I'm from sub-Saharan Africa and FWIW I agree. The middle class represents a threat to power of the elite which continually tries to disempower it with the help

I'm from sub-Saharan Africa and FWIW I agree. The middle class represents a threat to power of the elite which continually tries to disempower it with the help of the jealousy of the "not middle class". So in countries where the middle class is under constant attack via corrupt use of their taxes, such as my home, economic development cannot really happen. Everyone is living hand to mouth and not able to take risks or invest.