Comments on: Saturday Roundup and Carnivals - the class society edition http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html Financial independence, frugality, self-sufficiency, ecology, capitalism, and voluntary simplicity Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:43:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: George http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-2675 George Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:59 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-2675 Please note that the wealth scale is as of 2001... which is a reasonably hopeless scale for today, if you ask me. I'm trying to remember when I first saw the NYT article and it must have been 2003? Please note that the wealth scale is as of 2001… which is a reasonably hopeless scale for today, if you ask me. I’m trying to remember when I first saw the NYT article and it must have been 2003?

]]> By: Adfecto http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-566 Adfecto Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:33:35 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-566 @ Jacob You are totally right about being lucky to have been born in the US. Our struggles pale in comparison to those of the developing world. I like to remind people of this when they start griping about taxes. @ Jacob

You are totally right about being lucky to have been born in the US. Our struggles pale in comparison to those of the developing world. I like to remind people of this when they start griping about taxes.

]]> By: Jacob http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-563 Jacob Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:42:53 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-563 Adfecto - Sorry I meant winning the birth lottery in terms of being born in the US or another wealthy country. A good thing about the US is that the American dream is alive. I think this provides a big motivational boost. In countries with lower Gini factors there is little motivation. So while classes are closer there is less mobility. Adfecto - Sorry I meant winning the birth lottery in terms of being born in the US or another wealthy country. A good thing about the US is that the American dream is alive. I think this provides a big motivational boost. In countries with lower Gini factors there is little motivation. So while classes are closer there is less mobility.

]]> By: Adfecto http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-561 Adfecto Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:41:02 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-561 I discovered this myself a while back and wrote a post about it. Those who are interested should check it out. @ Jacob, I must completely disagree with your comment that, "the American Dream is only possible for those who won the birth lottery." The very same NY Times article has a look at class mobility. After 10 years HALF of those at the very top came from lower groups. Within 10 years there were people who moved from the very bottom to the very top classification. If you were born middle or lower middle class you had an equal chance to end up in ANY of the other categories. About 1/3 of those born in either the very top or very bottom category were in the same category again after 10 years. That seems like America is full of opportunity no matter where you started and "class" is very fluid. I say the American Dream is alive and well for everyone except those who aren't willing to work for it. I discovered this myself a while back and wrote a post about it. Those who are interested should check it out.

@ Jacob,

I must completely disagree with your comment that, “the American Dream is only possible for those who won the birth lottery.” The very same NY Times article has a look at class mobility. After 10 years HALF of those at the very top came from lower groups. Within 10 years there were people who moved from the very bottom to the very top classification. If you were born middle or lower middle class you had an equal chance to end up in ANY of the other categories. About 1/3 of those born in either the very top or very bottom category were in the same category again after 10 years.

That seems like America is full of opportunity no matter where you started and “class” is very fluid. I say the American Dream is alive and well for everyone except those who aren’t willing to work for it.

]]> By: Amanda @ Me vs Debt http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-517 Amanda @ Me vs Debt Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:15:47 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-517 I've seen this calculator before... Occupation: 70th percentile Education: 91st percentile Income: 78th percentile Wealth: 25th percentile Average: 66th percentile What they don't have a percentile for negative wealth? Oh well, class doesn't really mean much to me anyways. I have to say that I'm pretty happy right where I am. Welcome to middle class, check your ambition at the door :) I’ve seen this calculator before…

Occupation: 70th percentile
Education: 91st percentile
Income: 78th percentile
Wealth: 25th percentile
Average: 66th percentile

What they don’t have a percentile for negative wealth? Oh well, class doesn’t really mean much to me anyways. I have to say that I’m pretty happy right where I am. Welcome to middle class, check your ambition at the door :)

]]> By: Debbie M http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-513 Debbie M Sun, 24 Feb 2008 05:14:15 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-513 I am shocked at how good my numbers look. Occupation: 45th percentile Education: 97th percentile Income: 56th percentile Wealth: 85th percentile Average: 70th percentile I was expecting to look more like Minimum Wage. I don't even look much worse than most of my friends (who would average closer to 84th percentile). Weird. Of course they don't know that I ride a bus to work, buy my clothes at thrift stores, and cut my own hair. Also, my wealth category is 100,000 to 500,000. That's a big range. If I were anywhere in the top half of that range, I would no longer be working. Jacob, sorry you're not happy enough to qualify for the top quartile. I definitely am. Have you seen <a href="http://www.happiness-project.com/" rel="nofollow">The Happiness Project</a>? It's very interesting and perhaps your cup of tea. It's both research based and practical--start reading from the beginning! I am shocked at how good my numbers look.

Occupation: 45th percentile
Education: 97th percentile
Income: 56th percentile
Wealth: 85th percentile
Average: 70th percentile

I was expecting to look more like Minimum Wage. I don’t even look much worse than most of my friends (who would average closer to 84th percentile). Weird.

Of course they don’t know that I ride a bus to work, buy my clothes at thrift stores, and cut my own hair.

Also, my wealth category is 100,000 to 500,000. That’s a big range. If I were anywhere in the top half of that range, I would no longer be working.

Jacob, sorry you’re not happy enough to qualify for the top quartile. I definitely am. Have you seen The Happiness Project? It’s very interesting and perhaps your cup of tea. It’s both research based and practical–start reading from the beginning!

]]> By: Jacob http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-512 Jacob Sun, 24 Feb 2008 04:45:00 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-512 @minimum wage - I think that one at all times fit in with the group whose values one shares. @BPT - Indeed, the American Dream is only possible for those who won the birth lottery. ---- On thing that this class tool doesn't measure is happiness which I think is more important than the other categories. While I might be satisfied (and have reason to be so) I would not say that I am happy. I am definitely not happy enough to qualify for the top quartile. @minimum wage - I think that one at all times fit in with the group whose values one shares.

@BPT - Indeed, the American Dream is only possible for those who won the birth lottery.

—-

On thing that this class tool doesn’t measure is happiness which I think is more important than the other categories. While I might be satisfied (and have reason to be so) I would not say that I am happy. I am definitely not happy enough to qualify for the top quartile.

]]> By: BPT - MoneyChangesThings http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-510 BPT - MoneyChangesThings Sun, 24 Feb 2008 04:27:43 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-510 Go to my blog links and check out "global rich list" and see how you compare to the whole planet. It is very sobering to see how even modest americans line up in the planetary perspective. www.moneychangesthings.blogspot.com Go to my blog links and check out “global rich list” and see how you compare to the whole planet. It is very sobering to see how even modest americans line up in the planetary perspective.
http://www.moneychangesthings.blogspot.com

]]> By: Minimum Wage http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-509 Minimum Wage Sun, 24 Feb 2008 03:22:23 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-509 Occupation: 27th percentile Education: 91st percentile Income: 18th percentile Wealth: 25th percentile Average: 40th percentile When your education is inconsiustent with your occupation/income/wealth, what class do you fit into? Occupation: 27th percentile
Education: 91st percentile
Income: 18th percentile
Wealth: 25th percentile
Average: 40th percentile

When your education is inconsiustent with your occupation/income/wealth, what class do you fit into?

]]> By: Jacob http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-508 Jacob Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:57:00 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/2008/02/saturday-roundup-and-carnivals-the-class-society-edition.html#comment-508 @kristin - I guess it varies with occupation. For instance, is politician a prestigious vocation? How does one answer that? I guess I score high because my field is considered difficult and not because anyone thinks it's cool or anything. I don't know how EE rates on the cool scale. I think it's cooler than my field (still a secret). @kristin - I guess it varies with occupation. For instance, is politician a prestigious vocation? How does one answer that? I guess I score high because my field is considered difficult and not because anyone thinks it’s cool or anything. I don’t know how EE rates on the cool scale. I think it’s cooler than my field (still a secret).

]]>