4 ms·

Plenty of people in tech, especially in the Bay Area, have never known anything but a quite comfortable middle class (or better) life. They're very much disconn

by sidlls 9y ago

Plenty of people in tech, especially in the Bay Area, have never known anything but a quite comfortable middle class (or better) life. They're very much disconnected ("in a bubble") from what it's like to live a lower-class (which has an upper income much higher than the poverty level) life in this country. The disconnect between high-paid techies and the lower-class is in many respects far greater than between the billionaire and the millionaire.

maxxxxx 9y ago
To me the main difference is whether people can afford housing , a family and be confident that their retirement will be OK. In that sense a lot of tech workers also have fears about the future whereas people like Blank will never have to worry about existential issues. That's the main difference to me. It used to be that a middle class job would ensure a safe future but that's getting less.
wott 9y ago
No matter how big money people make and how comfortable their way of life is, they always think themselves as lower-middle-class and claim they are on the verge of financial difficulties.
- jakobegger 9y ago
  Do they? I feel like I can afford whatever I want, and I don’t think I make more money than most people on HN.
  - paulddraper 9y ago
    Do you have a house? A boat? Recreational vehicle? A private plane? Maybe your wants are modest :)
- droidist2 9y ago
  Isn't the same true on the other side? If you ask working class people they'll usually say they're middle class.
  - sidlls 9y ago
    They're as much in a bubble as the people in classes far enough above them if that's so. Much of what they think they know of the middle class comes from pop culture (e.g. TV shows, back in the day) or their very limited interaction with friends or their children's friends' families who actually are middle class. When I was growing up (working class, impoverished frequently) my parents never would have described us as "middle class."

by sidlls 9y ago

maxxxxx 9y ago

To me the main difference is whether people can afford housing , a family and be confident that their retirement will be OK. In that sense a lot of tech workers also have fears about the future whereas people like Blank will never have to worry about existential issues. That's the main difference to me. It used to be that a middle class job would ensure a safe future but that's getting less.

wott 9y ago

No matter how big money people make and how comfortable their way of life is, they always think themselves as lower-middle-class and claim they are on the verge of financial difficulties.

jakobegger 9y ago
Do they? I feel like I can afford whatever I want, and I don’t think I make more money than most people on HN.
- paulddraper 9y ago
  Do you have a house? A boat? Recreational vehicle? A private plane? Maybe your wants are modest :)
droidist2 9y ago
Isn't the same true on the other side? If you ask working class people they'll usually say they're middle class.
- sidlls 9y ago
  They're as much in a bubble as the people in classes far enough above them if that's so. Much of what they think they know of the middle class comes from pop culture (e.g. TV shows, back in the day) or their very limited interaction with friends or their children's friends' families who actually are middle class. When I was growing up (working class, impoverished frequently) my parents never would have described us as "middle class."