There seems to be a big debate going on right now about whether the orchestrated demise of the middle class is a real thing or not, between people who read facts and people who don’t.
The major banks which hold the majority of Americans’ declining savings have found a way to make taxpayers fiance their losses yet not share in their profits.
Their C.E.O.’s award themselves million dollar bonuses of your overdraft fees and laugh behind your back while comfortably waiting for their next trip to Bohemian Grove to worship each others erect penises and decide who’s next in line to head up the Federal Reserve, which can tell Oren Hatch what to do, who will in line talk about abortion and die in his empty suit.
With inflation, minimum wage has never been lower, and with outsourcing, price fixing, and a host of other corporate criminal activity, the discrepancy in wages and the price of basic goods has never been higher.
The irony is that lower-middle and middle-middle class people are now working so much harder for so much less that they don’t have time to be pissed about it, so most of them just assume everything is fine.
However, I didn’t realize how bad things have gotten until I saw THIS:
It’s a commercial for KFC’s Family Feast.
DISCLAIMER: I enjoy making fun of so called ‘white trash’ type of people, but advertising agencies are not stupid, and the fact that this commercial has been airing pretty much constantly means it resonates with a lot of people.
So, it opens with a blue-collar (a euphemism for unattractive) looking woman sitting in front of her husband and two children.
She explains that she often works hard all day and cannot find time to cook a proper meal for her family.
She explains that it has gotten so bad, that the family has eaten the following items for dinner:
1) Toast
2) Cereal
3) Rice Cakes
4) Trail-Mix
Okay, so this family is living so far below the poverty line that they are nearly starving, and, if this were a real life scenario, I would have to suggest that they either apply for more welfare or have their young daughter removed by Child Protective Services.
You can’t have a growing child eating rice cakes for dinner.
The woman goes on to explain that she has made up for her negligent parenting by purchasing a KFC Family Feast on this special occasion.
This character is so completely impoverished and diluted that she considers purchasing a disgusting KFC meal to be a triumphant feat of domesticity.
If this was something you witnessed in real life, the thought of this woman who can barely feed her family bragging about buying KFC in her crummy track home would be really depressing.
The fact that KFC decided this would appeal to their customer base is depressing as well, and it is also telling of our times – that this kind of poverty has become mainstream.
Please share with the hashtag flashed at the end of the commercial: #HowDoYouKFC