Sunday, August 03, 2008

The Middle Class Way of Life...

...is fragile, and can only be preserved by choosing the right set of values and collectively defending them.

6 comments:

stuart-santiago said...

what is "the right set of values" in your opinion?

Anonymous said...

Right set of values for middle class: driving a car (which requires oil), home run by electricity (which is powered by oil). Oil which we don't have. Oil which we can only be obtained with dollars. Dollars which are sourced from exporting agricultural products and OFW's.

Middle class way of life = exporting agricultural products and OFW's.

cvj said...

Hi Angela, IMHO, the most important value is a sense of fairness towards other members of Philippine Society who do not belong to the Middle Class. I previously mentioned that the middle class is at a disadvantage with respect to the rich in terms of resources and with respect to the poor when it comes to numbers. The only way we can matter (as a class) as far as public discourse is concerned is if we are seen to embody what is fair and just for everyone. I believe that the Middle Class has a disproportionate influence in either encouraging or discouraging the spirit of reciprocity in our society.

stuart-santiago said...

a sense of fairness. yes, that would be a good place to start. i need to think this around some more. my beef is with the lack of adequate information and sense of ideology, the middle class doesn't know any better than to identify with, if not aspire to the upper class as the way to a better life, which is individualistic and so no help at all towards a fair society.

a problem really is that the middle class tends to identify with, if not aspire to, the upper class. but maybe that applies na lang to the upper middle class, no, now that times are hard.

cvj said...

Angela, i think a lot in the middle class have fooled themselves into thinking that they can play 'real politik' (i.e. in abandoning the principles of fair play and tacitly supporting Gloria's cheating) and that they are smarter for having done so.

Regarding the identification with the Upper Class, i've written previously about the Elitist Mindset among those who are supposedly educated. IMHO, if all that education can give is an attitude of superiority, then i think it's a symptom of failure of the educational process.

Anonymous said...

there are two kinds of middle class in the Philippines:

1. the wannabe middle class who are OF dependents
2. the true middle class.. are the employed within the current system.

both types are minorities in number. they don't know which society they belong... rich or poor? seldom we see the "true set of values"

collective true set of values may be achieved by increasing the numbers of true middle class.