Dont get it twisted.

After years of working and saving, I can now afford to miss ONE paycheck. I'm no longer poor! /s

Lots of people in here fighting about what "working class" means. If you have to work to survive (other than minor household chores), you're working class. If you have enough money, or assets that you get dividends from or can borrow against, or passive income so you don't need a regular employment then you probably aren't working class.

Working Poor isn't as common and definition varies a lot.

What I find interesting is how often statements like this that are trying to unify the working class (or whatever you end up calling it) just derails into semantics instead of actually people bringing out the pitchforks and shouting "eat the rich"

We are all fucked.

"But through my retirement I own .000000001% of a company!"

Having stock in a company doesn't make you a capitalist anymore than checking out a bible from the library makes you a Christian.

• 10,000 seconds = 2.8 hours
• 100,000 seconds = 1.2 days
• 1,000,000 seconds = 11.6 days
• 10,000,000 seconds = 116 days
• 100,000,000 seconds = 3 years
• 1,000,000,000 seconds = 32 years

Don't be fooled. It's billionaires against everyone else. Even multimillionaires are closer to the everyday person. The working class consists of two groups: those without disposable income (nominally those with "hours" in income), and those with some disposable income (days in income).

If they ain't got a "year" in income, their they're one of us.

What if I can miss two paychecks? Super-rich, or?

Yeah people don’t believe me when i say middle class is 300k because they want to be middle class

Middle class was originally defined as a class that gets at least some significant percent of their income from stocks bonds and other investments. I'm willing to bet that ain't you.

ITT: lots of people making very concrete statements about cost of living that somehow apply equally to every single city in the US at the same time

That's an American point of view. Here in Britain there are pretty much only two main classes: aristocracy and dirty peasants. Doesn't matter what you do and how rich you are, if your ancestors didn't sit at the round table - you're a peasant.

That's a definition of "working class" but not generally what people outside certain academic contexts mean when they say that phrase; using the more common definition does not indicate "confusion about your class status."

Workers work because they have to. Owners own and work if they want to.

I can afford to miss a paycheck. In fact, I'm currently planning for a four month stretch where I'll need to live off of savings. Thinking that I, with my 11 year old honda fit, 10 year old PC, and my 2 roommates, am in the top 20% of this stat is very alarming.

I work paycheck to paycheck but if I told people how much I made and called myself poor I'd probably anger people. I just make sure that I do what's in my power to keep myself comfortable now, even if that means overspending on luxuries

Bold of you to assume I'm American.

I like how things are defaulting to the US as if that's the whole world.

I disagree. You are NOT poor just because you end up without money at the months end.

My brother is an perfect example. He earns A TON of cash every month. Nearly as much as I, my fiance, my Dad and Mum combined.

And still he lives from payday to payday without any reserves. Because he can not handle money.

He eats in restaurants at least ten times a week. At least twice in highest luxury restaurants. He has leased four different cars in three years, none less than €2000 per month. Lifes in an absurdetly huge penthouse. Buys his girl friend so much bullshit she gave me a €5.000 collier because she ran out of space and I drove her home after parties a couple of times. But still he asked Pa and me several times for fuel money at the end of the month.

See, if he would live like I do he could live two years from one months earnings.

So you think I am poor I guess?

Nope. I own a huge plot of land. I am going to build my own house and I am talking about a nice big house made from stone at the gates of Munich where land is expensive and houses are even more expensive. I have paid generous amounts of pension insurance. If I would stop working in five years when I am 35 I would be a made girl and could live from my savings although on a low level.

Image Transcription: Twitter Post

AshleyStevens, @The_Acumen

Too many of you are confused about your class status. If you can't afford to miss a paycheck, you're the working poor, and part of the 80% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck. If you HAVE to wark to survive, you're working class.

At least you've got class.

Good meme

Not when health insurance is a fixed cost and retirement savings match is a percentage. People needing more money have it better than people making less.

And Elon musk does not represent you. Stop talking like his fight is your fight. We’re not all in this together.

https://web.archive.org/web/20151006183427/https:/michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2012/09/09/the-3-ladder-system-of-social-class-in-the-u-s/

Trying to label everything in concrete terms like this does nobody any favors.

I know plenty of very high earners that are just stupid with money and blow it as fast as they get it. People making $300k+ and living paycheck to paycheck with no savings or retirement because they bought two $100k+ cars, overextended themselves on buying a house, spend hundreds a week on restaurants and shopping, etc.

Are they the “working poor”?

As far as working class goes, sure if you want to break it down into only a two class structure then yeah. You’re either working class or owner class. That ignores a lot of nuance though within the working class. There’s quite a bit of difference between someone at the bottom of the working class and someone like a high earning professional that still needs to work, but has a much higher standard of living.

Why do we keep trying to pervert defined terms?

The working poor are those who work at least 27 weeks a year and still have income below the poverty line.

80% are not living paycheck to paycheck

We have class system now again?

Having to work to survive is the default state of nature, unless you are a baby or an elder. It doesn't mean you're oppressed.