low income white areas (Chicago, Elmwood Park: health insurance, crimes, credit)

[aragx6]

Then they're not working class honestly. I don't think that blue collar means working class always anyway. If you're an electrician and you make 60k a year or something your certainly blue collar, but in my mind you're middle class.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by aragx6

Then they're not working class honestly. I don't think that blue collar means working class always anyway. If you're an electrician and you make 60k a year or something your certainly blue collar, but in my mind you're middle class.

Well many white collar people won't accept any blue collar person as "middle class" no matter how much dough they have or make. Some base class on income but many base it on how that income is earned.

I was making well into 6 figures when I retired but I always considered myself working class; I'm a left-wing trade unionist and would resent being considered bourgeois---I've a different set of values than the middle class. Generally.

[aragx6]

Obviously the middle class is a big group and as such it is hard to ascribe them a fixed set of values, but I alwyas thought of the middle class as wanting to own a home, send their kids to a good school and retire on their terms.

Sounds like you did all of that right? Esp. since you mentioned your daughter is a yuppie

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I alwyas thought of the middle class as wanting to own a home, send their kids to a good school and retire on their terms.

What class groups don't want to own a home, send their kids to a good school, and retire on their own terms?

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by aragx6

Obviously the middle class is a big group and as such it is hard to ascribe them a fixed set of values, but I alwyas thought of the middle class as wanting to own a home, send their kids to a good school and retire on their terms.

Sounds like you did all of that right? Esp. since you mentioned your daughter is a yuppie

Yeah, it is all mixed up isn't it. Class in this country is complex and talking about it is considered taboo by many.

"Class" by Paul Fussell is a good book on the subject and very amusing too.

[hsw]

Indeed, very subjective are the definitions of the various socio-economic "classes"...

But often more amusing than inter-class warfare are the many petty inferiority/superiority intra-class jealousies and skirmishes....

Whether a trailer park or ghetto or Naperville or GoldCoast or Eastern LkForest...humans will be humans: money doesn't cure jealousy...

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by Rusty_Shackleford

What class groups don't want to own a home, send their kids to a good school, and retire on their own terms?

Well of course they all do - but the poor will never get it and the rich don't have to work for it. How else are we to define the middle class?

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Yeah if you bought it or owned it more than 10-15 years ago(and in some areas more like 5 years ago) before the huge inflation in housing prices and values. Why would you not be working class still?

Because you suddenly have a really big net worth. Class is a funny thing in the year 2008. It's perfectly alright to spend $40,000 on a F-150 if you're "working class", even though that's the same price you'd pay for a Bimmer 3-series. In today's world it seems like class has more to do with how you shop than actual income levels or net worth. For instance, a union plumber makes more money than a typical architect, but one is considered "working class" and one is clearly not.

[lincolnparker]

My neighborhood has a few dozen single family homes that go from 2.2 million dollars and up. the ppl live in those homes all consider themselves middle class. In fact the entire east lincoln park( north to diversey, halsted to lake michigan) is middle class

[Avengerfire]

A house worth 2.2 million? The must be in denial if they think they are middle class.