The Widening Class Divide in America

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   gmwilliamsposted 8 months ago

   
   It has been predicted that as we progress in the 21st century, there will be TWO socioeconomic classes- the wealthy and the poor.  The middle class is slowly disappearing.   Those middle class who have only rudimentary skills whether it is in white or blue collar occupations will descend towards the lower class while their counterparts who are more techologically or educationally specialized will ascend towards the upper classes.  A Bachelor's Degree will no longer suffice in this postmodern economy.  In order to have a comfortable life, one has to have an advanced degree i.e. a Master's or Doctorate Degree, preferably in STEM.  STEM careers pay the highest.  Degrees in liberal arts & social sciences are pointless at this juncture as jobs in those fields are very few & far between.   Blue collar jobs are either being phased out because of increased computerization or are performed by the less/least educated.   The middle class as we know it is slowly eroding.  The wealthy will rule America & the rest will be servants or worse.  Your thoughts on the subject at hand.

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      wildernessposted 8 months agoin reply to this

      The "middle class" can be loosely defined as the center 50% of wage earners.
      
      As such it doesn't matter how wide the gap might become; there will always be that 50%.  It doesn't somehow disappear because there is a thinning in the middle of the chart of wage earners.
      
      But I don't see that happening.  The top of the scale will become very, very rich (as in Musk or Gates, but they require the services of a large middle class of blue collar (and white collar) workers in order to have their luxuries.  And the cost of that labor is going to increase.

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   2. 71

      Ken Burgessposted 8 months agoin reply to this

      I have had a hard time with this one... mulled it over more than once.
      
      The "brain dead" Middle Class will not be able to survive past 2030.
      
      There will be a Middle Class...
      
      It will consist of doctors, athletes, politicians... the White collar class
      
      And the electricians, plumbers, nurses... the Blue collar class
      
      The factory workers, store clerks, janitors... the menial jobs will no longer provide a middle class salary... in the 80s and 90s I can remember those types of jobs DID allow for people to live a Middle Class life.
      
      That model is in its final death throws... if you do not have Trade/Technical skill or a College Degree in a much needed field like Nursing or Civil Engineering... good luck.
      
      Computers will replace a considerable amount of IT, Engineering, Accounting, etc. positions... a lot of what is considered White Collar and critical jobs today will be replaced by AI.
      
      The America Auto Industry and its Unions will not survive past 2030, most all factory, machining, welding, jobs will be replaced by AI controlled robots, the Big 3 will not be able to compete with China & AI technology.
      
      This is of course only possible if we do not have a global economic collapse, or World War that devastates what we consider civilization, or any of the many other disasters we seem to be facing at this time.

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         gmwilliamsposted 8 months agoin reply to this

         Definitely, to reiterate the middle class will be reorganized.  Those who have ADVANCED education i.e. a Master's or Doctorate in STEM or a needed specialty will be either in the highest echelons of the UPPER MIDDLE or even the LOWER UPPER socioeconomic class while the middle class who have general or low skills will descended into the LOWER socioeconomic classes.   
         
         You are right Ken.  AI will overtake blue-collar jobs.  Computerization & advanced technology will divide the socioeconomic classes even further.  In order to live a decent, civilized life one must have AT LEAST a Master's Degree in a specialized field.   Those w/just a Bachelor's Degree, unless it is in STEM, are doomed to a struggling existence.   Those who major in liberal arts, social sciences, or the humanities-unless they go further to specialize in a lucrative fields- will be condemned to impoverished lives.

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2. 82

   Kathryn L Hillposted 8 months ago

   The ticket is to have marketable skills.
   Survival is the only important thing.
   If you can be of service to others, you will be able to survive.
   
   However, If you sit around playing on your screen or gabbing to who-knows-who for hours and hours, you will not develop any skills at all. You will probably become very good at sitting still, not getting in other peoples' way.
   
   While you feel this endeavor is good for now, I am telling you, to be independent and get what you need to survive, it is not enough. Stand up and go learn some skills to be of service to others in some manner. Some manner of your choosing ... while you are still free to choose.
   
   Eventually, it might be the case that the government will choose for you.
   Better stand up today and get some kind of training to be of service on some level to others.
   
   And teachers, take note:
   Your pupils will need to be able to survive. That's what your job is: to inspire them to look around, see what they can do for self and others... to enable them to develop the skills and gain the confidence to be independent
   and survive in this world ...
   their world.

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   1. 71

      Ken Burgessposted 8 months agoin reply to this

        That was good. 

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3. 91

   Venkatachari Mposted 8 months ago

   Well said, Wilderness. I ditto your argument. The three tiers of the society are inevitable. I believe it exists even in the Communist Realm.

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4. 74

   Kathleen Cochranposted 8 months ago

   "However, If you sit around playing on your screen or gabbing to who-knows-who for hours and hours, you will not develop any skills at all. "
   
   -or if you live in a part of a city that has historically been redlined so that your property remains low-valued, resulting in poorly-funded schools, resulting in limited occupational opportunities
   
   -or if you live in a rural area lacking in quality healthcare, not enough teachers and revenue to provide a competitive education
   
   -or if you or someone in your family has a health issue that prevents those employable in the family from being qualified for a well-paying occupation
   
   The list goes on . . .
   
   The ticket is to have marketable skills and faced with hinderances like the ones above, it is harder to do that for some than for others.
   
   Too often in this country we create the underprivileged then blame them for being so.

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      tsmogposted 8 months agoin reply to this

      "Too often in this country we create the underprivileged then blame them for being so."
      
      I have to agree with that sentiment at this time.

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         GA Andersonposted 8 months agoin reply to this

         And I have to disagree with both of you. "We," as individual people don't create the underprivileged, the 'we' that does that is the hierarchical demand of our human nature in a society.
         
         The creators are not Westerners or "this country," or any other named group—specifically, it is all groups. There are no countries with no underprivileged, just as there are no countries without an elite level.
         
         As representatives of a human group, I think America, in our continued development, has done a good job, relative to helping the underprivileged.
         
         Even if specific 'failures' are argued, I bet each could be dashed with a direct comparison of that "failure" to 100, or 50, or even 20 years ago. Don't let perfect become the enemy of good (somebody else said that first  ;-) ).
         
         Just because we aren't 'there' yet doesn't mean we aren't heading there.
         
         GA

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            Kathryn L Hillposted 8 months agoin reply to this

            "Don't let perfect become the enemy of good."
            Voltaire

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            tsmogposted 8 months agoin reply to this

            It's good we can disagree. That reply is too deep for me. [Edit: The omitted closing statement should have been, 'I am unable to think correctly right now or even ponder'.]
            
            I still think too many people 'blame' the underprivileged for being underprivileged by no fault of their own. Again, it is good that we disagree. [Edit: I base my statement on anecdotal evidence, so take it with a grain of salt.]
            
            Of course, I have not heard yet what underprivileged means other than for myself, which I did not share. Do you know what that is? [Edit: Not meant in a condescending manner. See Edits above.]

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               GA Andersonposted 8 months agoin reply to this

               You're right that the 'underprivileged' are, typically, over-blamed for their situation. But, I also think they are too often 'over-victimized.'
               
               The problem with that statement is the "they." You asked who 'they' were and I think this 'they' works without specifics of numbers or stats. I bet anyone who understands what the word means will have a similar mental image. Think of it as those who are impoverished at the bottom and those who literally live paycheck to paycheck for food and a roof are the top. Your image right now is probably similar to mine.
               
               No worries about being anecdotal, I don't even have that. Mine is just a formed impression.
               
               GA

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                  tsmogposted 8 months agoin reply to this

                  Understood . . .

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                     Ken Burgessposted 8 months agoin reply to this

                     That got me thinking... this might interest you:
                     
                     The Living Universe - Consciousness and Reality
                     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD4WthE414k

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                        tsmogposted 8 months agoin reply to this

                        Thanks, Ken! I found it intriguing as well as very interesting. It connected dots for me from my excursions looking into this and that.

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         3. 71

            Ken Burgessposted 8 months agoin reply to this

            Correct...
            
            That was good... the predicament we are in, as discussed in another thread we were commenting in last week... when you strip away the foundation of what built this... the Christian morals and beliefs... how do you hold it together without them?
            
            It doesn't appear anyone really has an idea how to... so "the West", not just America, is in the midst of this complete moral-less degeneration...
            
            The undermining of the Constitution is the other major component, the necessity to bypass it is critical for the 'Progressives' to be able to continue our collapse into chaos.

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      2. 71

         Ken Burgessposted 8 months agoin reply to this

         Something the Romans were very good at as well, for centuries, collapsing without collapsing, being lost only to be found once again.

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      wildernessposted 8 months agoin reply to this

      I will never forget a gentleman I met one day while fishing near town.  It was under a bridge, and the fellow was setting up a small camping stove to fix his dinner.
      
      He had a bicycle, with a small trailer he was pulling.  He had some camping gear, his dog, a small amount of food and some spare parts (mostly wheels and tires) for the setup.
      
      He had been homeless in Dallas, Tx., living in the park there and eating ducks and geese he could catch.  He had heard there was work in Seattle and was on the way there - I met him in Boise, Id., his journey about 2/3 over.  He didn't complain, he didn't blame the world for his plight or the massive effort he was making just to find work.  He simply asked the best route to take and made preparations as best as he could.
      
      It isn't about perceived privileges others have and you don't.  It isn't about having healthcare or a great education.  It's all about the willingness to do whatever is necessary to support oneself, to produce whatever is needed to survive and live the life you want to. 
      
      Spending your life crying about how victimized you are, whining that you never get any breaks and demanding that someone else give you what you want out of life - these thing aren't going to change your life at all.
      
      Finally, we are all "underprivileged".  In one way or another we can always find someone that has what we do not.  It may be a parent that isn't alcoholic.  It may be a teacher that cares.  It may be an inheritance.  It may be a job somewhere.  Whatever it is, rest assured that we have all worked through our underprivileged status and made things better.  Or we have not.

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      Readmikenowposted 8 months agoin reply to this

      I have a good friend who is a black man born in the projects in Philadelphia to a single mother.  He is also one of the wealthiest and most successful people around.  This is a man who often gives lectures about his childhood and the decisions he made.  He is also decorated combat soldier.
      
      His famous line to the black youth he speaks to is "Too often we give ourselves excuses to not try and don't give ourselves enough reasons to succeed.  Success is a choice.  It's not easy but success is not about having it easy, it's about keeping your eyes on the prize."
      
      To say the least, he had many things going against him and yet he has amazed many people.
      
      He's also a Republican.

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5. 82

   Kathryn L Hillposted 8 months ago

   Consider what "privileged" means.
   
   Can a privilege be taken? or only given?

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   1. 84

      gmwilliamsposted 8 months agoin reply to this

      Privilege has to be earned.  However, due to being comfortable &/or lackadaisical, privilege can be taken, even usurped.   One must be even vigilant about privilege.

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6. 82

   Kathryn L Hillposted 8 months ago

   underprivledged means under-given.
   
   Forget the privileges given to others. Go out there and get that you need. Take whatever opportunities are available.
   
   "Knock and the door will be opened."
   Jesus

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