You get the behavior that you reward.
The middle class is the newest class and many are too stupid to defend their class. There have always been the elite and the lower class, sometimes criminals.
The middle class likes to chime in with what the elites say and thus are losing their niche of working people and professionals and surrendering it to the criminals, which is more than fine for the rich elites of high tech, hollyweird, corrupt politicians and the media.