It will likely seem a bit dated now (Fussell wrote it in the early '80s) but it still offers incredibly keen insights on the way that social class and financial class aren't necessarily contiguous in American society. I'd suggest that what people respond to more than markers of financial success are actually markers of class distinction. (The Simpsons and King of the Hill are both incredibly adept at mining humor from this situation.)
Fussell’s book is (and was) incredibly formative in the analysis of the American class system. I’m sure it’s a bit out of date but feel we still live under those perceptions.
I recently had someone refer to themselves as "comfortably poor" when I pointed out something they said had a heavy level of middle-class privilege. As someone who’s spent a fair portion of life paycheck-to-paycheck, you can imagine my reaction.
Have you ever encountered Paul Fussell's book Class: A Guide Through the American Status System? https://bookshop.org/p/books/class-a-guide-through-the-american-status-system-paul-fussell/12829000
It will likely seem a bit dated now (Fussell wrote it in the early '80s) but it still offers incredibly keen insights on the way that social class and financial class aren't necessarily contiguous in American society. I'd suggest that what people respond to more than markers of financial success are actually markers of class distinction. (The Simpsons and King of the Hill are both incredibly adept at mining humor from this situation.)
Fussell’s book is (and was) incredibly formative in the analysis of the American class system. I’m sure it’s a bit out of date but feel we still live under those perceptions.
I recently had someone refer to themselves as "comfortably poor" when I pointed out something they said had a heavy level of middle-class privilege. As someone who’s spent a fair portion of life paycheck-to-paycheck, you can imagine my reaction.
When I was living in Russia in the 90s, anyone who displayed obvious signs of wealth or status risked marking themselves as a target for street crime.