Misperceptions of Middleclasshood; Socialization Propaganda and the Cargo Cult of the American Dream

Working Paper on the mass American propagand of being "middle class." A core element of the American belief system is the existence of a large, prosperous middle class. Despite a recent onslaught of assurances of “protecting the middle class” by presidents, politicians and economic forecasters, this paper argues that this general perception/belief of belonging to the middle class is illusory or even delusional on the part of most Americans, who are not, never have been, and never will be, truly middle class in any sense of how this economic/social condition has been defined historically. This paper argues that such belief systems are in fact merely a predominant propaganda of socialization that people welcome and demand because it assuages anxieties about social status and making their way in the world. As such, the tenacity to which this belief is held contributes to a cargo-cult-like American mass psychology that makes people susceptible to messianic promises and magical political solutions. Worse yet, possibly, the misperception contributes to overall magical thinking and a lack of realistic programs of education and self-development. The case that self-perceptions of social class are seriously awry in American society is herein demonstrated through exploratory interviews and surveys of more than three hundred undergraduate students at a working-class commuter university. A startling fact emerges—nearly all identified themselves as “middle-class” despite the presence of virtually no evidence to support this belief, and much evidence suggesting the contrary. When asked how they learned to which class they belonged, many identified media, e.g., television and movies, as their source, while others named parents or schools. The extent, sources, functions and effects of holding this sort of class misperception are not well understood. This paper maps: (1) class self-perceptions of the undergraduate subjects, providing a typology of the functions these mis-perceptions seem to serve for subjects, (2) origins and reinforcements, media and otherwise, of the self-perceptions as recollected by subjects, (3) effects these self-perceptions seem to have on individual development and education. A chief consequence of widespread class misperception may be the inability to recognize and negotiate real class barriers existing in employment and education circles. Analytic and communication skills required to negotiate barriers remain undeveloped if such barriers are beyond the threshold of perception. This apparent mass media reinforced class perception effect may have serious consequences on veridical thought—i.e., the ability to recognize true circumstances and to develop one’s self effectively in response. These effects apply at the micro, individual level, but also at the macro, social level.