be put simply because I'm not sure how common econ courses are.
I'm not trying to sugarcoat anything. The job market is shit BUT people are also unwilling to take an extra risk, get themselves out there and LOOK for employment.
As far as it disappearing... Its flexing along with the difficult economic times. That's actually an understatement but one that has to be put simply because I'm not sure how common econ courses are.
^This.FalloutJack said:
People have to remember that the middle class is flexing with the economy, and that makes sense because the job market is ALSO flexing. In New York or California the job market is complete shit. Blame whoever you want but its the truth. I just moved to North Dakota, statistically one of the poorest states in the country and they are going through a massive oil/natural gas boom. The unemployment rate here is at 2-3%. People on average had their median income jump by 10k a year (for the last 2 years) in this town of 1,000 I live in now. Drawing a statistical line through society is damn near impossible to do (at the moment)because we are in a recession and some people are making huge gains and getting out of the middle class whereas others are getting bogged down or staying right where they were.