The Middle Class: Canary in the Gold Mine
Stuff You Should Know
iHeartPodcasts
4.5 • 82.7K Ratings
🗓️ 31 March 2026
⏱️ 53 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Lots of nations gauge the health of their country by how the middle class is doing. There’s just one issue with that – no one can say exactly what defines the middle class. But even when you take a guess, it seems like the health isn’t so good these days.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
| 0:02.5 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:05.5 | Welcome to Stuff You Should Know, a production of IHeart Radio. |
| 0:15.1 | Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh, and there's Chuck and Jerry's here, too. |
| 0:19.9 | Sitting in for a good old-fashioned stuff you should know episode. |
| 0:25.1 | That's right. |
| 0:26.5 | Not one of those newfangled ones? |
| 0:28.5 | No, no, not one of the new ones that are just like, you know, all hair gel and, you know, style, no substance. |
| 0:36.1 | Yeah, still has that new podcast episode smell. |
| 0:39.1 | Yes, for sure. |
| 0:40.8 | Speaking of new smell, how do you feel being 55 birthday boy? |
| 0:45.9 | New smell. |
| 0:47.5 | You know, it's great. |
| 0:48.9 | I think I have actual privileges now that come with that age. |
| 0:54.1 | Like cheap coffee at McDonald's? |
| 0:55.8 | That kind of stuff? |
| 0:56.6 | Yeah, I don't know about McDonald's, but like, I think my, I think I can play golf |
| 1:01.2 | for a little cheaper now, like literally as the senior rate, which is hysterical. |
| 1:07.3 | Yeah. |
| 1:07.9 | Well, I think you can get an AARP membership now, too. |
| 1:11.9 | Oh, yeah. I mean, you're probably already getting that stuff in the mail, right? They start early. No, I'm not even 50 yet. They won't let me. I keep applying and they keep denying you. Okay, maybe 50. I mean, they start sending in that stuff years ahead. Yeah. We used to have one. You had to get it for work or something like that, but they found out, you know, what our age is, and they got really mad. They said, we've been sending things to spring chickens. But, yeah, well, let me know how the golf thing goes, and if you get cheap coffee at McDonald's, and what being a senior is like, Chuck, because, you know, I think for me |
| 1:45.9 | and Jerry and everybody, we just want to wish you a happy birthday. I appreciate that. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

