What IS middle class? (Dallas: apartment, foreclosure, credit card)

[turnbun]

I'm just curious, as I have seen some posts referring to the class system in Dallas. What is considered Upper/Middle/Lower class? Is it based on income alone? Or is it based on many factors like Income/perceived status/education/lifestyle/culture/race???
Can someone shed some light?
I've always considered myself middle class - when I was a kid and my parents were broke, and now when we are doing fairly well. The whole "class system" has always been a riddle to me, and your "class" seems to be a bit more important in Dallas than it is in other placed I've lived.

[turnbun]

Nobody wants to weigh in, huh?

[blueskies49]

I just saw this. I think what determines middle class or upper or lower is basically income level. I've always considered myself middle class, too, even when I was a single mother barely getting by. I always had enough food on the table, a car, a decent apartment, though not much disposable income. I may have been lower middle class at the time but middle class just the same.

[Dallas native]

I agree with the comment above. I think that the context of "class" that most people are using on this blog has to do with income level. That is a part of the discussion because many people have questions about the affordability of housing in the Dallas area. Some areas are affordable to the middle class majority while others are not. Some people are eager to read more into it than that, but I think it is just as simple as that.

[lpepping]

Here is an interesting article about it. Basically, it is a very subjective thing to define.

Who or what is the middle class? - Gut Check - MSNBC.com

[Grainraiser]

It is a very subjective thing. Many people are lower middle class but live a upper middle class life style. I'm certainly not well to do but we do have a house in the burb, two cars in the driveway and the ability to take a family vacation once a year.

[momof2dfw]

I grew up thinking we were "middle class" or at least "normal" (whatever THAT means nowadays ). Back then dad was a truck driver (still is) and mom stayed at home. We lived on THE OTHER side of the tracks from all the "rich people" who probably lived a REAL "middle class" life moreso than us. As grainraiser said, had two cars in the driveway but dad was always working on one of them. Took family vacations to Colorado (road trip). Thought that staying at a cabin w/ a kitchenette was living it up. Guess it was compared to the motels the truckers stayed in that sometimes were the only place we found a vacancy. Never heard of making reservations for vacation before.

Got married POOR! And I mean POOOOOOOOOOR! Didn't owe a dime but what we did on our house we bought. No big fancy wedding or ring here. Counted pennies every step of the way and still don't just throw money away for no reason. Been VERY BLESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[KantLockeMeIn]

This topic has been asked on the politics forum on here time and time again, and never gets answered.

Some define the lower class at the poverty line, where that would be determined by not being able to provide basic necessities. But even that is unique to each country... many of our poor here would be considered middle class in other countries.

[Lakewooder]

I was fortunate to grow up in an area where your class or station in life really didn't matter that much. It's still that way, although we have had a yuppie invasion. Some of them convert to the egalitarian notion of East Dallas and some don't. Most of those seem to be trying to get to the Park Cities, where they can look down on others.

[sk8drummy]

Most people from my experience in the so called middle class are living well beyond their means. They have extensive amounts of credit card debt and buy houses that are out of their price range (often through an ARM). It seems to me that keeping up with the Jones' is what defines the middle class. Probably why there is so much foreclosure in the Northern and Southern burbs. But yes it's an income thing. I would actually consider myself to be middle class, but I'd rather throw a brick through the Jones' window than anything else.