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Even before the 'Occupy' movement gripped America and the rest of the world last fall, The Daily Ticker had been covering the sad, but true reality of our country's fading middle class: Middle-income families have been hit hard by more than 30 years of stagnating wages and rising prices for basic necessities like food and energy.
Our segment last May entitled "America's Middle Class Crisis: The Sobering Facts" hit a nerve, quickly becoming our most popular segment of all time with millions of views and more than 10,000 shares on Facebook. The reception to the clip was shocking, but after the most recent global financial crisis left so many jobless, it is hard to be all that surprised.
The leaderless 'Occupy' movement, chided for not having one single mission, did manage to make growing wage disparity a major cause to protest. Its most notable crusade remains against the country's richest 1% in an era where it seems the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and those in the middle grow fewer.
Many would argue that more needs to be done to rebuild the middle class and close the huge gap between the rich and poor in the U.S. President Obama has even made this a theme for his bid to recapture the White House.
But for all the differences between the social classes, there are plenty of similarities says comedian Adam Carolla. In his new e-book Rich Man, Poor Man he uses illustrations to demonstrate how the rich and poor are not so different after all. As you might expect, some of the colorful pictures and examples are right in line with Carolla's comedic tone and also a bit off-color.
We here at The Daily Ticker take this topic very seriously, but also have a sense of humor and believe even the most-serious subjects can handle a moment of levity to lighten the mood. We hope you feel the same.
With out further ado, here are a few of Carolla's funny pontifications of which pertain to both the rich and the poor, but not those left in the middle:
Has an outdoor shower: If you have an outdoor shower then one of two things are true, says Carolla.
You either have a shower poolside near your cabana and fully outfitted bar, which makes you rich. Or you're showering at outside at the public beach or simply showering with a bucket outside using your neighbor's hose, which would then make you poor.
Doesn't use a wallet: Rich people of course always use a money clip, where as poor people cannot afford a wallet and just carry crumpled and bunched money loosely in their pockets, quips Carolla.
Doesn't use Kleenex: The rich guy couldn't bear using anything other than a monogrammed handkerchief and well, the poor person left to just use the sleeve of his or her shirt.
Adam Carolla: Money Motivates
Adam Carolla is a man of many trades. Not only is he a comedian, but he is a best-selling author, TV star and is the host of the number one podcast: The Adam Carolla Podcast.
He is also widely known for his start on the radio show Loveline and the MTV spin-off, his stint as co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and his frequent appearances as a contestant and judge on Dancing with the Stars. He is next slated to be a contestant on the upcoming season of Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump.
In the accompanying interview, The Daily Ticker's Daniel Gross, a well-established author in his own right, asks Carolla what makes an already successful celebrity try to "make it" as an author. Carolla's answer is plain and simple: money.
"The reality is somebody comes up to you and says, 'will you do this?' Then you say, 'how much money do you have?'" explains Carolla of his own experiences. "If that number is good enough you go, 'I guest I do want to write a book' and then you write a book."
That's how his best-selling book In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks came about as did his role on Dancing with the Stars.
But in the case of Rich Man, Poor Man, Carolla actually came up with the idea himself about seven or eight years ago and has wanted to write it ever since.
For a laugh, watch the interview to hear Carolla explain all this in his own words. He also tells us why people would like Donald Trump more if only he would dress more like Mark Cuban in cargo shorts and flip flops.
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