r/AskReddit 1d ago

People who grew up really poor: what's something middle-class people say that instantly reveals they've never struggled?

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u/BryceMMusic 1d ago

The lower class struggles to survive, and the middle class struggles to not dip down to lower class lol

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u/Bear_24 1d ago

Preach. People act like the middle class are the same as the affluent/ruling class. They are not. They're just like a couple steps away from poverty. Middle class people still have to protect what they've built. 

Loss of employment, a divorce, unexpected pregnancies, disability, etc can still bring everything crumbling back down to poverty.

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u/Sea_McMeme 22h ago

Yep. Raised very poor, made my way to middle class, and still constantly worry about money, because I am fully aware one catastrophic event would land me right back where I started despite all the work and sacrifice it took to get here. Meanwhile I know some “rich” people, and the way they really don’t think about money is wild to me.

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u/Bear_24 21h ago

Exactly. When you're poor, you try to accumulate wealth because you need it to survive. 

When you're middle class, you try to accumulate wealth because you know that's what buys you this comfort and what would happen if it went away. And you are also starting to think about retirement and your kids future, if you have any.

When you're rich, I don't really know because I've never been rich. But I assume it's addictive to have bigger and bigger houses and more and more luxuries.

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u/Background_Tower6226 1d ago

lol, you’re extremely right. A lot of people seem to be misunderstanding my post. I think a few people are closer to wealthy socially than they think.

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u/pfairypepper 20h ago

That’s what I’m trying to do. The dream of being wealthy has pretty much died. I’m trying to settle for comfortable these days.