"I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money"
- Pablo Picasso.
If someone who has nothing can be proud of having nothing, and someone who is rich be proud of their vast wealth, why can't we in the middle class be proud of our meager accomplishments?
I am so sick of hearing sob stories about how Billy Joe and Sally Sue grew up in the poor part of town, and didn't have anything, and didn't have anybody, and didn't have any chances, and didn't have a car, and didn't have time to go to school, and didn't have any money, and didn't have a house, and didn't have... well you get the picture. On the flip side of the coin you have people with a lot of money, and they know they have money. They went to private schools, Ivy league Universities, and went on to become Doctors, lawyers, and politicians much like their fathers before them. We don't look down on them, and they don't want us to. They're proud of their lives.
The point I am trying to make is that if poor people can be proud of being poor, and rich people be proud of being rich, then why are so many of us in the middle class caught in the crossfire of where we stand?
My life has not been a struggle, and I don't wish to convey it as such. It has been a series of battles that I have either overcome or failed to accomplish, but all in all, it has been just an ordinary life. I don't see why then, that the poor seek to shame me for having that style of life, while the rich persecute me for not being wealthy.
The poorest of our nation live better than some of the richest of others, so why is then that we live in a world where we base who we are on our social status?
The upper and lower classes are focused on heavily for whatever reason. When growing up I would hear thigns like, "You know, he's come so far for not having anything," or "He so nice, you'd never know he was a millionaire." That always seemed to prick me because you never hear things like, "He's come along way from being middle class," or "He's so nice, you'd never know he was middle class." See what I mean? Those phrases just don't sound right. It's as if the elite have to be bastards, and the poor have to be meek. From the experience that I gather it's often the other way around. The richest of men are more than often those who have worked hard for what they have, and have stood their ground in the face of adversity. The lower class spend what little they have on foolish things, trying to make themselves look good to each other. Both classes all the while chastising the middle class for either having to much or not doing enough to have more than enough.
The middle class is not without fault here though. Often times we let tradition and ideas that are incorrect lead us through life. If something sounds like it is good, we take it as gospel. We here phrases like, "God helps those who help themselves," and "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." Both of which are religious examples, but they serve the purpose of showing that we latch on to phrases, even if they are not completely correct. I'm not going to go into the religious debate about these quotes, but I'll leave it at saying that neither of these lines are in the Bible. You can check. Don't be afraid. It's only every little line we've been fed growing up that's at stake. So what does that mean? That means that we are ruled by ideas and traditions that we do not choose to overcome or to question. We are complacent, if you will, to live in a "live by your means" mind set. That means that we are, frankly, alright with being the working class. This is what bothers me the most. We have set ourselves in a hole, but it is not uncomfortable. It is a hole with cable TV and carpeted flooring. It is a hole with heating water and central cooling systems. It is a hole that we would like to get out of, but are comfortable staying in.
In south-eastern Oklahoma, a person who makes $100k+ a year is considered wealthy, where as someone who makes under $25k is considered in poverty. The middle class tends to make around $45k to $65k with some being higher or lower. This puts most of us in an awkward place when it comes to financial aid or scholarships for school. Because of that, many of the middle class are forced into working for meager expenses while going to school as well. This is the problem of the middle class and a phrase you hear quite often, "The poor get everything paid for by the government and the rich have enough money to afford it anyway, so the middle class get screwed by being the difference." The working class is forced into being, once again, the working class. The middle class will work so that they don't have to live off the government, but do not make enough to afford lavish things. Wherein lies the glory of being middle class then?
Before my great granddad died, he said, "If I could do it all over again, I believe I'd just live on welfare," which, needless to say, made my family laugh. His point of course being that life would be easier if we all just lived off of the government, but my family had too much pride in working for a living. He's been gone for around 18 years now, but that quote lives on in my family, mainly as a joke, but to me it represents a greater truth about our society. It says that there is a grander idea in life than our middle class mentality. It is not a more popular idea, but a grander one.
We should want more for less. Seems simple right? In a purely economic stance, we should want more for what we give. We hinder our selves though. We have ideas of "less is more," and "money is the root of all evil." Another misquote by the way, the original text reads: "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. " (1 Timothy 6:10.) Money in and of itself is not evil. When we love money and are willing to go to any extreme to obtain it, it becomes a proprietor of evil. What this means then, is that our mindset towards money needs to change. We should not be ashamed to develop large amounts of wealth. One reason that we are afraid to obtain money is the social change it will put on us. We will shift out of this middle class standard where we are comfortable and move into the upper echelon of society. There are different ways to accomplish this, and I'm not going to go into them here; what I want to elaborate on is that we should not be stuck in the traditions of our forefathers at the expense of today. We should have the courage to chase our dreams, without hindering ourselves on needless self denial.
Anyway, that's all for today. Give it a thought and leave any interesting comments you might have.
Until next time.
T.G.
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Nice ideas there--a very insteresting and thoughtfully-expressed post. Most of us, our culture anyway, assumes that the world works according to a tried-and-true order. Naturally, everyone bitches and moans about Republicans and Democrats, but there are certain things we won't challenge--certain cultural concepts. Class is one of the major ones. The middle class has become almost a way-station for moving up or down (mostly down). No one wants to be there anymore--that's not the American dream (the new one, anyway). Everyone wants to be a millioniare, as if that in itself is an identity or offers security. Just having some simple belongings and enough to take care of your family isn't seen as very desirable anymore--if it ever was. And those who try to move up and get a piece of it find it increasingly hard to do so, as witnessed from all the home foreclosures. Naturally, most of our society chastizes those people for "reaching above themselves" and trying to buy houses they couldn't afford. But when you want a piece of middle class security/identity, and the bank approves you for a loan to do so, you think "hey, I made it." Are you really supposed to tell the bank--"are you sure? Because I think I'm a piece of shit. Can I really, really have the loan?"
ReplyDeleteAs the middle class narrows, people set their sights higher, perhaps--wanting the ultimate security. Middle class isn't a stable platform to be on, so why aspire to it? Also, we have a problem in this country of seeing wealth as a moral achievement. Oh sure, we say things like "money is the root of all evil," but the rich people in town are always the "best" ones--you see them everywhere, they're treated like royalty, and few people says "those rich sonsabitches!" I had a boss once who really felt that God had annoited him because he made some money and got fairly wealthy. He felt he was being rewarded for being "good." The kicker is that he turned around and gambled away the company within 2 years or so. You make it because you make it, not becuase you're good or bad (though being bad helps, sometimes!). Class is a barometer of cultural morality: poor people are lazy, stupid, thieves, etc., and middle class people are "decent" and "hard working"--i.e. average. But these are cultural stereotypes and insist that class is something almost biological, rather than a man-made institution of wealth and status.
In our society, someone always has to be at the bottom. We tell ourselves the lie that anyone can get an education, get a job, and make a million dollars. Some of us can, sure, but being born in the right place sure helps. But we need people at the bottom doing all the jobs we want to "rise above." If everyone rose above and became millionaires, the society would fall apart. Our "lowest" should be rewarded as our highest, since they do such vitally important work. Instead, we stereotype them as incapable of doing anything else.
It's not just us--every culture does this, and it's as old as the Bible, if not older. It's a dilemma of human civilization, and maybe built into the idea of civilization itself. But you're right--we need to respect everyone's achievement, and stop seeing wealth or status as equal to anything but that--wealth and status.
Glad to be your first comment, if not your most coherent!
Society does tell us optimistic lies based on how good they sound. I agree that "We tell ourselves the lie that anyone can get an education, get a job, and make a million dollars. Some of us can, sure, but being born in the right place sure helps," because not everyone can do these things. Doors have been opened to many more now than there were years ago, but we still are not at a place that everyone who wants it has an opportunity to chase after it.
ReplyDeleteThis touches on another subject that vexes us, but most people aren't sure how to respond to it, and that is pan handlers. The thing about the poorest of the poor, (In the United States) is that they do have the opportunity to help themselves. There are shelters as well as organizations out there that help these people get off the streets. It becomes more evident when you offer them food or vouchers for food, because 9 out of 10 of them will refuse it and ask for cash only. That tells me that they are not out for food and water, but rather for drugs and alcohol. This is why I do not give out handouts to pan handlers. Relief funds and organizations that are providing a place for these people to go for assistance or a place to stay are another thing altogether. In short, for those in poverty who seek assistance, it is available. The people who are poor because of addictions are the ones that I have less sympathy for though.
We are born with very different opportunities in front of us, it just depends on how they are used.