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Vol.91
Middle Class |
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Oct.03,2025 |
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The word "middle class" is generally used in economic inequality, but in this essay, I would like to categorize it into politics.
The recent international situation shows that there are far-right and far-left groups, or conservatives and reformists. Even in the U.S., both conservative Republicans and reformist Democrats have become radical, dividing the country in two.
In my opinion, most Americans give yes or no answers to everything, and there are few "middle-class" people, who remain on the fence. For this reason, Japanese people are often said to be slow at making decisions or give vague answers. This is due to differences between Americans, who were originally hunting people and now consist of immigrants from all over the world, and Japanese, agricultural people who had isolated the country for a long time. In farming villages, people are required to respect other people's opinions and unconditionally honor decisions to maintain harmony as communities. If one member goes their own way by sticking to their opinion, things do not go forward as a whole.
To get back to politics, if the approval rating is 30% each for the conservatives and reformists, the middle class (independent voters) accounts for the remaining 40%. These middle-class votes are key to determining the direction of the country and its political systems.
I came to think that this middle class (independent voters) plays an important role like a safety valve. It can be said that these independent voters prevent the country from suddenly becoming militaristic or communistic.
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