Opinion: The Middle Class Dilemma, By Kenneth Amaeshi
Trapped in contradictions, the perfection of human nature becomes an exercise in futility and imbalance becomes the only constant. In that regard, the middle class will always be in the business of pretending to live above board and eventually in denial. Denial, therefore, simultaneously becomes a way of making sense of and coping with the exigencies of existence.
In Nigeria, for example, they like to impress and be impressed. They profess global tastes and keep up with trends. For the extreme version of this class, prosperity is their new religion. No one cares, as long as it translates into money. Money speaks; money works. They drive good cars; have good jobs and houses; and their children go to very good schools.
Unfortunately, the Nigerian institutional context is rather weak and inefficient, which makes the situation precarious. Notwithstanding, the middle class prefers addressing the outcomes of poor and weak institutions to rethinking and strengthening the institutions, in the first place. This makes sense because addressing the institutional gaps automatically block their source of competitiveness and undermine the significance of their acts of charity.
Despite the good works done by the middle class in Nigeria, their subtle and disguised claim to moral purity and social neutrality is both interesting and worth exploring. Studies of White middle class, for instance, suggest that these claims of living above board are often expressions of denials. It is a way of deflecting, instead of confronting, the ills of society head-on.
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