American Society

I read two interesting articles in NYT.

The first one is about the hidden rules of classes: Upper, Middle and Poor. This is a theory developed by Ruby Payne based on simple observations.

In poverty, the present is most important. In the middle class, it’s the future. In wealth, it’s the past. The key question about food in poverty: Did you have enough? In the middle class: Did you like it? In wealth: Was it presented well?

A lot about this theory seems true. For a more details, read one of the pdfs here.

The second one is a thesis about the unique achievement of the human condition in America, based on a book "The Age of Abundance: How Prosperity Transformed America’s Politics and Culture". Regarding the material abundance of America, the author says

... in the second half of the 20th century, America left the “realm of necessity” and entered the “realm of freedom.” Americans “live on the far side of a great fault line” separating them from all prior human experience.

Two very interesting theses.