American Class Hierarchy System

[@AFNick]

I know a lot of you have asked about what recommended books you should read to learn more in depth about the content on this channel. I made a complete reading list freely available to subscribers who join the channels mailing list. To download the reading list, click on the link below. nickpardini.substack.com/subscribe

[@JRBEBBLE]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉fg😗😁😆🐷😜🎂😁🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎉

[@nicholassterling5242]

You articulate a very sensitive, very difficult topic in a way that is easy to grasp, eminently accessible, and exhibits more depth and grounding in the realities of the present day socioeconomic & political stife than I have seen most others who discuss it be capable of. Thank you for your work.

[@el_amor]

Bro’s glazing like a mf 😂

[@nicholassterling5242]

@@el_amor yeah I was💀 but despite me being a pretentious mf, I still think the guy made a good video about an interesting topic

[@KudaMan]

Crazy how the Ivy Leagues filter heavily for compliance. Almost, if not more than competency. You gotta grind for the SAT, perfect GPA, have all these extracurriculars etc. They want you to be competent, of course, but they also want to ensure you are someone who knows how to obey the rules so you don't break their system. Same logic applies to becoming a doctor.

[@TehGettinq]

It's the same in "big tech" companies. The interview process imply that you are extremely compliant as they make you go through the most ridiculous of hoops and you need to work very hard to pass interviews that are completely unrelated to what you will be doing. They filter for psychometric traits more than skills, compliance (called agreeableness) and mental stability being the top 2 in my opinion, I think your remark is spot on.

[@OceanBlueKeys]

Well I’d most certainly hope they’d screen out any would-be doctors who have a propensity for breaking rules and not following procedure/guidelines backed by clinical evidence… But I get where you’re coming from.

[@Bb-jm6wx]

Why do you say that about doctor?

[@KudaMan]

@@Bb-jm6wx it's the same idea. They make you jump through so many hoops just to prove how much you are willing to comply with their system. Those hoops don't have much to do with how good or insightful of a doctor you will be, but more so how obedient you are.

[@elonmusknewsnetwork]

perfect reason why I never became a doctor 😂😂😂

[@WyattEmge]

As a business owner that dropped out of college and couldnt deal with corporate life. I agree on the split. You either find your own way to capital or you align and find it that way. Both examples iv seen generate wealth in USA. I just could never work for "someone" i always had to be independent. Luckily i have a skill that is highly paid so it worked out

[@superman10501]

What do you do?

[@WyattEmge]

@superman10501 General contractor

[@gloobark]

hell yeah brother good shit. fuck a manager its just me and my clients

[@crosses101]

​@WyattEmge I have a friend who's a general contractor. He just went homeless. So don't oversimplify the situation. U have connections.

[@WyattEmge]

@crosses101 yeah competing with me isn't easy.

[@thefourthrabbit9516]

Very insightful theory and analysis. More strikingly, I found that China (where I lived for the past 20 years) is the only other country that fits this model very well. If you replace "Ivy League Class" with "985/211 Class" and "Establishment Elite" with "CCP Ruling Elites," you get the perfect replica of this double-peak class structure in China. Many people assume that China is the polar opposite of the US in every single aspect. But in reality, China is like the mirror image of the US. Both societies are characterized by colossal power distances (China even more so than the US). Chinese people generally have a pretty accurate idea about how their society works (they would agree with your class structure). In contrast, Americans tend to have little idea or a romanticized view of the US class system.

[@joesmith942]

I have always felt something was missing in social class schemes for the US. I couldn't figure out what it was, but I knew that something was off. This double peak model really addresses the unease I had. This is very cool. Way to go.

[@bobbab5759]

I found the comment about the institutional professional class serving the Ivy League class particularly interesting, because my industry is designed specifically to do that. I have worked for information and analytics companies (think: Bloomberg), went to state school, but am paid well. My customers have been investment banks, big consulting and large law firms. Also - while I peaked at "mid-senior" roles I have noticed that a level up from me the senior managers are almost always Ivy League elites hired into the company.

[@zwatwashdc]

Yes, I realized after not too long in my career that once you got up close to the people who were making the easy money - large salaries, great benefits, great mobility plus extra consultancy or board gigs, etc., all those people were Ivy League and it was a club I was just not going to be admitted to.

[@_Cartographer_]

@@zwatwashdcwhy not just do an Ivy League mba ?

[@codeintherough]

Ceo of Walmart went to university of Arkansas. Or would Walmart be considered Anti elite new money group?

[@bobbab5759]

@@codeintherough Economically, elite of course. But class is more than economics which was the point of the book Class, by Paul Fussell. And it makes sense to me. I grew up very working class and economically lower middle. I make what people would call upper middle class money in a nice white collar environment but I can feel the differences socially.

[@evancombs5159]

​@@codeintherough first these are not distinct groups with hard lines between them. There are gradients between the groups. Walmart is one of those cases where it straddles the line between establishment and counter.

[@Luka23567]

Underclass = Oppressed decay of Capitalism. The unemployed. Underemployed. They depend on the financial support of others for survival. Homeless fit into this category. I’d put this number as about 20%-30% of the population. Working class = The Working poor with no access or limited access to capital/equity. Anybody who lives from paycheck to paycheck. Anybody without at least 50-100k in liquidity or equity. I’d put this as around 50-60% of the population. These two groups interchange quite fluidly. It is very easy to drop from working class to underclass and vice versa. These two groups are the backbone on which capital derives it’s wealth from, aka productive laborers.

[@KINGCABA-if4nk]

So true. But there’s multiple layers Working class. Upper working class- skilled labours - Mechanics, self-employed or blue/pink collars owners. Middle working poor- semi skilled. Waiters/retails, apprentices, assistant to mechanic/hairdressers. Working Lower class - cleaners, labours, seasonal labour- with some government assistance And the underclasses is also apart of the working class. But there upper underclass is completed government assistance but it’s temporary accommodation. Lower underclass is homelessness.

[@e.t.theextraterristrial837]

I'm in rhe middle path. Boring 9-5 middle class job. Save 50% of my income and put it to work in the stock market. Trying to F. I. R. E my way out of the system to have the freedom to work rather than the obligation to work.

[@Luka23567]

@@e.t.theextraterristrial837 the only way out of it is through inheritance. Inflation has completely destroyed any chance of people saving or budgeting their way out of this misery. It’s just work to survive now. Work to exist. Absolutely insane how bad it’s gotten

[@gwills9337]

Agree the bottom half of classes are losing their boundaries and are really just debt slaves

[@Aglai76]

​@@e.t.theextraterristrial837 idk what F.I.R.E. means but may I ask gore much you make that you're able to dedicate half your income to the stock market?

[@yever4635]

Currently doing a media literacy workshop and was struggling on how to explain the American class system and how that affects money, access to media, and what media gets funded. This video plus the "Old Money" Video is such a lifesaver. Most of the media literacy dialogue I've reviewed is completely void of this important factor or just barely reviews it, so I'm immensely thankful. Thank you!!!

[@AFNick]

You're welcome

[@vex6543]

You’re doing s workshop on something you don’t understand, classic

[@yever4635]

@vex6543 I understand this because I have been personally affected and see the effects of it constantly in several spheres of influence over several decades. Teaching and experiencing are two completely different concepts. Ex: You have people who are excellent artists but crappy art teachers. What this video has done is condensed an incredibly dense concept into a more digestible format. Making it an excellent teaching resource. The struggle I had was on how to disseminate the information to someone who has not experienced what I have. What this video just explained has done so much more effectively and concisely than I could have by myself. Hence, my message of gratitude. Try doing the same yourself before criticizing people on limited information. That's like critiquing an experienced mechanic for appreciating an effective tool that makes his job easier.

[@vex6543]

@@yever4635 put this much effort into teaching 😂

[@kalonjiwilliams8889]

@@vex6543Are they not putting in more effort? A great teacher continues to learn and refine ideas overtime.

[@kingofthesofas]

I started off in the underclass. Both of my parents were on government support and were abusive hoarders. I grew up on government cheese. I am now pretty high on the chart and close to the counter elite. I went to college but never went to a fancy IVY league school and I now make a very high income in the 1%. My goal is to finish climbing close to the top of the pyramid and then write a book about what it was like to leave at each level of society since I have lived them all.

[@AFNick]

I look forward to reading it

[@jaanth314]

It would be interesting to hear your story.

[@ryanlee-p1c]

Your experience is typical of the pull yourself up by the bootstraps. Its a american trait that I respect

[@erichanson5194]

Great video, I am really enjoying this series.

[@Brian_Friesen]

I have worked in a public transit agency (union job, pays well) for 24 years, but I started my own asphalt business four years ago. I have one foot in each tower. This diagram very well describes what I observe. I hope to break out of my institutional job and make it to the successful business owners class.

[@archstanton3931]

Class analysis is a powerful tool for understanding the world. It's great to see someone applying it to the actual modern day classes instead of brainlessly trying to make modern facts fit obsolete theory.

[@hjtechguy]

This is an incredible social analysis. I worked my way up to being part of the "Ivy League elite", and now all my friends are in that class (doctors, lawyers etc.). But they all feel that unease of not being part of the "establishment elite". They want to break into it, but are burdened by heavy taxation and lifestyle inflation that makes it very difficult. Them living in the most expensive apartments in NYC is the best example. Race and love also add interesting dimensions here. My friends and I are not white, so that makes us a bit less in the Ivy League elite class compared to white peers (in East Coast far more so than West Coast). Men in this class try to find partners in similar class, while women try to go those above that class for hypergamy reasons. This is why Asian Female White Male as an example is a huge thing in the US, because it marriages race, partnership, and class together. Women in the Establishment Elite are in the most interesting situation because there really is no way to move up in hypergamy/class ladder, only move down by marrying men in the lower class, which never ends up well. Or most likely stay in the same class but the percentage of men in that elite tranche are very tiny, so marriage prospects are hard and require external help.

[@stellamaxwell777]

Fantastic, Nick! You’re the first person I’ve heard who has talked about the lack of critical thinking and conformity among the Ivy League class. I’ve always been dumbfounded by how people who are meant to be the most intelligent crop of our country end up being so simple minded-good at what they’ve been trained to do but little else… Question: do you think something has flipped in modern society where the Ivy League class has taken over the social and political power that the Establishment Elite once held through the technology of the internet and of social media? I ask because I don’t think the establishment elite are really interested in pushing the woke ideology you mention…I’ve actually seen it the other way around, where the youth of the establishment elite are learning and taking on the narrative and worldview of the Ivy League class because it’s what they need to do to get along in their peer group and society at large. From my personal experience, even just being a moderate on a college campus or in a major city in the US is enough to mark you as a bit of a pariah. And as you said, the establishment elite play the long game of going along to get along. If so, do you think the culture can or will flip back to establishment elite control? Or do you see a presidential run like RFK Jr’s as a sign that the establishment elite are willing to commit class treason by crossing over to the realm of counterculture elite as a way to regain power and stabilize society. At what point does the counterculture become the establishment again?

[@AFNick]

Good questions. I’ll answer them in a future video

[@munaali840]

the Ivy league is simply all the elites kids, it was always created by the elite for the elite to rule. thats why what they call 'thinking' courses History, Philosophy, Theology, Literature are taught while the masses at state colleges were given technical skills that would lead them to a better job, german-americans tried to add more for the masses but they were taken out of real political power in america by ww1 and completely destroyed after ww2

[@felipe741]

Need a video on “elite overproduction” Highly interesting topic that’s close to this video

[@AFNick]

I’ll add it to the list

[@gwills9337]

Rome Rome, ancient rome

[@laughinggiraffe9176]

Only the establishment elite is overproduced, because our universities are designed to overproduce the establishment elite.

[@codeintherough]

I went read about this on Google and still don't quite understand. It seems to say that too many "elites" are produced , the "institutions" can't absorb them which leads to social unrest, then later says that college student become progressive not because they went to college but because of unemployment a lack of jobs, which I take to mean jobs in their field that pay a decent wage. It seems to imply that society is instilling the ideals of a high quality of life in more people than it should. But from another angle you could just say under production of elite jobs. If being a software developer for instance is considered elite and I mention this job because of the huge layoffs and it's commonly known they make six figures. But there are many software developers who work freelance and earn very well or even create startups that employ more people. So this overproduction under production thing is a natural part of the economy and technological development as old jobs become obsolete and new jobs are created. It's not like the old days where there could only be one Duke over an area. We can create whole new domains and become the king of that domains Or maybe I don't know what the hell I'm talking about

[@unknowninfinium4353]

No such thing as over production. Overporudction is by default loss. But you should know that by now right? Or you try to right?

[@johnchao2422]

Happy to have found you while you're on the come up

[@eurodelano]

This is a great explanation of what is going on in the US politically today. Most insightful for me was distinguishing class in America as not only one’s access to capital and how it was obtained, but also one’s access to institutional power.

[@simaszavistauskas6390]

As another viewer commented, elite overproduction is an interesting symptom that occurs within the established elite. What is the cause? Wealth pumps (ie, using a serf based economy to create substantial wealth) created large swaths of highly educated elite aspirants. A certain % of these elite aspirants are frustrated by their lack of ability to earn the crown of becoming an "established elite". Such individuals become counter revolutionaries and attempt to dismantle the very same system they attempted to dominate in, hence the extremities we've seen in radical right and left (more so left, in this case) wing political groups. "End Times" by Peter Turchin touches on this concept with great depth using historical data. A fascinating read!

[@SCNYC]

I'm a new big fan of yours because you have fresh logical ideas about how our society really works.

[@AFNick]

Thanks for the kind words

[@zwatwashdc]

This should be taught in school. It would make the future much more intelligible to young people who need to make hard decisions about student loans, etc. They should first target their ‘box’ then narrow it down to skills they need to succeed int that box.

[@ZenBen_the_Elder]

This is a fascinating and provocative thesis. When the lecturer showed the first graph of the conventional class hierarchy, I picked up my head and knew that the AI had steered me to the right address to update my outdated late 20th century cognitive map. My man is right. His model of the bifurcated class structure and the competing elites at the top of those twin towers is a more refined understanding. Downloading update now.

[@mwtichenor]

Nailed it. Most people are debating whether Haitians in Ohio are eating cats.

[@samueltucker8473]

Racoons and cats there is not much difference. . . Racoons have better hands than cats. Chicken Bones are hollower.

[@ONEBALLINMYBUTT]

Lmao fr

[@h.w.4482]

Haitians in Haiti are eating people lmao

[@billdee814]

You have to understand that in the debate pet eating was mentioned only to bring attention to Spring Field Ohio. If Trump spoke about it in a intelligent manor no one would would have paid any attention to the crisis. People are now looking into the problem in this town. 20,000 Haitian migrants have been placed into Spring Field mostly facilitated by the local mayor and federal government. (this is a town with only 60,000 residents) The issues are schools, medical, housing, town/govt service are stressed to the maximum. Just to get an idea. The school system has typical classroom over crowding with 10 to 20 non English speaking Haitian's in the classroom. Many of the Haitian students are over 18 years old taking 9th grade studies. So this is just a taste of what will happen to many towns in America if the current democrats are elected.

[@jghifiversveiws8729]

@@billdee814 There aren't even 20,000 Haitians in the entire State of Ohio. Please stop peddling this lie.

[@djenning90]

This split makes a lot of sense, and understanding this distinction is very relevant to me. In my life, I see myself as having tried to find success in the counter elite, but finding myself falling into the counter elite, which is not where I want to be.

[@lennyf923]

Hey great video, just a quick question. How come you didn't add any separation between the "Independent Professional Class" and "Successful Business Owners"? I personally feel like that's a particularly difficult stage to get to from the previous stage.

[@AFNick]

It’s difficult but attainable at a probability high enough not to have a gap.

[@PatMcRay-fm8fw]

Honestly, this is by far the best analysis on Americans social hierarchy that I have heard. Great work!

[@Urlocallordandsavior]

Do you have any good book recommendations that goes further into America's class hierarchy? Sounds very interesting. Also, wouldn't the counter-elite become the new established elite once they toppled the old elite? Then the system starts all over...

[@ContrarianExpatriate]

Class, by Paul Fussell is a great book on the subject.

[@munaali840]

yes, thats what happened when the WASPs were taken over by the Jewish elites and the new money, your seeing it again with foreign tech bros trying to gain power

[@gangsta8929]

Strong agree on the idea of “diversity” covering up the homogeneity of the establishment.

[@Mark-id8ff]

If I were lower middle class or in lower socio-economic class, I would do whatever I could to move to Europe. I think Europe does a better job of catering to these classes than the US. That being said, as I am now retired and was a member of the "Institutional Professional Class" (according to your classification system), that puts me in the upper middle class socio-economic system. I think people in the upper middle class and upper-class socio-economic classes fare better in the U.S. (i.e. savings and investment portfolios, etc.).

[@AFNick]

Agreed on both points

[@nickthompson268]

Love this video. One thing of note is that the counter elite and the right side of the dynamic represent the salt of the earth millionaires and occasional self-made billionaires who usually reside outside of major metro coastal cities and reject a globalist worldview. These people usually have their wealth tied up into physical assets and old economy businesses and in my personal opinion, have social views more in line with working class people. This is why figures like Trump who while a billionaire, has most of his wealth in real estate and construction and has social views in line with workers of that industry.

[@laughinggiraffe9176]

The cryptocurrency traders must also count as new counter elite. Would I be making a leap to say that the counter elite got rich in more of a genuine free market, while the establishment elite rely on educational credentials, connections, and regulations?

[@SHW5010]

I wish someone could create a USA wealth pyramid by tiered NetWorth with each tier’s height held constant but tier width representing volume of society within that tier. A pyramid for each of USA’s epoch’s.

[@alexisstaroneal]

I agree to an extent that modern diversity measures in corporations and cultural institutions can be superficial, often serving to make the elite establishment appear more inclusive on the surface. But this tactic isn’t new. Throughout history, race, cultural or religious backgrounds, and gender have been used as tools (in the opposite way) to make people feel unworthy of joining the elites. These ideologies seep into the subconscious and collective consciousness of marginalized groups. While today’s efforts may sometimes seem shallow, they are still significant because they challenge the very foundations on which these elite empires have been built. They also create opportunities for these groups to advance. As much as the lower class faces material struggles, I’d argue the biggest barrier is the belief that they can rise above their circumstances-and knowing how to do it.

[@mycaryse7108]

Great info man, such a unique perspective and breakdown. What you say makes a lot of sense

[@user-zo2ge3oe8d]

So where would a police officer (or nurse) that has a bachelors degree from a state school and makes $135k-140k a year (with a lot left over) be at on this hierarchy?

[@AFNick]

Middle class with option to move into institutional professional class

[@Ivan-vn1pd]

this seems really familiar and pretty close to what James Burnham wrote about talking about the professional managerial class and that seems pretty similar to your idea of the establishment elite/ivy league class

[@asmrfan6543]

Interesting take on the US class structure. For all its faults, it still remains one of the easiest to climb class structures in the history of the world. Places like India, for example, have it much worse, from what I've heard. Not only is their caste system more rigid.. ie even casually mingling with lower classes is frowned upon, but the nation as a whole has far less wealth to distribute in the first place. So, the lower classes not only have it worse, their ability to move up is more difficult, too. I think it's worth noting that all caste systems require that those involved be generally oblivious to their caste. Ie, only the people at the top, tend to think about these things, and those at the bottom just accept their reality. This ignorance is what keeps it in place. That said, I suspect the enormous wealth of the US makes even the working or middle class appealing to many who come from places that don't have these opportunities. They say the King of France in the 1700's had a lower quality of life than an average American does in today's society, thanks to technology and the scale of industry.

[@TheFactsMan]

Great Video!

[@matt46142]

I think this perfectly encapsulates the current political polarization and left/right divide

[@hamelconsultancyllc]

I agree with 90% of this. I am worried we are becoming much more like other countries with an enshrined upper establishment class with less mobility than ever, and the right side is getting smaller and smaller

[@SamMcKinley]

Politicians get millions after only having 100k salary. 🤔

[@UncleSam-j6s]

insider trading is part of their benefits 😂

[@laughinggiraffe9176]

They are femininely establishment elite or a lower wrung on the pyramid that has establishment elite at the top. They had to kiss up to the rich and powerful to get there.

[@laughinggiraffe9176]

*definitely

[@robreich6881]

Speaking fees are mint… 😂

[@quincekreb6798]

And one of the only government employees that vote their own raises!!

[@Richard-ki4nkgm]

Debt based, manipulated, controlled fiat monetary systems are a major force in perpetuating fossilized class structures

[@MichaelSmith4501-jd8pu]

This is actually pretty accurate.

[@Parvenu90]

I would love for you to elaborate on some more specific examples in the Counter Elite Class and things Establishment Elites do to minimize Counter Elite legitimacy and numbers. Very interesting overall.

[@FrizzelFry]

Great video - very eye opening

[@AFNick]

Thank you!

[@jayakumar4633]

Simply explained thank you

[@AFNick]

You are welcome

[@MichaelShatravka]

Very interesting, but there is an entire diverging class of people you are missing and that is Rogue Society. This is an emerging group of people under the age of 40 that exhibit all the characteristic from the Underclass all the way up to successful business owners. These people have strategically structured themselves to become low-income nobodies in the eyes of the law, while maintaining a working class appearance, middle class lifestyle, professional work ethic, and leverage anonymous business entities for cashflow. These people have been failed by the system and now legally navigate the grey areas of the law to their advantage. Rogue society is the future.

[@DanteFiallo]

what are "anonymous business entities"?

[@gloobark]

there is plenty of intermingling between establishment elites and counter elites. This happens at all levels of this chart. all of these tiers have some degree of class consciousness between themselves their financial and material counterparts

[@Palmtreeshinobi]

This is very thoughtful and well articulated / intuited

[@costasmakrides5584]

I’m praying on your success OG your videos are killer

[@AFNick]

Thanks for the kind words and support.

[@costasmakrides5584]

@@AFNick 😈👅👌🏻👈🏻🥹👉🏻👈🏻

[@echezona.ukachukwu]

_"...This is a theory not a hardline fact..."_ If I am reading you well, I think you meant to say, "This is hypothesis, not a law." Knowledge is supposed to go from: Art -》Hypothesis -》Theory -》Law ...

[@raminrouchi202]

Moving up the social ladder is like a drug. The higher you get, the higher you want to go and the more you think you font have. Id be happy with low mid or reggie

[@AlexGorandov]

So if you are for example an Accountant, and start your own firm. Would you jump from the Institutional professional to the independent professional class?

[@AFNick]

Yes

[@pedroortiz4506]

Makes perfect sense.

[@matthew.m.stevick]

i recently went from middle to upper class quickly. it is so different.

[@Yarmox]

Worry not about your class. The Lord will judge us all equally.

[@udhayakumarMN]

That's how religions make us not to worry about classes 😊😊

[@Yarmox]

@@udhayakumarMN Dont misinterpret it. You can be aware of whats going around you, but you not take part in it.

[@beerkegaard]

Says the guy at the bottom of the pyramid

[@samueltucker8473]

Surplus distribution and management is a growing field. Communication is key to education of the 'elite' WHOs in the class. 2 sometimes makes 3 given enough space time and training. Chose carefully 😉

[@FlyingDoctorC]

GREAT VIDEO!!! Your insight is soo good. will have to spread your ideas

[@AFNick]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@garynapoli6244]

I'm impressed nice take.

[@CMCDragonkai]

You may be interested in the Network State from Balaji.

[@TehGettinq]

Good vizualisation, this is tightly coupled to more global human taxonomy, i.e freemasonry and other groups. Conceptually the split between establishment and the independant working class is quite unique to the west and a few other countries where you can potentially have the opportunity to raise your status a little. Bottom line is that the established elite holds a lot more wealth and power than the opposite side, and letting the other side grow some level of power is also often to their advantage since it allows them to grow further by aquiring things and injecting/forcing their philosophies inside the companies that are initially created by the "counter elite". (I would almost draw a one sided arrow that goes from the counter elite to the established elite to showcase this). Typically my mental model involves iterator vs creators, where creators here would be the counter elite (i.e potentially innovative people). The establishment needs a few of these people to create things, i.e phones etc etc and can then hijack everything that comes out of these inventions. Iterators here would be the underlying classes, who simply help the wheel go round and get along with the program, on whichever side. EDIT: to further explain the split I think it would be interesting to take a look at the psychometry of members of both sides, typically you would find that people on the establishment side are usually very agreeable, this is a trait they filter for since they dont want people that are disrupting the mold. This is why I said that the establishment benefits from the counter elite, (which only exists because the establishment allows it) the establishment lets disruptive people build things without having to deal with them, and once the things are build they simply buy it or infiltrate it and hijack it (think big tech). That way they don't risk their position and just gain more power, also increasing the illusion of an advesary class.

[@schurlbirkenbach1995]

In Europe, I observe that the explosively growing state bureaucracy suggests a kind of upward mobility for the former working class, which has been replaced by emigrants. I suspect that the high popularity of the US Army compared to European armies is due to a similar effect. Are there any observations?

[@arid_desert_storm]

Working class upbringing, I'd say Im middle class now, but I've worked for both institutional and independent professional class employers, and Im still young enough where I could eventually branch into either of those eventually, or just chill at middle class. All four of those worlds are so much different. Coming from a working class household and breaking into the middle class felt insanely difficult at first. Massive cultural and lifestyle differences. Also the fact that you have no safety net. You still have a foundation that the underclass doesnt have, but its just a foundation. YOU still have to build the house. As far as comparing the professional classes, in my opinion the Institutional class is on rails, where the Independent is very free form. Independent class has more risktakers and/or people who dont want to feel trapped in a defined path. Independent provides you a much less defined boss/employee relationship than Institutional. Less hierarchy, fewer bureaucratic layers. The irony is that the gap between the professionals and the elites on both sides are absolutely massive, but those classes dont see it. For example, these are the people who will brag about their kids looking at Ivy League schools and then get rejected at all of them. The effort I said it took to go from working to middle? I think it takes as much effort if not more to go from professional to elite.

[@AFNick]

Agreed. Each level up gets progressively more challenging to attain.

[@dominickivni7496]

I enjoyed this point of view, I’m not sure if I fully agree or disagree but it’s very thought provoking 👍 Btw, have you ever seen the documentary “Born Rich” by one of the Johnson and Johnson heirs? You look and sound kind of similar to one of the interviewees, Josiah Hornblower, who is a Whitney and Vanderbilt descendant

[@elonmusknewsnetwork]

Great analysis

[@AFNick]

Thanks

[@willhurst]

Another banger, looks like you’re in the pocket bro. Keep going!😎

[@AFNick]

Thanks

[@houston6927]

Great Video, invaluable framework

[@AFNick]

Thanks

[@BoxOfCurryos]

First generation immigrants: “nah imma do it my own way”

[@halfhalf656]

The last part , you nailed it 👏

[@AFNick]

Thanks

[@bluedaffodil2023]

In this chart, where would you place healthcare workers such as dentists, optometrists, physical therapists, midlevel providers, and nurses? Would they be in the Institutional Professional Class?

[@AFNick]

Middle class or professional classes depending on role. Those with their own practice can be in the independent professional class and top doctors in both categories can be Ivy League or successful business owner class.

[@bluedaffodil2023]

@@AFNick Thank you so much! My mom is a dentist who co-owns her own practice with other dentists, so this helped me understand where my family stands better

[@graymatters6155]

Doing an amazing job!

[@AFNick]

Thanks

[@donafonso1349]

Very insightful. Thank you for sharing.

[@ryangodges6665]

Great video. Enjoyed listening

[@AFNick]

Thanks

[@bennettbullock9690]

Wow, I have been saying this for months, although much less articulately. Thank you.

[@L-over_music]

I like this graphic but i feel as if it is just a more specific version of the classic 5 step.

[@Nardiumms]

Great video! Shocked there isn’t 1 million ciews

[@AFNick]

Thanks

[@zacharysilver911]

You’re like an older Rudyard Lynch

[@AFNick]

That's funny. My channel's first popular videos were my critiques of him for being too doomer.

[@Lachronix]

so then if you're in the working/middle class, but are still dependent on the state, what class are you?

[@AFNick]

Are you referring to government employees or those who supplement income with social welfare assistance?

[@Lachronix]

@@AFNick the 2nd one

[@AFNick]

@@Lachronix you are at the bottom in the dependent class.

[@whyukraine]

You really need to add the caveat that your diagrams or not to scale. The bottom of your pyramid/towers is much larger than the tops.

[@brianmunoz4520]

Great video , thank you

[@AFNick]

You’re welcome

[@Harshharsh111]

I thought there is always disruptions caused by new technology or political systems, wars, etc. How can Ivy league class keep their class alive for generations?

[@AFNick]

I will be going into the Ivy League in a future video

[@frankjrock]

Imo your model is 🎯 You can move up through their institution’s and be indoctrinated by them or you can take the entrepreneurial approach and forge your way. I remember learning about how Pablo Escobar tried entering politics after building up his Drug Empire, but struggled heavily due to much opposition from the elite class of his country. It is what put a big target on his back. Little did he know that politics, just like the underworld, people get information on you. With certain information on him, they were able to push him out and villainize him to the world. Thus crushing his dream of becoming president. In Narcos, they depict him lacking affinity and connection with the other politicians since they belong to the institutional elite class and he is part of the counter elite. There was a powerful lesson, snakes can be found in all gardens. Politicians are not saints and some can be some of the most conniving, corrupted, and dangerous individuals you will encounter in your civilization. Just like in Animal Farm, the pig analogy is justified.

[@stardious3769]

I have also seen this in real life. Like people who inherit wealth vs self made businesses.

[@bigekoms]

Thank you

[@samueltucker8473]

It looks like there is s disconnect between the 'base' and the 'estsblished elite'.

[@elkoikan5993]

Oh man, I stayed all the way to the end to hear examples of counter elite taking on the establishment elite. Would one example of that be October revolution? Where boyshevik took over Russian empire from Romanovs.

[@AFNick]

No. See my video on class structure in authoritarian societies for more on that. A better example of counter elite taking on elite is Reagan Revolution in late 70’s/early 80’s in the USA

[@Noumenon4Idolatry]

I define slavery as having to work hard for money. People who love what they do, don’t work hard. People that are afraid to die, still have to work. I don’t define conformity as a place of wealth. I obviously belong to the rebellious pyramid. Money is great but it isn’t everything.

[@zachschafer6229]

Great video!!!

[@AFNick]

Thanks

[@samueltucker8473]

The feathers are pulled off those BELLOW to feather 🪶 the nests above is the general practice as those above dehumanize those below. There are many economic models in communities. When upper offices fall to corruption all under them suffer under the bribbing groups

[@SHW5010]

your salaries are way off, household income working class neighborhood on Long Island is ~$150,000 which is paycheck to paycheck living standard, with a mortgaged $600,000 2000sqft home.

[@Null-o7j]

This video best watched at 1.75x speed.

[@p07a]

I see it mostly the same way. Classism (ie wealth) underlies all other political discourse

[@Gulls16-m8y]

Amazing analysis!

[@AFNick]

Thanks

[@Shadowmilll]

You're description of the underclass is quite bad. Other than that fine analysis. Another lense to view "counter elite" and "establishment elite" is world bourgeoisie (establishment elite) and the local/petty bourgeoisie (counter elite). The world bougrgeoisie have hold over capital/resourses/markets. The local/petty bourgeoisie have hold over local capital/resources/markets.

[@JT-xb6zs]

Well done! Love the video

[@AFNick]

Thanks

[@samueltucker8473]

Two parties fighting setting traps and defacing one another

[@L3uX]

Progressive taxation, at the top end of the class spectrum, slow down upward mobility.

[@A.1.2.K]

Brilliant

[@AFNick]

Thanks

[@xexmatu7s]

I love your videos Nick. Did you make the hierarchical chart or is it from a book? Can you recommend a book comparing the establishment elite and the counter elite?

[@AFNick]

I made the chart myself. There’s not a single source (or even type of source) that generated my theories on this, but A book to start with is Old Money by Nelson Aldrich.

[@swimscape2499]

I think that I'm going to share your channel with asmongolds' reddit

[@hhkk6155]

Yes, divide and conquer the population