In the book 1984, one of the characters postulates that in any system of government there are 3 groups. The unwashed masses comprising 90% of people, the elite who are better than everyone else making up 1% of people, and a middle buffer of 9% of people. The buffer is used by the elite to keep the unwashed masses from uprising. Anyone from the 90% who looks like they might be trouble for the 1% gets to be in the 9%. They get treated a bit better in exchange for defending the status quo. Perhaps if they defend it hard enough they can be given a spot among the 1%!
I believe the argument made by this character is supposed to be flawed, but it ends up being pretty believable. The “middle class” would be the buffer zone of people who defend the status quo in exchange for slightly better treatment by the 1% than the average person gets.
In the book 1984, one of the characters postulates that in any system of government there are 3 groups. The unwashed masses comprising 90% of people, the elite who are better than everyone else making up 1% of people, and a middle buffer of 9% of people. The buffer is used by the elite to keep the unwashed masses from uprising. Anyone from the 90% who looks like they might be trouble for the 1% gets to be in the 9%. They get treated a bit better in exchange for defending the status quo. Perhaps if they defend it hard enough they can be given a spot among the 1%!
I believe the argument made by this character is supposed to be flawed, but it ends up being pretty believable. The “middle class” would be the buffer zone of people who defend the status quo in exchange for slightly better treatment by the 1% than the average person gets.
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