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Dear Middle-Class Friends: Please Stop Saying These Tone-Deaf Things
Honey. Pay for your own cocktails.
A couple of months ago, I wrote an article about tone-deaf things some middle-class people do while interacting with the financially underprivileged. As mentioned in the article, I grew up working-class — though I prefer to say “in-betweener.” This is someone who is not rich enough to afford the comfortable lifestyle of the middle-class, but not quite poor enough to be considered “poor.”
In short: I have a lot to say on the topic.
The article did well, attracting a lot of conversation. Most of it has been good. Some of it hasn’t.
Whereas the adage claims that “actions speak louder than words,” one’s words can also have an impact. Thus, let’s look at four more areas where I think middle-class people could stand to improve. This time, our focus will be on things some middle-class people say that comes across as woefully ignorant to the plight of poor(er) people.
Disclaimer: This article is a lighthearted piece written from my perspective as a working-class woman. Please do not take it as a treatise on class differences or as an indictment against…