Middle class ethics and its political role, by: Dr. Ahmed Anwar

Jalal Amin points out that the distinction of the middle class by mere observation has become more difficult than it was even in the fifties and sixties, as European dress and modern types of consumer goods have become widespread. Additionally, new social segments have gone to theaters, beaches, and entertainment venues, which they only started frequenting since their purchasing power increased very recently, and theaters and entertainment venues responded to their tastes. We not only find the phenomenon of value contradiction but also find contradictions between words and actions or between intellectual visions and scientific attitudes. Perhaps an explanation for these contradictions can be found in the social stance that prevents this class, which is torn between aspirations for upward mobility and fears of decline, giving its value systems a pragmatic, opportunistic character that always places interests above principles. These interests are threatened by fears of decline on one hand and fueled by aspirations for upward mobility on the other.