Middle class, this combination of words sounds pleasant to ear of citizen of capitalist country. Guy instantly imagine something that is not some squalid man, bit not fat beau monde member. Something fuzzy, but pleasant.

Middle class absolutely requires presence of social lifts, can't exist without them. Why it is such?

Because deep inside each middle class member knows that he is only worker without any means of production, without any real protection or safety. May be with better qualification and larger monthly payment, may be with larger house he got using 30 year mortgage, and average Prius he got using preferential 10 year credit line. But it is all so unstable, so fuzzy. Firm where he works is barely alive and it is little hope that it survives next year. His wife works in more stable place, but she is so ill and tired that he is afraid that could not pay medical bills soon.

Here comes the social lift. Social lifts always pick up limited number of middle class members, very small amount of lucky ones. And move them up the ladder. 98% end up being some kind of managers in hierarchy. Still middle class, but called upper middle now. Still no means of production, but even larger house and you even can start dream of owning Tesla.

But 2%, the really lucky guys, ones who survive in fierce fights, manage to stay till the final lift destination. To become members of the few, members of the ruling class, owners of means of production. Usually it is just small or middle size business owners. Still not so stable as it can be, but sounds better.

There is one problem though. Around them they have imperialism, capitalism of monopolies that crush small and middle sized businesses like nuts, forces to merge or die. And it means that 2% of lucky ones quickly split into few groups - more than 90% who crash fast and pushed back into workers, 2-3% who sell their business and 4% who continue their amazing ocean trip on barely knit logs. And next period it all continues.

Middle class is special group of people in class society - victims of vain dreams.