by 
One
of
the
important
distinctions
to
understand
in
our
society
is
between
the
middle
class
and
the
striver
class.
Being
middle
class
is
about
building
a
life.
It’s
primarily
about
the
material
elements
of
the
American
Dream
:
a
house
with
a
backyard
for
grilling
in
a
nice
neighborhood,
a
car,
family
vacations,
retirement
savings,
a
social
life
with
friends
and
neighbors
and
people
from
church,
children
who
are
able
to
build
a
life
with
even
better
material
success.
Being
striver
class
is
about
the
desire
to
move
up
in
the
world.
There
are
material
aspects
to
that,
but
also
the
key
element
of
social
status
.
The
striver
wants
to
get
into
the
right
schools,
to
move
to
the
right
city
or
neighborhood,
to
vacation
in
the
right
destinations,
to
have
intellectual
or
artistic
ambitions,
to
run
in
the
right
circles,
to
be
recognized
and
accepted
by
people
at
higher
social
levels.
The
difference
between
middle
class
and
striver
class
is
not
money.
People
with
a
middle
class
orientation
can
make
a
ton
of
money
and
be
wealthier
than
many
striver
class
people
–
even
be
rich,
typically
through
some
prosaic
business
or
”
sweaty
startup
“,
or
even
by
becoming
a
partner
in
an
accounting
firm
or
a
successful
doctor.
What
distinguishes
the
striver
class
person
is
a
desire
to
move
up
socially,
not
just
economically.
This
doesn’t
have
to
mean
trying
to
join
some
exclusive
country
club.
It
might
also
mean
wanting
to
become
a
tenured
professor
at
a
good
university,
or
to
own
an
apartment
in
a
fashionable
NYC
neighborhood,
or
to
get
an
op-ed
published
in
the
Wall
Street
Journal.
The
difference
is
also
not
strictly
about
ambition
level.
Some
people
with
middle
class
mindsets
really
want
to
get
rich.
Strivers
can
have
as
shallow
or
low
ambitions
as
any
middle
class
person.
The
difference
is
in
the
kind
of
ambition.
Both
are
completely
legitimate
ways
to
live.
But
these
groups
have
very
different
orientations
toward
life.
I
don’t
think
a
striver
class
person
would
feel
at
home
in
a
predominantly
middle
class
environment,
or
vice
versa.
Pete
Buttigieg
and
Vivek
Ramaswamy
are
archetypal
strivers.
It’s
no
surprise
that
both
of
them
managed
to
get
on
TV
during
two
separate
2003
MSNBC
presidential
town
halls.
Read
the
rest
of
this
piece
at
Aaron
Renn
Substack.
Aaron
M.
Renn
is
an
opinion-leading
urban
analyst,
consultant,
speaker
and
writer
on
a
mission
to
help
America’s
cities
and
people
thrive
and
find
real
success
in
the
21st
century.
He
focuses
on
urban,
economic
development
and
infrastructure
policy
in
the
greater
American
Midwest.
He
also
regularly
contributes
to
and
is
cited
by
national
and
global
media
outlets,
and
his
work
has
appeared
in
many
publications,
including
the
The
Guardian,
The
New
York
Times
and
The
Washington
Post.
Photo:
screenshot
from
2003
presidential
town
hall.
Go to Source
Author: Aaron M. Renn
