Generally, the Middle Class is defined as the socio-economic group that falls between the working class and the wealthy. The people in this group often have college education, white collar jobs, and financial stability. These allows them some form of discretionary spending and savings, more comfortable lifestyles, and even homeownership.
But lately, it the term Middle Class has ceased to be a reference for socio-economic improvement, and is now often used as a term of ridicule, and or a phrase that is used to castigate. But this should not be the case, argues Rhina Namsia. She writes;
What is wrong with being at the Middle Class in Kenya?
If you work hard and buy a good car, you’re called a middle class; you take your kid to a good better school, you’re called a middle class; you start taking care of yourself and enroll into a classy gym, you’re recalled a middle class; you move to better neighborhoods you’re a middle class.
If you also make money and don’t live better you’ll be called names and given a tag still. Is living better a bad thing especially when you work hard for your money and want a better life?
Most of the rich people today were once in the middle class, if not all of them.
The things being pointed out as bad habits for the middle class are also done by the rich and wealthy. For example, something like eating KFC. Even the rich do it. It is only that maybe for them, they prefer to send over a driver to deliver it or opt to even go eat them in Dubai. And what’s wrong with eating KFC once in a while?
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You introduce your kids to gadgets you’ve become a middle class but on the other hand you’re told how the rich kids are studying IT at a young age
We need to stop castigating anything and everything that is trending especially with words and terms. Just like ‘toxicity and narcissist’, the phrase Middle Class has also become something that is being misused just to for content.
Rhina Namsia is the founder and chief executive officer of The Acemt Consulting, a training and consultation company that provides financial planning and investment advisory.
