RE: In the U.S. what is happening to the middle class?
Ah yes, the infamous easy button. There are lots of places to lay blame... I tend to point to the origins as being rooted in the 1970's "positive self-esteem movement," when the first prizes for simply "participating" were given out. That has nothing to do with economics, of course... but quite a lot to do with a subtle shift in the collective mindset; a shift in people's perceptions of "what it takes" to get from point A to point B.
One of the things I have been tracking for a long time (pretty much since college) is meta economic patterns. We have been "losing ground" for a really long time... no matter what "numbers" might be available.
If you compare the "number of effort hours" required to acquire "one unit of typical lifestyle" in 1950... to the same relationship in 2017, we are SO HOSED... because the basket known as "typical lifestyle" has been inflated so much faster than effective buying power.
We're also hampered by the fact that our ever "faster" world is eroding our psychological capacity to project long term... we keep being taught how to "think in tweets" when we really need to be looking at 20, 50, 100-year time frames.
Edited to add: I tangentially wrote about some of this a while back, if you feel so inclined: https://steemit.com/life/@denmarkguy/sorry-folks-life-doesn-t-have-an-easy-button
That could be. I was born in 1970. I thus was in my first 10 years of life then being raised by my hippy parents. So I was totally unaware of that movement. :) I was raised on a lot of Peace, Love, and Flower Power though.
Meh... it was that whole "Little Johnny mustn't be made to feel bad about not running as fast as the other kids, so let's give him a medal simply for 'running' so he doesn't feel left out," thing.
Of course, it devalues true talent/ability, and meanwhile "Little Johnny" knows perfectly well that he didn't really "win" anything. But now he has been trained that he can "get something" without really putting much effort into life... and meanwhile those who excel also regress towards the mean because "why bother TRYING" when you get a prize, regardless.
I don't remember that happening until the 2000s when my kids were in school. I never got medals or knew people who did in the 70s and 80s for competing and not winning.
Might be it was more prevalent in Europe where I grew up.
Hah I barely managed to squeak in an up vote for your article... I saw 7 days and thought I might be too late.
Thanks... I actually wasn't "fishing;" I thought it had already expired this morning.