Why Have Americans Stopped Resisting Economic Privilege?

[Rozlee]

13. You briefly touched on some of the propaganda the media has made people believe.

That's the stigmatization of the poor. Even the poor refuse to admit they're poor. I know so many people who are poor and claim that they're middle class. They complain about how 'those people' are sitting around collecting freebies from the government while they're working hard to make ends meet. I met this woman once who told me what a great provider her husband was. He was collecting disability pay for his arthritis! Sorry, but that's her Uncle providing for them. I've heard people making barely above minimum wages that think they're middle class because no way will they admit they're poor. They collect the Earned Income Credit and get government health care for their kids, but nope, they're not poor. Like alcoholism, the first step to getting help is admitting you have a problem. They don't think they've got a problem. Everybody else does. And I know middle class people who live like they're upper middle class. On a salary of $50,000 a year, they go out and buy an expensive Mercedes. They buy a car whose monthly payments are two thirds of their rent. If they had a cheaper car, they could afford to buy a home.