American Middle Class

This video by ABC explores American families in the middle class. Many Americans classify themselves to be in the middle class. We think they would be living comfortably but in reality, they are barely living pay check to paycheck, having to pick up an additional job or two just to make ends meet. One man, Chris, works three jobs in varying fire departments. He and his wife are barely able to pay bills and student loans back even after pinching pennies and making due with the things they already have. By the time everything is all said and done, they have no money to put into savings, not to mention precious time to spend with their families. In another family, mom Tracey makes $22,560 per year. In one month, she will make $1,880; $800 pays the mortgage, $200 the gas and electric, $200 for the car, add in groceries, clothing for kids, and incidentals what’s left is minimal. If she takes her kids out for a MacDonald’s treat once a month, her remaining $50 will turn into pocket change. Even families that are making six figures per year in California cannot afford to live in a traditional middle-class neighborhood. The cost of living has gone up, but salaries have not. No matter where in the country people live everyday expenses continue to be out of reach.

Most of the middle-class families are white collar workers meaning they work in managerial positions or they work as train technical laborers. These are just the “average Joe” who usually have completed some form of higher education. In recent years this middle class is getting smaller and smaller, either moving up to the upper-class or dropping down to the working-class. The Washington Post found the typical range for the middle-class to be making from $45,200 to $135,600 each year which may more or less appear reasonable. However, the average of $78,000 income has not budged since the year 2000 (Washington Post). Considering the decline of people in the middle-class with the rise in the cost of living and the stagnant income, a status inconsistency as developed. A status inconsistency occurs when a person’s perceived position in society does not line up with their “wealth, power, or prestige” (“The Real World”). We believe the average Joe to be financially stable with a respectable job. In reality, our average Joe lives what we would expect the working class to to live like, he does not have the wealth that we would expect him to have. The working class typically works a blue-collar job like waitress-ing, retail, or manual labor making $40,000 in a year. Further, we have this idea of social reproduction. If our parents were middle-class then so will we and so will our children. That again is not the reality. Like the ABC video points out, the previous generation was financially stable; their kids (like Chris and Tracey) are struggling to stay afloat.