The Middle-Class Dilemma

The haves and the have nots. Society has clumped social class and wealth into these two buckets as it relates to the economic narrative.

I beg to differ.

Yes, those two are right. But within the haves are two levels with different socio-economic outcomes. You have the exuberant haves, those with limitless wealth. They are owners and sing to their tune. You then have the haves, that operates within the societies rat race, and do have a particular amount of wealth, but not enough time. 

I'm referring to The Middle Class, and specifically in Western societies. The Middle Class have jobs, a good salary and firmly on their way to climb the ladders set by those at the upper echelons of the haves. You know, those that work hard, are anxious and stressed, find themselves in debt and try and climb the property ladder etc. This is the game of snakes and ladders most of us play.

Why is this important? Well, it is because there are a lot of people in this bracket. The problem is that they are so busy chasing their tails, comparing themselves to one other and are after that bigger house, that they have morphed into the biggest zombies walking the planet. 

Look at the world - explosions in Beirut because of negligence, an idiot in charge of the White House, the U.K. leaning more right and Poland turning homophobic. The word is accepting oversight and mediocrity in government, and the increasing marginalisation of the working class. 

It happens because those in the Middle Class, with all their combined power, don't do anything about it. They are too busy being zombies, with handsome social media profiles.

Dexter Dias, in 10 Types of Humans depicts this phenomenon with a theory called The Separation Effect - wherein if a problem exists, a person doesn't feel emotionally affected by it if it isn't in their vicinity. For example, take children dying of Ebola in Africa. We know it's terrible - we don't feel it though, because The Middle Class are too worried about their next promotion, or the upcoming couch getting released by Ikea.

Debt in the Middle Class also has soared to make up a significant portion of GDP in Western societies. This is explained by the chase, advertised as the next smartphone release on a billboard, sucking a persons attention, and finances toward material affluence.

These reflections have appeared in my mind since The Beirut Blast. The world's problems are not a give-in - they don't have to happen. However, the world needs this zombie population to wake up. Take those combined micro-influencers on social media who post cheesy quotes and selfies - imagine swapping those for posts about how to donate to something or extreme sexism.

The collective wealth and influence of the Zombie Middle Class could bear fruit on leaning the world back to a centre, if there is a distribution away from chasing the next thing, to giving something that you don't need.

The Middle-Class Dilemma is at the heart of change, never happing, and chronic corruption persisting. Not enough, beyond a post here and there and minor donations, happen in enough venom to cause lasting change. 

Perhaps The Millenial Middle Class of this generation will wake up. 

I hope so.