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There are multiple, mostly separate realities now: - The tiny ultra rich who've never had it better and don't see a problem. - The very rich who are also doin

There are multiple, mostly separate realities now: - The tiny ultra rich who've never had it better and don't see a problem. - The very rich who are also doing really well. - The moderately rich are okay too. - An ever-shrinking middle class who either own or have a mortgage on 1 home. - The masses of people living paycheck-to-paycheck without savings without a path to property ownership or raising a family. - Undocumented, unskilled, and UberEats workers living in their cars and can't afford the basics of life to keep going. There is some visibility up and down 1 strata, but very little beyond that.

jschveibinz 1y ago
I took your strata and did some research: 1. The Tiny Ultra Rich (Top 0.1%) ~0.1% of the population ⸻ 2. The Very Rich (Top 1% excluding above) ~0.9% of the population * the top 1% control about 35% of the total wealth ⸻ 3. The Moderately Rich (Top 10%, excluding above) ~9% of the population ⸻ 4. Shrinking Middle Class (Homeowners with Mortgage, Some Stability) ~25–30% of the population ⸻ 5. The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Majority (Working but Financially Precarious) ~40–45% of the population ⸻ 6. The Invisible Class (Undocumented, Unhoused, or Living in Vehicles) ~10–15% of the population In 1900, you might have seen a similar stratification. For example: Below is a historically grounded approximate breakdown of the adult population by economic stratum in 1900: ⸻ 1. Capitalist Elite / Plutocratic Class ~1% of the population • Industrial tycoons, major landowners, top financiers. • Controlled a disproportionate share of national wealth (upward of 25–40% in the U.S.). ⸻ 2. Upper Middle Class / Bourgeois Professional Class ~5–7% of the population • High-status professionals, corporate managers, senior civil servants. • Educated, well-connected, often urban. ⸻ 3. Lower Middle Class / Petty Bourgeoisie ~10–15% of the population • Shopkeepers, skilled tradespeople, clerks, schoolteachers. • Often lived modest but stable lives; economically vulnerable to downturns. ⸻ 4. Urban Working Class (Skilled and Semi-skilled) ~25–30% of the population • Industrial workers in factories, transportation, and infrastructure. • Many joined trade unions; others lived paycheck to paycheck in cities. ⸻ 5. Rural Laboring Class / Tenant Farmers ~30–40% of the population • Agricultural workers, sharecroppers, farm tenants. • Still a dominant population in 1900, especially outside major cities. •In the U.S., this included a large population of Black agricultural laborers in the South. ⸻ 6. Underclass / Casual Labor / Destitute ~10–15% of the population • Unemployed, chronically poor, recent immigrants in slums, itinerant laborers. • Often invisible or ignored in public discourse except as objects of reform or charity.

jschveibinz 1y ago

I took your strata and did some research: 1. The Tiny Ultra Rich (Top 0.1%) ~0.1% of the population ⸻ 2. The Very Rich (Top 1% excluding above) ~0.9% of the population * the top 1% control about 35% of the total wealth ⸻ 3. The Moderately Rich (Top 10%, excluding above) ~9% of the population ⸻ 4. Shrinking Middle Class (Homeowners with Mortgage, Some Stability) ~25–30% of the population ⸻ 5. The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Majority (Working but Financially Precarious) ~40–45% of the population ⸻ 6. The Invisible Class (Undocumented, Unhoused, or Living in Vehicles) ~10–15% of the population In 1900, you might have seen a similar stratification. For example: Below is a historically grounded approximate breakdown of the adult population by economic stratum in 1900: ⸻ 1. Capitalist Elite / Plutocratic Class ~1% of the population • Industrial tycoons, major landowners, top financiers. • Controlled a disproportionate share of national wealth (upward of 25–40% in the U.S.). ⸻ 2. Upper Middle Class / Bourgeois Professional Class ~5–7% of the population • High-status professionals, corporate managers, senior civil servants. • Educated, well-connected, often urban. ⸻ 3. Lower Middle Class / Petty Bourgeoisie ~10–15% of the population • Shopkeepers, skilled tradespeople, clerks, schoolteachers. • Often lived modest but stable lives; economically vulnerable to downturns. ⸻ 4. Urban Working Class (Skilled and Semi-skilled) ~25–30% of the population • Industrial workers in factories, transportation, and infrastructure. • Many joined trade unions; others lived paycheck to paycheck in cities. ⸻ 5. Rural Laboring Class / Tenant Farmers ~30–40% of the population • Agricultural workers, sharecroppers, farm tenants. • Still a dominant population in 1900, especially outside major cities. •In the U.S., this included a large population of Black agricultural laborers in the South. ⸻ 6. Underclass / Casual Labor / Destitute ~10–15% of the population • Unemployed, chronically poor, recent immigrants in slums, itinerant laborers. • Often invisible or ignored in public discourse except as objects of reform or charity.