Eli5: why do people use the term Middle class instead of Working class?

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Isn’t middle simply confusing?

Are we not working folks and wealthy-ruling folks that generate wealth via assets?

Edit: thank you all who’ve helped me gain a better understand of the concept from many different angles

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Because the lower class (the one below middle-class) also works. So if you say Working Class, you are talking about a system that divides people into roughly two groups, upper/ruling class and working class. If you say “Middle Class” the you aren’t just talking about the whole working class, you’re referring to a specific sub-section of the working class. Middle class doesn’t just mean working. It means “working, but can comfortably afford food and housing and probably some hobbies and some limited travel”. If you just said “working class” that means a different thing and it includes a bunch more lower-income / poorer people.

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