How do YOU define the classes?

[Possum577]

Classes are irrelevant.

The classes aren't driven by income, they're driven by social etiquette, hobbies, and attitudes toward society. Those three things require more money in one class than another. I.e., the "rich" social class prefers clubs and fine food and fine material things and these things all cost more money. I don't believe that anyone who comes into money all of a sudden wants to engage in these activities...it's definitely activity and attitude driven.

Also, class status has more importance depending on the country you live in. In India class status is a very big deal. In the US class status is only a big deal for those that think they're in the "high" class or those that desire to be. Most people don't subscribe much to living by social classes. I could make $250,000 a year or $80,000 a year and I'd have a very similar lifestyle, the same hobbies, and the same group of friends.

[Possum577]

To me, the lower class is defined by anyone who depends upon someone else for theirs or their family's survival.

The upper class are those who make money work for them and, if necessary, could live from this income.

Everyone else is in the middle class.

You're explaining the symptom of not making enough money. If someone only makes $10,000 a year, they'll be dependent on someone else because it is very difficult to live on that low amount of money (in the US at least). That's why people use numbers, because it's a way to measure how much one needs to be a certain level of dependency year over year.

By your rationale most retirees are "upper class" because they live off of their investments (i.e., 401k accounts, etc.). They could only get $35,000 a year in income from those investments but because they don't work to create that income you'd call them upper class. They have to live on a strict budget, have little extra money to have the freedom to do things, yet you'd call them upper class. On the other end of the spectrum you have the stereotypical single mother of a few kids working three jobs to make the same $35,000 a year, living a very meager life to provide for kids on this small income and you'd consider them middle class. This is where your logic doesn't pass test for me.

I think your logic is good for another assessment. Maybe it's an "independence factor" or a "contribution factor"...the less dependent you are on others the more independence you have or contribution you make. I don't think it's a measure of economic class.

[pereira4]

People that can invest and people that cannot invest, thats the main difference between classes. Someone that cant invest is trapped forever into a wageslave life where the wage goes away with minimum expenses.

[Bralex]

Classes per say are history, we now have the top 1 - 10% and the rest of us who they are trying to mold into the same lower class servants 

[aantonopoulis]

Three classes:

1) Don't touch or use fiat currency at all (high class)

2) You use fiat but can issue yourself fiat currency with no limit  (masters - middle class)

3) Use fiat to live but can't issue it to yourself (slaves - low class)

Because most people are in the slave class listed above, it is often further subdivided into many other classes based on the amount of slavery tokens you control.