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Which class do you identify with?

Which social class do you 'fit'?

  • Upper - Ivy League/Privileged

    Votes: 4 6.8%

  • Upper-Middle - Specific degree PhD, Masters, etc

    Votes: 19 32.2%

  • Middle - White collar professionals

    Votes: 17 28.8%

  • Traditional Middle - working-blue/pink collar 4 yr degree

    Votes: 11 18.6%

  • Working - HS diploma/Assoc degree

    Votes: 10 16.9%

  • Poor - no college, HS or GED

    Votes: 3 5.1%

  • I don't label myself and prefer that nobody knows

    Votes: 6 10.2%
  • Total voters
    59
Fiddytree said:
Sure it is.
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"Climate", sigh. There are as many farmer or mechanic intellectuals as academic. Tell of the erudite ambiance that shown up thee.
 
ecofarm said:
"Climate", sigh. There are as many farmer or mechanic intellectuals as academic. Tell of the erudite ambiance that shown up thee.
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Alright, Eco. You sure changed my opinion with your sarcasm.
 
TheGirlNextDoor said:
This election year, the economic focus seems to be on the "middle class". Strange, because if you really think about it, the middle class is really several "classes" in and of itself. Where do you fall in the U.S. social class rankings and WHICH middle class are all the pundits referring to?

How do you fit into the income/social class in the United States?

Upper (old money/privileged upbringing/ivy league school)
Upper-Middle (Higher degree than a BA/BS)
Middle (white collar professional degree)
Traditional Middle (working - blue/pink collar -4 year college degree)
Working (no college degree)
Poor (HS, GED)



I consider myself in the traditional middle class.
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Sorry, cannot vote. 80k with G.E.D., and a white-collar job, so where the hell do I fit in that poll?
 
I have a Masters Degree, but I wouldn't consider myself "upper/middle class". I went by Blackdog's salary chart to decide.
 
I have a masters and work in biochem / micro research, but my salary and region would best be classified as working class.
 
Sounds like a lot of folks don't fit into the poll. Neither do I.
 
Financially, upper middle....about 75K each retirement for the wife and me....I have GED, 3 years tech schools in the Navy, 108 college credits on GI Bill, the wife has a BS and 2 MS in education and counseling.
Hard assets, 2 houses combined value of about 500K, another 200K in IRA accounts, about 50K in savings/checking.
other assets, 7 grandkids...
socially, who cares?
For us, it took a long time, and considerable effort, with the only govt help being the GI Bill for my night classes, and more importantly, those tech schools in the Navy..
For our kids, they went to college on a parentship, for those grandkids, probably the same.
The primary goal of parenting should be that every generation is an improvement on the last, and from what I see, some boomers have failed to help the next generation as much as they should have. But don't despair, the dream is still achievable, it just won't be easy, but what thing of value is ever achieved easily?
 
I can't vote because I break across the lines. I don't have a college degree, but I have a position in IT that requires a 4 year degree. The company I started with was in the process of merging with a larger company. I was grandfathered in during the transition, so the degree portion was ignored.

In short: I have a working class education and I work a traditional middle class job.
 
My choice was Working class.
 
TheGirlNextDoor said:
This election year, the economic focus seems to be on the "middle class". Strange, because if you really think about it, the middle class is really several "classes" in and of itself. Where do you fall in the U.S. social class rankings and WHICH middle class are all the pundits referring to?

How do you fit into the income/social class in the United States?







Upper (old money/privileged upbringing/ivy league school)
Upper-Middle (Higher degree than a BA/BS)
Middle (white collar professional degree)
Traditional Middle (working - blue/pink collar -4 year college degree)
Working (no college degree)
Poor (HS, GED)



I consider myself in the traditional middle class.
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there are some gaps in this

many of the current very wealthy aren't from old money nor did they go to an elite school

many middle class people might not have a degree but run small businesses
so they are working but no college degree. The top management of say the Postal Service and some other GS 14 level positions in Cincinnati don't have degrees. many poor people don't have a HS diploma. in fact that is one of the main determinatives of poverty-dropping out of HS.
 
UtahBill said:
The primary goal of parenting should be that every generation is an improvement on the last...
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I couldn't agree more. It's shameful how many parents don't abide by this moral rule, and I am often outspoken about my disgust for them. The combination of my mother, who was single, applying this and my passion for academics is how I went from poverty as an infant to upper-middle class by the time I had kids.
 
I'm in the financial class where I don't have to work a day in my life, but I don't identify with them. In fact, I hate them, but they're the only ones who don't care about my money, and won't habitually try to use me on account of it.
 
TheGirlNextDoor said:
This election year, the economic focus seems to be on the "middle class". Strange, because if you really think about it, the middle class is really several "classes" in and of itself. Where do you fall in the U.S. social class rankings and WHICH middle class are all the pundits referring to?

How do you fit into the income/social class in the United States?

Upper (old money/privileged upbringing/ivy league school)
Upper-Middle (Higher degree than a BA/BS)
Middle (white collar professional degree)
Traditional Middle (working - blue/pink collar -4 year college degree)
Working (no college degree)
Poor (HS, GED)



I consider myself in the traditional middle class.
Click to expand...

Upper middle class. My parents were solid blue-collar workers, so I didn't have a privileged upbringing. I don't have a college degree nor any part thereof. I'm in the upper 10% of the population of the United States in regards to income. And I know what pieces of silverware to use in what order at a formal dinner. If that isn't upper middle class, I don't know what is. ;) ;)

I agree with LPast -- education has little to do with it. It's not how much education you have. It's how much you do with your education.
 
This poll is skewed because your official education level does not necessarily reflect your earnings.
 
Because of my wide array of expertise and what I do on the side and for a living I am somewhere in the middle of your definition of white collar and blue collar. There are many definitions however. I take pride that in my adult life I went from poor to where I am now but won't be satisfied until I get to where TD is so me calling guys like him out has a bit more validity.
 
MaggieD said:
Upper middle class. My parents were solid blue-collar workers, so I didn't have a privileged upbringing. I don't have a college degree nor any part thereof. I'm in the upper 10% of the population of the United States. If that's not upper-middle, I don't know what is.

I agree with LPast -- education has little to do with it. It's not how much education you have. It's how much you do with your education.
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True, I could have say dropped out of college to shoot for the army and I'd still be very wealthy. I have three top degrees but that really isn't a big factor--it merely means I am a bit richer than I would be. My youngest brother was first in his harvard graduate class but made less than many people with a state school basic degree because he went into a field that does not pay all that way despite demanding tremendous levels of education-architecture where the top graduate of the top school going to the top firm was making about 30K a year his first year out while someone with the same class rank from Harvard Law the same year going to the top firm in NY would have started at 140K or so a year. Now he runs his own firm, its nationally prominent and he is doing really well but education is not always equivalent to income. I probably have more degrees than the top 15 earning hollywood actors in some years for example. and teachers always have college degrees and most of them make less than the mechanics that work on my Lexus.
 
David Watson said:
This poll is skewed because your official education level does not necessarily reflect your earnings.
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Economist and socialiogist have many varying defintions of class and you are right to some extent, but these definitions do indeed exist in popular economic theory.
 
JohnWOlin said:
Because of my wide array of expertise and what I do on the side and for a living I am somewhere in the middle of your definition of white collar and blue collar. There are many definitions however. I take pride that in my adult life I went from poor to where I am now but won't be satisfied until I get to where TD is so me calling guys like him out has a bit more validity.
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why do I have any relevance to your rant.
 
TheGirlNextDoor said:
This election year, the economic focus seems to be on the "middle class". Strange, because if you really think about it, the middle class is really several "classes" in and of itself. Where do you fall in the U.S. social class rankings and WHICH middle class are all the pundits referring to?

How do you fit into the income/social class in the United States?

Upper (old money/privileged upbringing/ivy league school)
Upper-Middle (Higher degree than a BA/BS)
Middle (white collar professional degree)
Traditional Middle (working - blue/pink collar -4 year college degree)
Working (no college degree)
Poor (HS, GED)



I consider myself in the traditional middle class.
Click to expand...

My extended family is upper-middle class.
 
JohnWOlin said:
Economist and socialiogist have many varying defintions of class and you are right to some extent, but these definitions do indeed exist in popular economic theory.
Click to expand...

Where would you put uneducated Henry Ford?

What about Richard Branson? How about Dell? Mr. Gates? Steve Jobs?

these are the major exceptions that everyone can identify.. theres obviously millions more
 
David Watson said:
Where would you put uneducated Henry Ford?

What about Richard Branson? How about Dell? Mr. Gates? Steve Jobs?

these are the major exceptions that everyone can identify.. theres obviously millions more
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or, how about the 53% of Recent College Grads who are currently un or underemployed?
 
Blackdog said:
Your education level has nothing at all to do with allot of people earning potential. I was making more than my friends who had masters in the early 90's before I even finished my associates. I know constructions workers with no more than a HS diploma or less who own companies or make at least 6 figures. It boils down to what you do with what you have, not just what you have.

The poll in my opinion should be divided by income...

0 - 20,000 Poor/below poverty level
21,000 - 35,000 Working
36,000 - 50,000 Traditional Middle
51,000 - 65,000 Middle
66,000 - 100,000 Upper Middle
101,000+ Upper Middle+

I am talking single person income, not couples etc.
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I am a warrant officer in the Army so going off of that scale I am well into the "Middle" class. Throw in my benefits, though, I would be "Upper Middle+". I guess I can't complain too much.
 
My family's all over the map, from upper middle class white collar professionals to working class to welfare cases like myself. I don't identify with being a welfare case, but I've been poor all my life and I think like a poor person; at best, I could say that I have aspirations to being a white collar professional by way of the arts.
 
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