Therein lies the story, and it's a subtle but critical one.
I suspect I "grew up" a lot earlier, and although "middle class" was in common useage the entire time, Middle Class Americans" was not.
Middle class and "Middle Class Americans" are not synonymous.
Those who control language control everything.
Just "Middle Class" is a phrase that is totally subject to as many definitions, by inference, as there are people. It is inexact."
"Middle Class Americans" is a political phrase that is critically necessary for the class war; sort of like "The New Man." Among other things, it drills into the subconscious that everyone who is in America is an American.
Including Illegal Aliens.
Don't think so?
Listen carefully to Hussein and the Soros surrogates, and their flying monkeys.
Even Fox has succumbed.
I wince, every time I hear the inane phrase, "Americano, como tu."
In your dreams, Xotlil!
I’m not sure when I grew up had much to do with it. That was in the 50s and 60s, and the term came to me from conservative grandparents and a Goldwater Republican mother. One thing though, we didn’t have the illegal immigration problem we have now, and pride in America wasn’t looked upon as being vulgar. Middle class was regarded as a unique American development, a strength and creation of Capitalism and liberal Democracy. Poverty was something to get out of, and economic success was something to strive for. Between the two there was the vast middle class, land of three bedroom, two bath brick homes and jobs that paid the bills. On occasion there was a new car in the driveway, or a nice new used one. ...Those days are gone for a great many people. Somewhere all that turned into massive debt and more debt, and debt based wealth between the comfortably rich and the welfare poor. ...I stepped out of the game by paying as I went, sacrificing when I had to, and avoiding all debt. My wealth is my own, what little of it there is, and I don’t care what class I belong to.