A tale of two classes

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Tweet Religious left opinion leader Diana Butler Bass and I are hardly theological confreres, but I have to say she makes a really good point here. This Black Friday, I expect that some religion commentators will write their yearly screed on the immorality of consumerism decrying the shopping frenzy gripping the nation on the day after Thanksgiving.

But I am not going to join that chorus. It is, however, tediously easy for people who write columns, ministers who preach sermons, or those who are generally comfortable with their jobs or finances to look down on the rushing mobs grabbing electronics from Wal-Mart shelves.

When it comes to consumerism, there exists a tendency to blame the customers for bad behavior and greed.

Of course, they are greedy people everywhere, those who will do anything to gain advantage for themselves at the expense of others—people who live in a soulless world of material possessions.

But the oddest thing about the folks in lines at those discount stores: They are mostly poor, working class, or marginally middle class.

These are the very people who attend church regularly, express higher levels of belief in God, and are more likely to give a higher percentage of their income to those in need. Indeed, nearly every survey in religion shows that the poorer the American, the more likely they are to be both faithful and generous.

A Tale of Two Classes

We see the insane wafflemaker frenzy at Wal-mart and rightly are revolted. But how is the greed so nakedly on display there worse than the greedy frenzy that has taken place, and regularly takes place, on Wall Street? If we are going to condemn the greed of the poor and lower middle class on Black Friday, we had better be sure to hold the wealthy to higher standards.

Greed is greed is greed. The Gospel reading was the story of the Rich Young Man, who asked Jesus what he needed to do to be saved.

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Father started by talking about how brutal people were to each other on Black Friday, and how awful it is that we are so greedy that we lose control of ourselves. It occurred to me while listening to him that, as I said earlier, greed is greed is greed.

The difference between those wafflemaker berserkers and a pinstriped JPMorgan banker whose life is controlled by his desires for money and possessions is opportunity and scale.

Father pointed out that none of us in the congregation has yet fulfilled the conditions Jesus laid down to the Rich Young Man, so we all have repenting to do. It was a useful lesson. As if allowing your life to be controlled by your desires for material things was somehow excusable if you earned the money fair and square.A Tale of Two Cities may be set in France, but it’s actually a moral warning for the people of England.

Because the poor in France are never realistically depicted in A Tale of Two Cities, our understanding of the revolution is limited at best.

Of course, they are greedy people everywhere, those who will do anything to gain advantage for themselves at the expense of others—people who live in a soulless world of material possessions.

The Multifamily Sector: A Tale of Two Classes

But the oddest thing about the folks in lines at those discount stores: They are mostly poor, working class, or marginally middle class. Class-B properties, meanwhile, are between 10 and 20 years old, offer some amenities and have little deferred maintenance.

For investors, they are typically value-add opportunities because unit and common-area improvements can result in higher rents. Dec 04,  · But it seems a little hard to understand the real themes of it.

For me, the three people (the poor family, an old sick lady, and last rich one) represent for three classes (the lower class, middle and higher) it seems like an alley violinist doesn’t get respect from the rich people, they just use their money to mock and ridicule him/her.

Apr 07,  · In this players have access to all of the class features of both classes, all the skills from both skill lists, the higher of the two's Hit Dice, the higher of the two's number of starting skills or skill points, and the weapon, armor, saves, and tool proficiency of both classes.

In fact, hukou practically divides Chinese society into two classes. Few urban residents will socialise with rural workers and intermarriages are considered unwise. Rural hukou holders also have less access to welfare, education, jobs, wages and training.