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Karen & Kevin Cargo Shorts - former Henry’s - white- still not rich yet despite ‘high income’ - the ‘lower uppers’ - bitter they aren’t doing better - embarrassed that despite high income - net worth is low - barely hanging on to top 20% status - lots of resentment https://twitter.com/davidafrench/status/1324040487725080576
Meet Karen. She makes at least double that of Kevin. When they have kids tho - she will be the one who steps back from work to care for kids. This makes Kevin feel better - because then it looks like he’s the breadwinner - except he’s not
Even though their income has been cut in half - Karen & Kevin Cargo Shorts continue their exhausting facade of pretending they are almost top 1% - but in reality - they are barely hanging onto to bottom of top 20%
Karen & Kevin are white and angry. By all measures the American Dream should be a breeze for them. Except the middle class (not upper) now costs around $300,000 a year if you want to afford retirement, the pay-play sports scam & maintain social status
Both Karen & Kevin put all their time into virtue signaling their time investment in their kids. Intensive parenting is the new Luxury handbag. If you have endless amounts of time to hover over your kids - that conveys status.
You’d never know that Karen & Kevin Cargo Shorts are barely hanging on by a thread. You may not notice that her clothes are slightly out of date - because still - they are too dollar. But the truth is - Karen & Kevin never really got ahead after kid number 1
After kid number 2 - well there was no way Karen could juggle work and the kids. She did the part time thing for a few years but between travel sports & activities - something had to give. Kevins salary never did make up the difference of losing Karens income
Kevin’s no slouch. He brings in around $150,000 ish - which in the Midwest should go pretty far. But without Karen’s income, and with two kids - they could barely keep up the Upper Middle Class lifestyle. I mean - they are white - this isn’t supposed to happen to white people
Karen & Kevin are the sweet spot for trump. Biden’s plan to raise taxes on incomes of $400,000 more is a bigger deal for families - this is a cohort that is both demonized and also feels like they can’t get ahead. People will laugh a ridicule that
It’s easier for Karen & Kevin Cargo Shorts to defy masks. They can’t complain about economic equality- and they resent being controlled by ‘Elites’ who they feel look down on them. They fear people will know their dirty shameful secret - they are not quite rich - and broke
See Kevin Cargo Shorts & Karen fancy themselves as special, & unique like every other suburbanite. Protecting their perceived status - even if it is a facade - is all they have. They strut around with guns, hang at the bar during a pandemic cuz trump said they could
Trump gets them - he says things they want to - but would never dare say. When you are talking to Karen & Kevin - they will never let on that they secretly love Trumps transgressive banter - no K & K will hide behind logically sounding rationalizations
And if you are having a conversation with them it’s easy to overlook how they are raging inside. One tip off is that they complain about taxes. See the ultra rich don’t really complain about taxes - the real rich more often hide their wealth unless .....
Unless they are talking amongst their own wealthy tribe. It’s 2020 - it’s not safe to admit you are wealthy - so the way they ‘complain’ about taxes is different. The ultra rich don’t care about taxes on income - because that’s not how you get into the top 1% -10%
The way the ‘lower uppers’ complain is different from how the ultra wealthy complain. The ultra wealthy rarely do. See Karen & Kevin cargo shorts still think they are closer to the 1% then they are the bottom 80%. If you listen to the ‘tax’ complaints they are easy to spot
You’ll find them on a boat with maga koozies, with multiple trashy trump flags (an ultra rich no-no) on Lake Travis needing time be rescued because all the trump boats sank each other - I mean it’s getting hard for Karen & Kevin to catch a break https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/05/us/Texas-boat-parade-trump.html
Karen & Kevin cargo shorts would rather die than admit who they really are - broke and struggling. And they resent not having what they are entitled to. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/05/my-secret-shame/476415/
Brett Kavanaugh is the quintessential Kevin Cargo Shorts. Struggling to keep up - buried in debt - the only way out is selling yourself off. https://gregolear.substack.com/p/boof-the-enduring-mysteries-of-brett
Brett Kavanaugh knows why he is on the Supreme Court - he no longer needs to pretend - he just says the quiet parts out loud - sound legal arguments are no longer necessary https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/27/us/kavanaugh-voting-rights.html
Scott Pruitt is another perfect example of a Kevin - as @helaineolen brilliantly described as ‘a middle-class striver in a rich man’s administration” and that “Scott Pruitt is acting like what he is: The poorest member of Trump’s Cabinet” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/06/12/scott-pruitt-is-acting-like-what-he-is-the-poorest-member-of-trumps-cabinet/
I don’t think Bernie would have done as well as Biden - I could be wrong. But Bernie and AOC understand the anger better than most Dems - but Karen & Kevin Cargo Shorts wouldn’t be caught dead voting for a socialist - because people would know who they are - broke
