Thats just patently BS man. Poor people who live paycheck to paycheck experience way more hardship than upper middle class folks.  Poor people are under constant anxiety of figuring out how to pay their bills and survive month to month without ending up homeless. Beater Car breaks down? Fucked. Medical problem comes up? Fucked. Appliances break? Fucked.  People in this situation are constantly trying to figure out how to make ends meet and usually have to make shitty decisions to get by. Like maybe Ill just drop car insurance for a few months to cover these other bills and HOPE I dont get pulled over, kind of decisions. These are the kind of people who forego health insurance and just cross their fingers that no one in their household will need it in the imminent future. All of that stress and anxiety has an impact on everyone in the household, constantly. Meanwhile upper middle class people dont even worry about their bills, assuming they are managing their funds even just semi-responsibly. These folks dont have to forego essentials to make ends meet, arent under constant pressure to keep food on the table and a roof over everyones head. Their struggles include do we want to go to Disneyland this year for vacation or maybe an all-inclusive resort?, or should I get the platinum package on a brand new F350 or just stick to the basics and have extra playing around with money? Yeah sure, they have some struggles but to suggest they are just different but equal, is asinine.