America is a nation of temporarily inconvenienced millionaires. This disconnect between expectations and reality is one of it's biggest problems. You can visit any number of poorer nations where being poor does is not a punishment, it not equate to a difficult or miserable life, because society, it's services and it's infrastructure are all built to accomodate people of modest means. In America is designed for you to have a McMansion with a two car garage, and if you can't meet the bottom line you either go into debt to pretend you're meeting it or you're cast to the fringes where you struggle just to survive in a world that is not designed to accomodate People of modest means.

I capture the essence of the matter perfectly in that last sentence.

The (disputed) John Steinbeck quote you might be referring to: "Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat, but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires"

If it take income in the UK as an example.

• 50th percentile is 21900,

• 90th is "only" 50600,

• 95th is 70400, that's the salary required for the 220K average UK house.

• 96th is 78800

• 97th is 91300

• 98th is 11000

• 99th is 159000, that's the salary required for the 500K average London house.

It really only takes off from 97th percents. Wealth diagram is probably going to look like that too.

You mean per year? Also I think you miss one zero in the 9th. Can You please also provide a source?

That is indeed per year in GBP. That is published by the UK Government directly: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/percentile-points-f...

I noticed that I used an older version, so the number have increased a little. The trend is the same though, with

50th: 23200

90th: 53100

95th: 75000

and taking off after that.

You are right about one thing: If you are not in the 1% being 95%-99% is being out in the cold. Debt being a cold bed fellow.

If only it were merely a cold bed fellow. It's downright vampiric.