> So either Westerners don't realize that people in these places are making less money in a month than the middle class person can expect to spend in an average afternoon

You are making a comparison between two sums of money (the amount middle class people spend in an afternoon, and the amount poor people make in a month).

Obviously I misinterpreted who the middle class people were, but I doubt I'm the only one. I thought you meant middle class Westerners.

i am still confused why that makes a difference. to me the comment only makes sense if the middle class in india is more affluent than the middle class in the US.

https://yourstory.com/2018/03/exactly-indias-middle-class-an...

I read it the same way you did.