Re:‘I Would Prefer Not To’: The Origins of the White Collar ...
by amyjess on Wednesday March 25, 2015 @12:12PM
(#9263883)
> relatively wealthy middle class
Bear in mind that the definition of "middle class" has changed.
Back then, all business owners were deemed "middle class", including people who own or manage large businesses. The term "upper class" was reserved for nobles and other hereditary landowners.
Nowadays, large business owners are synonymous with "upper class". Nobody would call someone like Warren Buffett or Sumner Redstone "middle class" nowadays, but that term would've been applied to them in the 19th century.
Bear in mind that the definition of "middle class" has changed.
Back then, all business owners were deemed "middle class", including people who own or manage large businesses. The term "upper class" was reserved for nobles and other hereditary landowners.
Nowadays, large business owners are synonymous with "upper class". Nobody would call someone like Warren Buffett or Sumner Redstone "middle class" nowadays, but that term would've been applied to them in the 19th century.