Ben Stein Says He's Upper Middle Class on Q&A

[Shelbzism]

I see Ben's point. We the people can not fathom the wealth involved in thousands of millions of dollars.

[t1ngley]

Look how smug he is when he says that shit.

[MagnesDrachen13]

He's paid $30,000 to speak and he's "upper middle class"? Did I miss the meeting where everyone can just declare themselves "a working man" no matter what they actually are? Is he making as much as George W Bush? No. But is he anywhere near the actual middle class? No.

[pmontaner]

Haha what an idiot

Lamb is genius: "you're not rich with all those properties?"

[williamdowns78]

what a wanker this guy is,love from scotland

[NotSoOldHippy]

That insane cultist is irrelevant. The guy is a frothingly insane Christian fascist and a Creationist lunatic. What kind of a sick, insane fuck listens to anything that these Christofascist morons say?

[bushputz]

I bust my ass day-in and day-out all year to make about what this ass makes for one speaking engagement. Many of the people I work with make even less.

We are the backbone of America - the people that actually produce something.

Screw Stein, screw McCain, screw Bush and Cheney. They are all parasites that have been sucking us dry far too long.

[bushputz]

Is anybody else sick and tired of listening to these out of touch morons spout their idiotic 'thoughts' about things they know absolutely nothing about?

Hey Ben - when was the last time you had to stretch a paycheck by skipping meals or taking the bus? How many of your friends are scared to death because they have to choose between paying their mortgage, medical bills, or their utility bill?

Why don't you just STFU

[JAILillegalEMPLOYERS]

I agree with you on everything, but consider this: At least this guy is publicly pointing at the real problem- even if he is a part of it. That's much better than the billionaires who always (and wrongly) point the finger at "Liberals"

It's hard to get exposure for thoughts like this because TV big-wigs don't want to hear from small-time guys like you and me. It's hard to find a TV-ready millionaire to bash big money.

I say, take the support where you can get it. He's on your side!

[undocumentedspot]

Which is more useful to society? 1-Billionaire who spends his money on weapons and lies (I do not mean Stein). (Upper class?) or 2-Homeless who tries to survive? (Lower class?) . Money does not make you more human, though it is useful tool and necessary for better life, it has nothing to do with your class. it should be called Fat pocket, athletic pocket, slim pocket not upper class/middle class/lower class.

[SirVelvetKnight]

Sheesh. If this guy wasn't really good at saying the word "Beuller" nobody outside the Washington Elite would even give a damn what he has to say, much less for $50k a shot. Not to mention that he never would have gotten that show on Comedy Central (which admittedly was pretty funny), which alone probably made him more money that the vast majority of Americans will see in their lifetimes.

But a lot of hedge fund people make way more (until they screwed the economy this year), so that's ok, huh?

[ChrisM70]

Ben Stein is a rich hypocrite.

He's just like McCain. None of these multi-house, millionaires think their rich - their just middle class!

None of these privileged Republicans actually understand how REAL middle class and lower class people live. Of course, if they did, they still wouldn't care.

[Ngooo]

upper middle class??????? I'm gonna vomit

[Nominay]

Given how many speeches Stein gives, he makes 5 to 6 million a year - but his excuse of not being rich is that others make hundreds of millions? What a deranged weirdo.

[wervasdeferens]

So in Ben's brilliant mind that makes 95% of Americans and 99.99999% of the world,indentured servants or slaves.

I think he's right!

[noliketoregister]

I think you're right that he's right.

[wervasdeferens]

Yeah,but why'd he have to burst my bubble and remind me that I'm Lower class? I'm trying to step my game up,LOL!

[noliketoregister]

Ben is right. Most people don't want to know that they are just low class bums. 50k a year is a joke. To be truly rich requires billions of dollars.

[Nominay]

no, no ... that's 50 k each speech - you obviously don't know how many speeches he gives a year

[noliketoregister]

I was noting that the upper class make billions and that he is correct to say middle class would be half way to upper class, and that 50k a year would be lower class. I wasn't commenting on his fee for speaking.

[videocafeblog]

No it's not. You're talking averages and not medians. As soon as Bill Gates walks into a bar, the average income of that bar goes up sky high, but that doesn't mean that average is now the middle. The middle is where half the people in the country are making more, and half the people are making less. Not where the average of everyone lands. Google Think Progress McCain's Definition of Rich to see a chart that shows what I'm talking about.

[noliketoregister]

I'm not sure that statistical terms like, average, maximum, minimum, mean, standard deviation are the same thing as defining low, middle and upper class. I guess what we need is some more classes, like pond scum, lower, middle, upper, super upper, Oh-My-God-This-Is-Sick upper class.

[il128]

Ben Stien is worth tens of millions of dollars... His perspective is FUBAR.

[hippieCy08]

hahahaaaaaaaaaaaa, so says the millionaire. Then again, since the middle class are slowly deteriorating, the Repugnant gotta expand on the concept.

[Rosen915]

If $100-250K is middle class, I suspect that means the "middle" class in the U.S. is pretty small at this point.

[xdir]

I think 100-250K household income is comfortable middleclass.

[tomisinsaigon]

So I'm lost here: Do I rate the video 1 star because Stein is clueless, or 5 stars because of the point videocafeblog is making? Anything in between seems unfair to both.

[videocafeblog]

Lol...I appreciate that. I believe if you want more people to see it you rate it up and if you don't you rate it down, but of course everyone has their own reasons for how they will rate a video. I thought the rule of thumb on You Tube is that highest rated videos get pushed up the list where more people see them. Unless something really takes off it doesn't make much difference though. Without a ton of views the ratings don't matter much.

[InReasonWeTrust]

BS: I don't make billions, so I am upper middle class. How clueless can someone be?

[thielenm]

BEN STEIN IS GAY

[toyracers]

lol, f-ing duesh bag... by his standards my 50k a year is enough to buy me a cardboard house...

[cousinNACHO]

Ben stein was one of the stooges that loyally served Nixon, so he knows about judge of character.

[goldpaws]

I'm sure he doesn't make as much as he used to, believe you me.

[bastardrob]

this guys a moron

[observer855]

This guy is seriously fucking retarded.

The hedge fund thing is such an overused line, there about 12 hedge fund managers who make 100MM+ a year, and they do not BARELY beat the S&P, they are investing phenoms. Just like anything (i.e. acting, sports, legal profession, etc.) the tippy top are insanely high paid, but they are the exception, not the rule.

[BlackKingX]

I wish I was upper-middle class.

[ScottishViking77]

Stein says "I wouldn't say evil"....Historians 50 years from now will write different.

[ComedyJesus]

I'll bet he is worth over 20 million... and that's middle?

[Plutonwolf]

Mr Stein demonstrates his warpage just about every time he opens his lie hole anymore. He makes Bush look rational and honest by comparison. I therefor nominate Ben Stein for the "Intellectual Whore" of the year award.

[takotheoktopus]

Ben Stein is one of the dumbest smart people I know of.

[OzStone]

Ben Stein has demonstrated that he has no understanding of science. Why would anyone give this man money?

[takotheoktopus]

That documentary about Intelligent Design that he was apart of pretty much proved to me that Ben Stein is one of the most intellectually dishonest people I have ever seen.

[GotThatPMA]

He doesnt make what Bill Clinton makes speaking at an event ? Well , Bill Clinton was a 2 term American president , and he is the guy from Ferris Buelers Day off...

Damm funny comedian though , no doubt .

[FUCKYOURGODINTHEASS]

If stein is upper middle class, that must mean I'm off the radar on the poverty end of the scale. Although, expelled only made 5million in it's first two weeks, no records set there. :)

[takotheoktopus]

That's more money then that film deserved.