7/27/2019 Refocusing the Middle Class

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Refocusing the middle class

7/27/2019 Refocusing the Middle Class

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Refocusing the middle class

-Uday Dandavate

I didn't grow up with great privilege, nor did I grow up wanting for anything. I was

a middle-class kid and, relative to the rest of the world, that's great wealth. Matt

Damon, actor.

The middle class reflects the core character of a society. It can be a social space

where creativity blossoms from the restlessness of the daily grind and where

revolutionary ideas emerge from compassion for the oppressed. It is the middleclass that has historically championed the cause of the poor and articulated

societys anger against the establishment. People from the middle class enjoy

just enough security to allow them to aspire for a better future but suffer just

enough to have empathy for the less privileged.

The lower class, on the other hand, does not have the luxury of thinking through

the moral framework that the middle class maintains. As laggards in an economic

order that rewards the elite and punishes the under-skilled and underprivileged,

the poor get marginalized and are forced to survive by hook or by crook. The

upper class often lives in a bubble removed from the ground realities of society

as a whole, which allows them relative freedom to choose between conspicuous

consumption and responsible philanthropy, balancing their emotions between the

joy of indulgence and atonement from privileged guilt.

As the middle class climbs the ladder of social mobility, there is a growing risk of

the middle class losing its deeper connection to society through loss of sensitivity

to a larger cause and morality. An indifferent middle class can cause greater

harm to society than detachment of the rich and desperation of the poor. By

disengaging from the discourse for social justice, the middle class stands the risk

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of relinquishing its historical role as the catalysts of creative imagination and

evangelists of social justice.

As governments grapple with macro issues such as social welfare, terrorism,

recession, global warming, the energy crisis and healthcare, civil society faces

the risk of getting weakened by a shrinking middle class. Gradual erosion of the

middle class poses one of the gravest challenges to a society that is eager to

progress and prosper.

There are signs worldwide of the middle class renewing strength through

spontaneous movements such as the Arab Spring in the Middle East, the Occupy

Wall Street movement in the U.S., and Anna Hazares campaign against

corruption in India. Unfortunately, growth of fundamentalist forces is swaying the

middle class away from secular ideas and an egalitarian ideal. It is imperative to

rekindle the spirit of the middle class and motivate it to continue to lead the

transformation toward a just society.