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Comment by Workaccount2 | Hacker News Reader

Globalization has been a boon for just about anyone with a white collar job. It's not limited to the ultra rich at all.

While the middle class sure has shrunk, the life those in it live is markedly more materialistic than in the past. Fifty years ago there was no Temu, Alibaba, or Amazon TYEVRRTY brands to deck out facet of your life once you clear the cost of basic living. Houses are expensive as ever, but filling them has never been so cheap.

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The middle class has shrunk largely because the upper class has grown:

https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/yes-the-us-middle-class-is-sh...

This is so false I can’t believe you’re posting it. Yes the amount of people making over 100k has grown since 1969 because inflation has eaten away how far that money goes. The top ten percent of earners today make >140k while the upper middle class is the top 10-20% (which includes those earning 100k.). Meanwhile the lowest earners as a class has definitely grown since 1969.

It cannot be stated enough that people who aren’t domain experts should not be using stats to push narratives because lots of nuance is lost when just numbers are shown.

> Yes the amount of people making over 100k has grown since 1969 because inflation has eaten away how far that money goes.

Real dollars.

> It cannot be stated enough that people who aren’t domain experts should not be using stats to push narratives because lots of nuance is lost when just numbers are shown.

Agreed, so its really important for everyone right now that you personally refrain from commenting further.

More narrative pushing from the Federal Reserve:

Per capita disposable real income

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/A229RX0

Real median family income

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEFAINUSA672N

The only one that is clearly not familiar with this domain here is you.

Really? Where?

You've been caught outright lying and you have no address for it other than calling me the idiot?

Please, leave.

Because you make this claim doesn’t imply at all that most white collar workers supported such a thing, which is what I was commenting on.

Turns out people want more from the market than a 401k and a cheap tv. Specifically a stable place to live with reliable employment and decent healthcare is worth sacrificing a hell of a lot for.

Most white collar workers have that. HN is packed with people who own homes, are highly employable, have excellent healthcare, and disposal income to splurge on consumerism.

The internet/social me is so hyper focused on those at the bottom that they have lost sight of what its like just a few levels up. But it's critical to understand in order to craft functional solutions.

Why are you under the impression white collar workers are all workers and the only ones that matter? You also are, again, assuming your statistics imply something about their politics

Ok, who gives a damn about that? White collar workers are still workers who are fucked by the current globalized market. Furthermore most folks don't have cushy salaried positions and they collectively matter a lot more than the folks on this forum.

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