The middle class is not spending money on education to keep others &#x27;down&#x27;. They&#x27;re doing it to keep from getting trampled themselves.<p>EDIT: I&#x27;m also going to disagree with you on this as well: &quot;spend &#x27;beyond their means&#x27; on lavish cuisine in the hope that it will ensure a health advantage, because it obviously won&#x27;t&quot;<p>Regardless as to whether or not organic and non-GMO food actually has better health benefits, people do not shop at Whole Foods just so they can show off the green bag to everyone else. Unlike say fashion, automobiles, or even gadgets, groceries are not ideal for &#x27;signaling&#x27;<p>Believe it or not, most people don&#x27;t have the luxury (or even the inclination) of sitting in a nice chair with their mean looking cat dreaming up ways of hurting others. Most people are just trying to get by... though obviously this greatly varies from person to person.