Or have lower class families been buying plastic to increase the appearance of their quality of life for 6+ generations?
I get that we're going through mega-inflation since covid. Even before that, if you bought whole foods and clothes that aren't plastic (nylon), the ol' paycheck only stretched so far.
I'd really like to pick the brain of a self-aware Boomer and find out how long it's been like this.
I can literally go to most areas of the South and find a thriving and clearly defined "middle class" separate from the poverty/lower class and the rich folks of the town. You can physically see when you move from each neighborhood.
Heck, my wife just last week remarked how different life feels compared to before when she used to live at home and each bill required scrounging up dollars every week, whereas now we just autopay and ignore them while having enough money to just buy things on whims (reasonable things, not like a boat). We bought a house (in this economy!), we have multiple children, and are surrounded by neighbors who mostly are doing about the same. Compared to my homeless and further trailer trash days, I am so many steps above that middle class is the only definition possible.
It exists, people just don't want it to. Because if its still possible, then it means they can't just blame the economy and politics (though those are really bad) for all their "have nots" and have to realize they also just failed to accomplish enough in their life. They'd rather have been nickle and dimed by Taco Bell trips, vacations, and all the other fleeting money losses.