I don't particularly disagree with this, but it is notable you mention the "middle class" and not "the poor" or "the working class". Most of my friends are poor

I don't particularly disagree with this, but it is notable you mention the "middle class" and not "the poor" or "the working class". Most of my friends are poor, and they're not dumb, although they are immigrants who are better educated than much of this country. They can see much clearer than the rest of us how inconsistent the US is at reflecting merit with compensation and recognition. In this context any marginal extra money you can bring home brings tangible, memorable quality of life improvements and lower stress. Living paycheck to paycheck and off credit is enormously stressful. Furthermore the "middle class" is more aware than ever that they're much closer to being poor than they are to being "upper middle class". Like, I just paid off a car for a friend out of pocket. He burst into tears and cooked me a three course dinner. This man isn't even below the poverty line, but he still struggles to budget rent, food, car payments, healthcare payments, and support his family. Saving is simply not possible most months of the year. Money very literally represents completely different value when you have none. It's.... survival. It's what prevents you from being as happy as the people on tv. Meanwhile, when I am around tech friends—all of us upper middle class or simply comfortably rich—money flows like cheap champagne. I don't begrudge them this, but I also don't expect them to work to fix the issues causing the rest of my social group great stress without some kind of pressure or incentive to care about them like I do. I certainly don't see them as inherently better with money or more deserving of it. Even us tech workers who grew up without this money and privilege understand a life closer to lifelong tenants than we do to being truly wealthy. I wish "we" could agree that "we" should include, and arguably work behind, poor people. (Which is not to say all poor people are so insightful—in my experience, illiteracy is a massive problem in the poor communities in which I've lived, which is fertile ground for youtube propaganda and manipulation and scapegoating people and demographics to explain why you aren't rich and why your son is bisexual.) Granted, I don't think you were trying to exclude them, and I think the insight is valuable and well-articulated. Consider this a continuation thought rather than a specific response, I guess.