The Value in Valuing a Significant Middle Class


The difference between the so-called "First World" and the

so-called "Second and Third Worlds" can be summed up by the presence or

absence of a significant middle class.

These ordinal terms are specious to begin with, and perhaps

"industrialized" or "developing" worlds may be better terms to use, but

if we look at the US as a "first world" nation, we can observe a

relatively stable social and economic structure being in place. Rioting

over basic needs such as food, jobs or basic social justice happens from

time to time but we could view those kinds of occurrences as highly

unique. We have poverty, but it is currently experienced among a

minority of individuals representing all ethnic groups in some quantity.

If we take this very simplistic description as a snapshot of the current

status of the US, we could point to the larger number of people who

don't fall into the categories of either extreme wealth or poverty as

"middle class" and note that this large segment of the American

population focuses much energy and time on concerns such as gaining and

advancing in employment and housing, gaining access to education and

having some access to recreation and religion if desired, all with the

expectation of personal safety and potential social or economic

advancement. Such benign activity is what people around the world dream

of as a goal for themselves and their family, to not have to worry about

clean water, finding housing, or being able to access education or work.

When elites begin to view this bucolic middle class life as expendable

and not needing or deserving of support, (such as when Congress approves

laws such as NAFTA which destroy jobs here and also in other nations

such as Mexico, driving the illegal immigration problem) they fail to

see the stability advantages that a broad middle class brings to a

society. As jobs and economic stability are steadily lost, the middle

class shrinks and instability eventually increases. Enlightened

self-interest should encourage those in power to strive toward a society

that values a large middle class as a means to ensure stability for

themselves. 

Why would some elites see the middle class as expendable? Just World

thinking and Social Darwinism may help explain. 

If enough elites see the world as “just,” that is that “people get what

they deserve,” then they may over time influence the development of

government and society toward a state in which everyone is “on your

own.” This belief, which could be labeled in America as “rugged

individualism,” can be expressed through decreased social spending which

slowly erodes programs which could help people enter or remain in the

middle class.

“I got mine, you get yours.” “Survival of the fittest.” “I am wealthy,

therefore I must deserve that. Conversely, you are poor, therefore you

must be dumb and lazy, and so since the world is a just place, poverty

is what you deserve, and I will not share what I have to seek to undo

this inevitable process.” This may be the kind of social darwinist

thinking underlying our leaders’ lack of understanding about the

benefits of a strong middle class and so their lack of policy support to

sustain a strong middle class in America.

Under this social darwinism taxes may go down, but social needs go unmet

and some individuals steadily cease to be able to function as “middle

class” and so we see annual reports from the government itself reporting

millions gradually slipping from middle class status into that of

poverty. And as this poverty increases, we will see increased social and

economic instability such as nations like Brazil experience with its

small upper and middle classes and very large numbers who live in

poverty. Already America has some indicators of degrading public health,

such as infant mortality rates at about what some “third world” nations

experience.

What we should be doing is valuing what a middle class does for society

and seeking to grow it, rather than sacrificing it on the alter of

globalism. At the same time we should be seeking to grow middle classes

worldwide through fair trade and support of improved educational systems

globally. Instead, our nation focuses on ongoing war and defense

spending. Resources are wasted, and the elites pursuing these policies

are self-satisfied because “the world is a just place, and I must

deserve this power that I have, and those who are poor must deserve it…”

We have the ability to do better and I think we need to get an

understanding of this concern across to our nation, especially those at

the top who, whether we like the idea or not, have the power to

influence these trends.