What would you rather be, poor in a country that has a large middle class, or poor in a country that has massive inequalities, with many people like you, a very small number of mega-opulent, and no middle class?Think about it in terms of people you are likely to encounter, and compete with. The super-rich are far away, out of reach, in a class of their own, rarely visible outside the media; the middle class is there to taunt you, humiliate you, make you feel envy.The middle class is cruel to the lumpen; it is only a great concept if you belong to it.

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