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Which class do you identify with?

Which social class do you 'fit'?


  • Total voters
    59

TheGirlNextDoor

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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.
 
Which class do I identify with?

I tend to prefer Human Fighters, especially in 4th edition. If it's 3.5, I would rather pick a class from the Book of Nine Swords, but that's just so my characters can compete with spellcasters in later levels.
 
Mine scaled up after time, though my income continues to be at poverty level due to the obvious of being a student (whether undergraduate or graduate). My family was middle class, but as a result of disability matters, our disposable income was much less. For myself, expectations were institutionalized as low and I had been surrounded by those with disabilities under your "poor" and "working" designation at the same time that I was surrounded by those professionals with Master's degrees working in the public sector. Now I am working to getting my MA and eventually a PhD. No matter that, my psyche will be heavily identified in your bottom two tiers. You don't easily erase the sheer probabilities of low expectations from your mindset when you gain success.
 
I think your mischaracterizing it Next...your separating the middle class by education and I think it separates by wealth and income which doesnt always correlate with education
 
Mine scaled up after time, though my income continues to be at poverty level due to the obvious of being a student (whether undergraduate or graduate). My family was middle class, but as a result of disability matters, our disposable income was much less. For myself, expectations were institutionalized as low and I had been surrounded by those with disabilities under your "poor" and "working" designation at the same time that I was surrounded by those professionals with Master's degrees working in the public sector. Now I am working to getting my MA and eventually a PhD. No matter that, my psyche will be heavily identified in your bottom two tiers.

This is why I posted this poll. I'm genuinely interested in how forum members identify themselves in this "middle class" we keep hearing politicians speak of. I only wonder WHO these politicians are talking about, when they spout "We're working for the middle class". Is that the upper echelon or the working folks like you and I?
 
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.
 
I think your mischaracterizing it Next...your separating the middle class by education and I think it separates by wealth and income which doesnt always correlate with education

I'd split it two ways, perhaps three. Wealth/Income, Education level/Intellectual social areas, Actual Spending Ability
 
I think your mischaracterizing it Next...your separating the middle class by education and I think it separates by wealth and income which doesnt always correlate with education

Not always, but this is how I've seen it broken down - as the people using statistics are looking at the educational levels and how that correlates to income. Is it right? Not always and I don't think it paints a complete picture. However, I believe it's an easier way to get people to participate in a poll such as this, by asking them which 'class' they put themselves in based off of educational levels as to posting income amounts.
 
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.

Again, I used educational levels as the determining factor to break down classes to entice people to participate in the poll. I suppose I could go back and edit the poll options to reflect gross money income - but that doesn't give us the whole picture and I know that my poll doesn't do that either.

How about if people want to choose which 'class' they most closely identify with considering their income and connect that with their educational level and discuss what the differences are? That should be interesting as well.
 
Not always, but this is how I've seen it broken down - as the people using statistics are looking at the educational levels and how that correlates to income. Is it right? Not always and I don't think it paints a complete picture. However, I believe it's an easier way to get people to participate in a poll such as this, by asking them which 'class' they put themselves in based off of educational levels as to posting income amounts.

I did not see this before I posted as I was responding to the OP. I don't know if that would make a difference, but I think it will give artificial results. Hey that's just me though, lol.
 
While Ivy is very strong evidence of capacity, the intellectual class transcends economic and other social class.
 
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.

Good point

Your poll seems more realistic..... in terms of real-life application
 
Not always, but this is how I've seen it broken down - as the people using statistics are looking at the educational levels and how that correlates to income. Is it right? Not always and I don't think it paints a complete picture. However, I believe it's an easier way to get people to participate in a poll such as this, by asking them which 'class' they put themselves in based off of educational levels as to posting income amounts.

I'm always going to be a mixture of classes: aware of how close I was/am to being the poor/working class, raised with lower-middle class sensibilities, but surrounded in the intellectual climate of the middle-upper middle class academic/public sector folk.

I think referring exclusively to financial situations is a bit too......limiting in discussion of class.
 
Right now working. Start my Navy career soon. Wouldn't mind getting a Masters in Economics with a minor in Political Science.
 
I have a degree but one does not have to have a degree to be upper middle class ...also one can be poor and still have a degree.....so the poll is a bit skewed. :)
 
I'm always going to be a mixture of classes: aware of how close I was/am to being the poor/working class, raised with lower-middle class sensibilities, but surrounded in the intellectual climate of the middle-upper middle class academic/public sector folk.

I think referring exclusively to financial situations is a bit too......limiting in discussion of class.

I agree. I wouldn't consider myself 'well off' by any stretch. I know what my job description is and I hold a degree. However, that doesn't mean that I'm any more 'well off' than the poor class at times. I do believe there are a lot of determining factors in social classes here in the U.S.

I just wonder who the hell the politicians are referring to as their idea of "middle class".
 
I have a degree but one does not have to have a degree to be upper middle class ...also one can be poor and still have a degree.....so the poll is a bit skewed. :)

Yes, I've addressed this on page one. :)
 
Intellectual is not a climate or education level. It's a class, as real as lower, middle and upper. An intellectual can and generally does spend time with both the poor and rich and finds themself comfortable with either. Dictators like intellectuals, until they get power; then, not so good for us.

Everyone wants to be in this class, except rich snobs, and I'm sure you all are.
 
I agree. I wouldn't consider myself 'well off' by any stretch. I know what my job description is and I hold a degree. However, that doesn't mean that I'm any more 'well off' than the poor class at times. I do believe there are a lot of determining factors in social classes here in the U.S.

I just wonder who the hell the politicians are referring to as their idea of "middle class".

The 40-60k salary, college educated-frequently those with at least a BA/BS, home owners, plans to at least attempt to partially finance their children's post-secondary education, and so on.
 
Intellectual is not a climate or education level. It's a class, as real as lower, middle and upper. An intellectual can and generally does spend time with both the poor and rich and finds themself comfortable with either. Dictators like intellectuals, until they get power; then, not so good for us.

Everyone wants to be in this class, except rich snobs, and I'm sure you all are.

Sure it is.
 
Yeah, I'm not feeling this poll. When I think of terms like "middle class", I think economically, not educationally. I've known folks with nothing more than a high school degree and some tech school who have pulled themselves into six-figure incomes because they are smart, hard-working and damned good at what they do. Also, if one marries "well" it's possible to go from "working class" to "privileged" simply by saying "I do!" :lol:
 
Which class do I identify with?

I tend to prefer Human Fighters, especially in 4th edition. If it's 3.5, I would rather pick a class from the Book of Nine Swords, but that's just so my characters can compete with spellcasters in later levels.
lol I get what you're saying!
 
Not always, but this is how I've seen it broken down - as the people using statistics are looking at the educational levels and how that correlates to income. Is it right? Not always and I don't think it paints a complete picture. However, I believe it's an easier way to get people to participate in a poll such as this, by asking them which 'class' they put themselves in based off of educational levels as to posting income amounts.

Well theres high school dropout small businessmen that are upper middleclass in income...and high school grads...personally education does not equate to income...a college professor with a doctorate can make a 100 grand a Police Captain can make 140,000 depending what dept.
 
I don't "identify" with any of them. I'm a human. They are all arbitrary.
 
I think my socio class and my economic class don't correspond so.....none of the above.
 
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