--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The American middle class, it seems to…" description: "\"The American middle class, it seems to me, is looking to politicians now to satisfy a pretty basic - and urgent - level of need. Yet people in the uppe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/judith-warner-28813_benefits_the-american-middle-class-it-seems-to-me_1488752.jpg" --- # The American middle class, it seems to me, is looking to… ![“The American middle class, it seems to me, is looking to politicians now to satisfy a pretty basic - and urgent - level of need. Yet people in the upper middle class - with their excellent health benefits, schools, salaries, retirement plans, nannies and private afterschool programs - have…” quote by Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/judith-warner-28813_benefits_the-american-middle-class-it-seems-to-me_1488752.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/judith-warner-28813_benefits_the-american-middle-class-it-seems-to-me_1488752.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/judith-warner-28813_benefits_the-american-middle-class-it-seems-to-me_1488752.jpg) > “The American middle class, it seems to me, is looking to politicians now to satisfy a pretty basic - and urgent - level of need. Yet people in the upper middle class - with their excellent health benefits, schools, salaries, retirement plans, nannies and private afterschool programs - have journeyed so far from that level of need that, it often seems to me, they literally cannot hear what resonates with the middle class. That creates a problematic blind spot for those who write, edit or produce what comes to be known about our politicians and their policies.” [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The middle class feels ignored by politicians, while the upper middle class is detached from their needs, creating a blind spot in political discourse. **In simple terms:** Middle class needs are overlooked by elites. Key Takeaway Bridge the empathy gap between classes. Themes politics class disparity media empathy policy communication Mood concerned critical hopeful Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - policy drafting - media analysis - community outreach - public forums - legislative hearings Key Concepts social stratification representation media bias policy making public perception Questions to Reflect On - How can policymakers better hear middle class concerns? - What role does media play in amplifying or silencing these voices? A Different Perspective Upper middle class may not fully grasp middle class struggles, limiting solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Benefits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefits/) [Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) [Blind spots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind-spots/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Edits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edits/) [Excellent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellent/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Health benefits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-benefits/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Known Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known-politicians-2761350/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Looking Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-politicians-5439804/) [Middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [Nannies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nannies/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Plans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plans/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politicians Policies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politicians-policies-5439802/) [Politicians Satisfy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politicians-satisfy-5439803/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Produce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produce/) [Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program/) [Retirement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retirement/) [Salary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salary/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Spots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spots/) [Upper middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upper-middle-class/) [Urgent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urgent/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [ \[People\] are looking at the politicians as being all talk, no action. They talk the big game, then they go to Washington, they look… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/people-are-looking-at-the-politicians-as-being-all-talk-no-action/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Once your name becomes well known, politicians come courting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-pride/once-your-name-becomes-well-known-politicians-come-courting/) [Charley Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-pride/) > [“A bunch of people known as politicians are not going to change anything, for they themselves are second-hand humans, living second-hand lives, like most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/a-bunch-of-people-known-as-politicians-are-not-going-to-change/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Trivial details have been summoned, in part, to make a satirical point about upper-middle-class marriage-that the whole thing can slip away between the white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-denby/trivial-details-have-been-summoned-in-part-to-make-a-satirical-point/) [David Denby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-denby/) > [We have a new joke on the reservation: 'What is cultural deprivation?' Answer: 'Being an upper-middle class white kid living in a split-level suburban…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fire-lame-deer/we-have-a-new-joke-on-the-reservation-what-is-cultural-deprivation/) [John Fire Lame Deer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fire-lame-deer/) > [I had a happy, dramafree youth, growing up in an upper-middle-class neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. The only thing that was slightly unusual compared to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-dunham/i-had-a-happy-dramafree-youth-growing-up-in-an-upper-middle-class/) [Jeff Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-dunham/) > [I had a happy childhood in a nice suburban area, pretty idyllic, upper middle class and very, very white. My dad is an attorney.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-had-a-happy-childhood-in-a-nice-suburban-area-pretty-idyllic-upper/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [I came from an educated, upper middle-class family. My mother was a Persian and history teacher at a large high school for girls. Many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-came-from-an-educated-upper-middle-class-family-my-mother-was-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Excellent Sheep is likely to makea lasting mark for three reasons. One, Mr. Deresiewicz spent twenty-four years in the Ivy League, graduating from Columbia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-garner/excellent-sheep-is-likely-to-makea-lasting-mark-for-three-reasons-one/) [Dwight Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-garner/) > [I started to understand what the song could be about. The ache of nostalgia even for things we don't like, the commitment to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckeown/i-started-to-understand-what-the-song-could-be-about-the-ache-of/) [Erin McKeown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckeown/) > [When well-qualified, upper middle-class blacks or Latinos or Asians move to predominantly white neighborhoods, there's what's called the tipping point. That tipping point is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-benjamin/when-well-qualified-upper-middle-class-blacks-or-latinos-or-asians/) [Richard Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-benjamin/) > [Our inequality materializes our upper class, vulgarizes our middle class, brutalizes our lower class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/our-inequality-materializes-our-upper-class-vulgarizes-our-middle/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [I think I was raised in a solidly upper-middle class family who had really strong values and excess was not one of the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/i-think-i-was-raised-in-a-solidly-upper-middle-class-family-who-had/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [There is quite a lot of mutual misunderstanding between the upper middle class and the working class. Reviewing what's been said about the white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/there-is-quite-a-lot-of-mutual-misunderstanding-between-the-upper/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [I myself am consummately middle class. We grew up in upper-middle-class suburbs in Oklahoma City, and thats very much the same ethos as what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-bailey/i-myself-am-consummately-middle-class-we-grew-up-in-upper-middle/) [Blake Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-bailey/) ## More by Judith Warner > [“The Mommy Mystique tells us that we are the luckiest women in the world -- the freest, with the most choices, the broadest horizons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/the-mommy-mystique-tells-us-that-we-are-the-luckiest-women-in-the/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“We seem to feel as though the life our children have -- that we have built for them -- is just a delicate house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/we-seem-to-feel-as-though-the-life-our-children-have-that-we-have/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“Too many of us now allow ourselves to be defined by motherhood and direct every ounce of our energy into our children. This sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/too-many-of-us-now-allow-ourselves-to-be-defined-by-motherhood-and/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [What kind of choice is it, really, when motherhood forces you into a delicate balancing act -- not just between work and family, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/what-kind-of-choice-is-it-really-when-motherhood-forces-you-into-a/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“Something is missing, and it's something not so easy to name as semiabsent husbands, not so easy to point to as a lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/something-is-missing-and-it-s-something-not-so-easy-to-name-as/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“--what's really unique about maternal anxiety today is our belief that if something goes wrong with or for our children, it's a reflection on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/what-s-really-unique-about-maternal-anxiety-today-is-our-belief-that/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“All these things we do bespeak a terrible anxiety: that our children simply will not be able to make it through life if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/all-these-things-we-do-bespeak-a-terrible-anxiety-that-our-children/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“There’s a general sense now that children’s rights, children’s needs, children’s wants and desires have taken on too prominent a place in our family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/there-s-a-general-sense-now-that-children-s-rights-children-s-needs/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“I found that when women were able to act in line with their natural inclinations and ambitions -- whether to work or stay at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/i-found-that-when-women-were-able-to-act-in-line-with-their-natural/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“I realized, listening to the silences that fell sometimes in my interview groups, that there are things that are sayable and unsayable about motherhood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/i-realized-listening-to-the-silences-that-fell-sometimes-in-my/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“I experienced a devastating loss of self...But in the same moment, I also recognized that a profound commitment had taken root inside me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/i-experienced-a-devastating-loss-of-self-but-in-the-same-moment-i/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“If things are better for women there, it is due to a profound and enduring social consensus that life should be made livable based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/if-things-are-better-for-women-there-it-is-due-to-a-profound-and/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“The media not only fans our fears, it comforts us in our hubris. Nearly every scare story comes with a Message: You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/the-media-not-only-fans-our-fears-it-comforts-us-in-our-hubris-nearly/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [Remember: You're not alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/remember-you-re-not-alone/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) > [“For too many women in America are becoming sick with exhaustion and stress as they try to do things that can't be -- shouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/for-too-many-women-in-america-are-becoming-sick-with-exhaustion-and/) [Judith Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) [Explore all 19 Judith Warner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/) ## More Benefits quotes > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Shortly after I turned 50, both Ted Turner and the AARP came into my life. The only difference? With AARP, there were benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/shortly-after-i-turned-50-both-ted-turner-and-the-aarp-came-into-my/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [Politics is about power. It is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/) [Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-us-think-of-education-as-the-means-of-developing-our-greatest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To really be of benefit to others as the Buddha always taught, we ourselves must first get out of the swamp. One of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/to-really-be-of-benefit-to-others-as-the-buddha-always-taught-we/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [I won the seat of Oxley largely on an issue that has resulted in me being called a racist. That issue related to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/i-won-the-seat-of-oxley-largely-on-an-issue-that-has-resulted-in-me/) [Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I've always said that I benefit, as an actor, from not having the illusion of security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-sparks/i-ve-always-said-that-i-benefit-as-an-actor-from-not-having-the/) [Hal Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-sparks/) > [Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/benefits-received-are-a-delight-to-us-as-long-as-we-think-we-can/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) [Browse all 3,616 Benefits quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefits/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The American middle class, it seems to me, is looking to politicians now to satisfy a pretty basic - and urgent - level of need. Yet people in the upper middle class - with their excellent health benefits, schools, salaries, retirement plans, nannies and private afterschool programs - have journeyed so far from that level of need that, it often seems to me, they literally cannot hear what resonates with the middle class. That creates a problematic blind spot for those who write, edit or produce what comes to be known about our politicians and their policies.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Judith Warner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/the-american-middle-class-it-seems-to-me-is-looking-to-politicians/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Benefits" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/the-american-middle-class-it-seems-to-me-is-looking-to-politicians/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/judith-warner-28813_benefits_the-american-middle-class-it-seems-to-me_1488752.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/judith-warner-28813_benefits_the-american-middle-class-it-seems-to-me_1488752.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/185/judith-warner-28813_benefits_the-american-middle-class-it-seems-to-me_1488752.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The American middle class, it seems to me, is looking to politicians now to satisfy a pretty basic - and…” — Judith Warner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Judith Warner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-warner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The American middle class, it seems...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/the-american-middle-class-it-seems-to-me-is-looking-to-politicians/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-warner/the-american-middle-class-it-seems-to-me-is-looking-to-politicians/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```