Everyone wants to be "Middle Class"!

I was reading an article today about the need for Congress to restore unemployment benefits. There was a quote from President Obama, "It's time to do what's right, not for the next election, but for the middle class," that made me think about what a political buzzword "middle class" is today. It seems like everyone either THINKS they are "Middle Class" or WISHES they were "Middle Class".

Wealthy people do not want to call themselves "rich" or "upper class" for the most part. It is more trendy, more "in" to lump themselves in with the "middle class" the ordinary working man. It is a lot more hip to say you are "middle class" and thus "struggling" in this economy than to admit, "Yeah, I am rich, I got more money than you, and I always will." I think the children of the 60s and 70s who cried out about "fighting the establishment" are embarrassed to now be PART OF IT, so they want to identify themselves as "middle class" instead.

People who are "working class" want to call themselves "middle class" as well. Somehow, they think that the term "working class" is ugly, and the equivalent of "poor", so they claim to be what they are actually STRIVING to become-- "middle class". These are the people who oppose any sort of assistance to "the poor" (even though a lot of it would benefit them as well) and call for legislation assisting the "middle class" instead. In their desire to identify with the "middle class" instead of the struggling "poor" they actually seem to embrace policies that cause themselves damage,

What exactly IS "middle class" anyway? I know people who consider themselves "middle class" who earn $30,000 a year, AND I know people who make $200K who ALSO see themselves as "middle class". The term seems SO subjective! It kind of reminds me of the term "middle aged"-- some consider 35 to be "middle aged" while others consider 60 to be "middle aged". I guess in the end, people define themselves how they choose to, and sometimes, the label they choose causes them more harm than good. But, I guess that is just the way people are.... from elementary school on, life is a "popularity contest" and a never ending bid to "fit in" and I guess "fitting in" is exactly what an individual who longs to be called "middle class" strives for.