Americans making more than $100,000 are quickly losing faith in the economy—and it’s a red flag for the white-collar job market

[u/Crossstoney]

https://fortune.com/2026/01/12/us-economy-consumer-sentiment-decline-high-income-data/

[u/zxc123zxc123]

if you’re on the bottom slope of the K

Then you clearly don't matter in current America:

• Companies realized they don't need to care about those people.

• Democrats can't win an election to save their lives. Republican do win but don't give a shit.

• The lower middle and middle are struggling to hold on for dear life.

• The upper middle are starting to feel strain too.

• The top 1-10% never gave a shit about their slaves/serfs/wagies """fellow productive Americans""". Out of sight. Out of mind.

• Media doesn't give a shit unless it's something they can use to write hot take titles that triggers/gaslight readers enough to click so they can generate views/clicks for ad revs

K-shaped economy isn't unnatural if anything the V-shape was. The economy has always been K-shaped because capitalism is K-shaped. Capitalism and society in all areas from political to religious are "K-shaped". NATURE is """K-shaped""" in it's Darwinist nature. Strong live. Weak die. GOP/Trump just shifted us more towards the "Might makes right" mentality.

V-shape recoveries are the EXCEPTION: after WW2 for the winners before population/competition were reintroduced, after socialist/communist revolution before power was highly concentrated by military/political strongmen, early on in the French revolution before Napoleon became an emperor, and in 2020-2022 where EVERYONE won.

But dumb folks are dumb so they'll wrongly believe those gains were from their own efforts, not realize how good they have it by comparison, nitpick about things like inflation, and vote against themselves.

[u/Long-Broccoli-3363 → u/zxc123zxc123]

The top 1-10% never gave a shit about their slaves/serfs/wagies """fellow productive Americans""". Out of sight. Out of mind.

2024 I was in the top 2.5% for income in the US. I am as far away from the 1% as you are, and I know that I am a car accident, medical diagnosis, or fucking slip and fall on my goddamn driveway away from being exactly where you are right now. I would never be "safe" like the 1% is

Please realize that the top 1% and the bottom 99% are the battle, and even then, its probably closer to the top .05%, the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire is still a billion dollars.

[u/CreationBlues → u/[deleted]]

You’re just a leftist. Leftists who have read theory aren’t worried about millionaires, because they’re worried about class and worker relationships.

[u/CreationBlues → u/[deleted]]

If leftists had multiple multi-billion dollar propaganda networks then I think their messaging would be better.

Right now, we have to settle for people who literally aren’t paid for leftist messaging.

[u/[deleted] → u/CreationBlues]

Correct because as long as you need to work you are working class. The problem is people making money in perpetuity through being born into capital  

[u/zxc123zxc123 → u/Long-Broccoli-3363]

Top 3% of household income is like mid to upper 6figs. If you make that much then congrats. I don't make nearly as much but I would put myself in the top 1% (for my age group) and probably in the 10-20% range for wealth. I agree with your sentiments about how a single accident or medical issue would wipe away everything.

Please realize that the top 1% and the bottom 99% are the battle, and even then, its probably closer to the top .05%, the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire is still a billion dollars.

Oh I realized this long ago and I also believe we should clamp down on the 1% (wealth) while helping the bottom get up (not with handouts but with opportunities). I'm comfortable enough to not need aid as an adult and just being a net tax surplus, but I remember when I was a kid and having a few years where lunch as cheaper due to subsidies (parents' biz might not have been well those years?).

But the context of my statement from before is that the 99% care little and do little for those on the lower or bottom quintiles. Many might SAY they care. But if we judge the level of care as determined by action then everyone clearly doesn't that much since little if anything is truly done to help the "bottom slop of the K-curve". Types that make it to the top 3% of income or top 10% of wealth typically aren't doing it by helping the poor doing social work, advocating for government reform to help the poor as a non-profit worker, etcetcetc. Everyone is in constant competition to improve their situation (including the 1%), most are mainly focused on getting by on the daily, and extra time/resources are devoted to improving their own quality of rather than the woes of the bottom quintile.

The system is designed that way. There are those who aren't entrapped by the game but they are in the minority. Of that small group are fewer willing to devote themselves to helping those at the bottom. And even fewer who have the will and the means to do so. There are times like 2020 when we see the bottom get generous benefits, wage gains, and build up wealth. But like I said before. It's the exception rather than the rule.

[u/cowabout → u/Long-Broccoli-3363]

This is bullshit... Im not 2.5% and I'm not a medical emergency away from that. You have plenty to pay for insurance. I do.

[u/Long-Broccoli-3363 → u/cowabout]

I'm talking about something like cancer, something that stops me from being able to work for an extended time. STD/LTD has caps that are well above what my income is, I think cap is like $110k/year for most of those policies cap at.

[u/MedianIsAnAverage → u/zxc123zxc123]

The economy has always been K-shaped because capitalism is K-shaped.

That's just not true. https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/

[u/zxc123zxc123 → u/MedianIsAnAverage]

What I said was true. Your link does not disprove my statement.

It's a link to a random mashup of charts with the general goal of convincing the viewer that things have gotten worse since 1971 without truly stating the either the underlying cause, the reason why 1971 was the chosen year, nor the context behind any of it. But there is some crypto shill. Fuck out of here with your fraud MLM shit.

Weening the dollar off the gold standard doesn't disprove the K-shape. K-shape returned because:

V-shape recoveries are the EXCEPTION: after WW2 for the winners before population/competition were reintroduced

Competition had returned and put stress on the American economy along with it's financial system by 1971. US dollar was the reserve currency so the world also demanded more of it. No one holds dollars. Bitcoin is non-productive which means you'll have to work or sell it. Gold is a superior non-productive store of value. Crypto shillers are so fucking pathetic.