Defining Rich, Poor & Middle Class

Michelle Teheux wrote an article observing that many rich people somewhat deliberately, and somewhat deceitfully, call themselves “middle-class”. One of her points is that the terms rich, poor & middle class do not have definitions that are commonly accepted enough to immediately call others out for fudging the truth. This article proposes some definitions using the table below.

Entertainment Means Many Things

“Entertainment” in the table below includes eating out, even at McDonald’s, and having any electronic devices more expensive than a cheap Android phone or Chromebook.

Entertainment also includes having any car more expensive than a subcompact like the Toyota Yaris or Chevrolet Aveo. Entertainment means having any clothing more expensive than what you can get at Goodwill or sew yourself.

Frankly, entertainment should also mean buying any food that you should have been able to grow yourself. Everyone should be growing their own greens, fruits, and nuts. Even if you live in an apartment building, you can grow greens and small fruit trees. Our modern society is obsessed with keeping our dwelling places warm even though prior to the 20th century all humans had to endure every winter with nothing more than woodfires and body warmth. We should be using our luxuriously heated spaces (a luxury that we expect even the Poor now to have the right to demand) to grow vegetables, fruits, and even nuts indoors. Really, we should all be living in greenhouses. We should be putting our…