What’s something middle-class people say that reveals they’ve never struggled? – 17 tell tale privileged statements

If you’ve ever spent time with middle class people – or perhaps you are one – then chances are you’ll know that they can have a blind spot when it comes to their privilege.

This often shows up when it comes to money, with middle class people sometimes sounding out of touch compared to the less fortunate. To get an insight into this behaviour, TahDigThief put the following question to r/AskReddit:

‘People who grew up really poor: what’s something middle-class people say that instantly reveals they’ve never struggled?’

Here are the top answers to make the average Guardian reader squirm…

1.

‘”Just ask your parents for money” was a phrase my upper middle class room mate used all the time in college. Dude, they didn’t have any money either. He was given money from his parents and grandparents every weekend and blew it all on booze and clubbing. I struggled to figure out how to pay for my next meal.’
-zerbey

2.

‘My stepdad asked me if I wanted to go clothes shopping for the new school year the first year after he married my mom. I said yes, and was AMAZED when we went to Kohl’s, not the thrift store. I got one pair of pants on clearance and two shirts on clearance, and told him I was ready to check out. He took me back to the clothes and picked out more for me. I nearly had a panic attack when we got to the register and it was over $100 (this was late 90’s, so a lot of money for clothes back then, at least to me). I started pulling stuff out to put back, and he stopped me and asked what I was doing. He paid and I got to take all of it home, and he did this every year until I moved out!

‘Before this we weren’t allowed to turn on lights in the house during the day to keep the electric bill low.’
-loosesocksup

3.

‘Literally any time at all that they say something is not that expensive.
When you’re poor, EVERYTHING feels expensive.’
-SacredPrime

4.

‘My primary years were the upper level of the low socioeconomic community. We then moved to a nicer area in my teens with better school opportunities. I learnt what was not normal or not to say to friends in both brackets and sometimes it was the same but for opposite reasons. Example: our freezer was always jam packed full of portioned meat or batch cooked meals. To my rich friends, they didn’t need to bulk buy when things were cheap, but to my less well off friends they couldn’t afford the upfront cost to bulk buy.’
-hokeypokey27

5.

‘”Just quit, then,” re: any terrible job that you desperately need and were lucky to get but need to vent about to stop from going insane.’
-mitchwacky

6.

‘The phrase “annual vacation”.’
-Ok_Olive9438

7.

‘I remember being really sad at school because I had ripped one of my T-shirts, and a friend told me to just ask my parents for a new one. That was the day I realized not everyone had to wait for a new school year to get new clothes.’
-Far_Dragonfruit_9502

8.

‘Had a cousin once get laid off from her job at the same time as me. Made this comment: “do you think you’re gonna try to find a job right away or live off your savings interest for a while?”

‘My what what? My WHAT.’
-SnooGadgets3710

9.

‘I can look at someone’s teeth and know whether or not they grew up as poor as me. If they needed braces as a kid but didn’t get them, we are much closer in economic background.’
-geekhaus