Much of what is euphemistically known as the middle class, merely because it dresses up to go to work, is now reduced to proletarian conditions of existence. Many white-collar jobs require no more skill and pay even less than blue-collar jobs, conferring little status or security.
Christopher Lasch, The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations
economics, p68, united-states-of-america