Will the Real Ms. Middle Class Please Stand Up?

Will the Real Ms. Middle Class Please Stand Up?

Get a free issue of Sojourners Donate to support Sojourners

Back in the day, there was a television show called “To Tell The Truth.” A panel of four celebrities would try to guess which one of three characters was telling the truth about their identity. One central character and two imposters each spun stories to convince the celebrities she was the real Joanna Schmoe. In the end, the host would say, “Will the real Joanna Schmoe please stand up?” At that time, the real Joanna Schmoe would reveal herself and the imposters would tell their true identities.

Well, I don’t think I’ve ever heard the words “middle class” tossed to and fro and applied to as many economic levels as I have over the past few months—especially when it comes to tax cuts, tax hikes, or tax anything.

So, let’s play a little game. Shall we? Let’s play “To Tell the Truth about the Middle Class.”

All three contestants claim to be “Ms. Middle Class,” but which one really is?

Contestant number one says: “I am Ms. Middle Class.”

Here is her profile: Montessori pre-school, SAT and ACT tutorials starting in grade school, school musicals, private dance lessons, private gymnastics, soccer… lots of soccer, leased SUV, professional career, gardeners for the lawn, part-time nanny, part-time housekeeper, combined household salary of $100,000-$166,000 per year (up to $250,000 if she’s somewhere like New York City or San Francisco), inherited furniture mixed with stylish new pieces, independent voter, leans right on fiscal matters, leans left on social issues, anti-smoking, pro-parks, anti-nukes, pro-special trips to the spa. She lives in or near a major city. If in the city, she has a doorman. If in the suburbs, she has a two-car garage. If in a major city she’s a high-end renter. If in the burbs, let’s just say she has an in-ground pool in the back yard. She juggles credit cards, kids' clubs, and flight miles programs and brings home the turkey bacon, but the housekeeper fries it up in the Calphalon pan.

Contestant number two says: “I am Ms. Middle Class.”

Here is her profile: Public schools, PTAs, Pell Grants, La-Z-boys, brown panel basement where stuff gets stored and the men go to drink, shoot pool, and throw darts, holes in walls covered by prints of famous paintings, gardens and lawns tended by mom and dad, lawn chairs and barbecue pits carted from the local Home Depot in the back of dad’s pre-owned SUV, the family day-trip to the beach or the annual camping trip because weeklong vacations at a resort are a pipe dream, no stamps in the passport—or no passport, stairs that squeak (or slant), teenage baby-sitters, live-in grandparents, the never-ending struggle to decide which bills will be Peter and which will be Paul on bill payment due dates, improvised home remedies for abscessed teeth, sweat on foreheads at the check-out counter as she prays that her last credit card isn’t maxed out … yet, a combined income of $25,000-$100,000, which pays for the 132 more payments on the home mortgage worth $25,000-$100,000.

Contestant number three says: “I am Ms. Middle Class.”

Here is her profile: CEO of Whatever, Inc., investments and capital gains, major donor to political party, major financial engine behind social causes, multiple homes—at least one with a pool or a beach in the back yard, mix of inherited and new furniture, contracted interior decorators for most homes, Marc Jacobs boutique clerks know her by name, combined household income of $800,000 per year, full-time nanny, full-time maid, full-time driver, private tutor, private school, Ivy League colleges for kids, first-class travel, 34 stamps in her passport. What’s a basement?

Will the real Ms. Middle Class please stand up? ...

Lisa Sharon Harper is the Director of Mobilizing at Sojourners. She is also co-author of Left, Right and Christ: Evangelical Faith in Politics and author of Evangelical Does Not Equal Republican ... or Democrat.

	E-mail this article to friends
	Share this article on Facebook
	Comment on this article on the God's Politics Blog

+ See what's new on the blog of Jim Wallis and friends

Ten Cliches Christians Should Never Use
by Christian Piatt
We Christians have a remarkable talent for sticking our feet in our mouths. When searching the words most commonly associated with "Christian," the list ain't pretty. I think part of this can be attributed to a handful of phrases that, if stricken from our vocabulary, might make us a little more tolerable. Yes, these things may mean something to you, but trust me, non-Christians don't share your love for these tried-and-true cliches.

Ten Antidotes to Christian Cliches
by Christian Piatt
This is the final in a four-part series on the overused (and often insensitively employed) phrases that plague the Christian lexicon. Though I felt like I was offering some insight into what to do instead of offering these cliches, some asked for more specificity or clarity. So in that spirit, I thought I'd offer a final list of things to do rather than pop off with these phrases that may mean little or nothing to the recipient, or worse, may cause unintended – but lasting – harm.

Christians Do Not Have Freedom of Speech
by Jason Hess, CJ
While I find great joy in the liberty found within the Freedom of Speech, I've come to realize that while it's an American right it's also much bigger than that … it's a human right. However, it's not a Christian's right.

Confessions of a Poverty Pimp
by Linda Adams
Last week was the first time I have ever been called a "poverty pimp" in front God and everyone—in public. It certainly got my attention! My accuser was an eloquent professor of African American Studies. He is offended at groups like mine who apparently profit off Africa's poverty and perpetuate an image of black helplessness. He is concerned that African American children who view pathetic images of hungry kids on TV internalize a sense of racial inferiority. And that's not the half of it.

Take From Me These Myths: A Prayer
by Mark Sandlin
Good and gracious God: Today, like the rest of the world,
when I woke I wrapped myself in myths.
They are comfortable and warming
in what can seem like such a cold world.
Yes, they are old and worn but they are familiar
and even the most fashion forward
find comfort in this thread-worn garb.

GET THE MAGAZINE: Subscribe today

CONTACT US: General inquiries: sojourners@sojo.net | Advertising: advertising@sojo.net | About Us

PRIVACY NOTICE: Sojourners won't trade, sell, or give away your e-mail address. Read our privacy policy.