How can you tell if Americans are "poor"?

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Like most of us I watch quite a bit of US drama and box sets but remain baffled about the characters based on things like the house they live in etc...

Can American audiences tell that someone is poor or rich (or in between) based on things such as house size, style of house and other things that are part of TV series?

I know (well think I do so not assuming - please correct if wrong!) that middle and working class may mean different things to UK - but can US viewers pick up more based on cultural norms and things that may need explaining to non-American audiences?

An example is I watched some episodes of True Detective and thought the house was lovely and spacious but everything else in the plot pointed to the fact that this was a "poor rundown neighbourhood with substance issues etc..."

Are there any rules of thumb? Do American audiences get confused my things like this when watching UK or European dramas?

Remember though that they have a precariousness that comes with any serious illness not being fully covered by their health insurance, and loss of a job meaning they also have to worry about health care etc.

I have a medical condition that requires costly long term medication and in the US even well paid professionals end up very stressed about the costs (insurance often still requires meaty contributions). And if they end up too ill to work and lose their jobs their situation becomes dire very fast.

Being in a chat group with people from the USA has really made me appreciate the NHS and also out employment rights

Going to go slightly off topic so apologies. But to answer your question, I think Americans would think a normal European house would be a signifier of poverty judging from what they'd see on screen. That's probably why for films and series with more international audiences, very grand, historic houses are often used to signify wealth.

You have to take into account that American shows are much more a sales pitch than European ones.

There's a lot more cuture around promoting consumer capitalism and what's aspirational, placement for products, agendas, trends etc. SATC being a classic example. There's a tendency to show the best of the best, not 'somewhat shit places' like in some British shows - which I love and prefer.

American tv/film culture is highly aspirational and 'Disney'. There's much less criticism of shows along the lines of 'that did not seem very realistic'. For example, note how the US is a majority overweight/obese country, whereas from their art you really couldn't tell as cast and extras tend to look conventionally attractive and thin.

If you've ever been to NY, Chicago, LA, Vegas etc, they are often shown as beautiful, safe, tidy, aspirational environments, whereas real life can be shocking and really differ.

If you want to see what poverty in the US looks like, watch Shameless US version, it's quite good. Poverty in the States can be quite shocking.

As PPs have said though, land is cheaper and building houses as well, so space-wise expectations are bigger than in Britain. Think of Mitch & Cam's house in Modern Family, which is supposed to be a bit of a 'poor house' in an affluent part of LA - in Britain this would be an amazing house.

Since tumble driers became near-universal in the US. It's seen as very low-class. Some HOAs forbid it.

House example related to PP here 😊

Yeah there are fequent amusing threads on X(Twitter) by Americans who think all Europeans are poor because we dry our washing outside.

I do because line dried washing smells nicer and why pay for something that nature will give you for free.

I loved Raising Hope, was sad when it ended.

I think "TV poor" in the US is often kind of like "TV ugly" (i.e. actually quite attractive by real-world standards). Viewers with any brains sort of mentally adjust for it.

Indicators of poverty in the real-world US: not having a car. That really puts you at the bottom of the heap in America. Not being able to get your 16yo a car as soon as they pass the test. Some Americans will literally back away from anyone who says they got here by bus. (Not applicable in New York).

Bad teeth / untreated medical issues, because they can't afford the doctor / dentist.

Living in very cramped / overcrowded conditions (whilst not in an expensive city).

Homes that clearly haven't been decorated / renovated in a long time and look very dated.

Living in one of the hotter areas and not having air-conditioning. This has killed some Americans recently.

Not having laundry facilities at home and using laundromats. (Not necessarily applicable in cities with tiny apartments).

Obesity (especially if female). Smoking.

Some Americans will literally back away from anyone who says they got here by bus. (Not applicable in New York).

I went to Atlanta with work and got public transport from the airport to my hotel. My colleagues were so aghast they were literally calling others over to tell them about this crazy thing that happened, that someone who worked with them (ie an economic and social peer) had got the train from the airport.

No health insurance.

• Teeth: are they perfectly straight and white?
• Grammar. Use of words like “ain’t”.
• Do they smoke?
• What school district do they live in?
• Do they have a chain link fence?
• Do they have a passport?

The guy who made Raising Hope and My Name is Earl has another newish show free on Amazon Prime, its called Sprung. Highly recommended, it is has Martha Plimpton and Garret Dillahunt the parents from Raising Hope in it. Set during the early covid lock downs. As bonkers as his other shows and very funny.

It's the same as here, TV isn't real. For example home makeover shows have a minimum house size, it's not genuinely representative. They deliberately require people with a certain minimum house size.

Part of that is escapism, because people don't want to watch people exactly like them. In some cases it's connections, people working in TV also have rich contacts to appear on shows.

You can find tons of threads on the internet from Americans asking why it's only the big houses shown on TV and it's not representative of how they live.

The closest you get to reality is for things like Catfish, there you see a real mix of homes in the background to things.

Since always. My parents live in a neighbourhood where washing lines outside are against the covenant. The Home Owners Association cracks down on / fines those who do not obey the covenant.

In the sixties and seventies all Americans on tv shows and films were living in big detached houses with every mod con and with two flashy cars on the drive . Every one was glossy and groomed.

This was how America was presented to us, so we all thought Americans were wealthy compared to most Brits .

Surely people don't adhere to that anymore?

I'd expect people to be more judged and looked down on for using a dryer in good weather than hanging washing out.

I would hang my washing out with pride and take it to the highest court in the land for my right to do so.

Tumble dryers ruin clothes and waste electricity, there's just no need if you have outside space and dry weather.

It always amazes me the space Americans have . Big lawns and drives , space between houses . Boot rooms and laundry rooms . We are cramped up together on estates in the UK

Most Americans have health insurance through their jobs. Fear of being bankrupted by medical bills isn't something I have ever encountered among employed Americans, although sometimes people will stay in a job they dislike precisely because it has a good benefits package. A few years ago I was hospitalized and though I did have to pay something (I think it was about $200), my insurance covered the rest of the ridiculous amount that was showed on the final bill ($12,000). And I don't even have particularly good insurance. Obamacare has really helped the dreadful health insurance situation in the US, though of course it doesn't go far enough. Although I would very much like to have socialized medicine in the US, I would want it to be funded better than the NHS.

A very roundabout way of saying that if you rely on Medicaid, that can be an indicator of poverty.

In some areas you would have to be very poor indeed not to have a car. Even people living in dire poverty tend to have cars, because they are so essential in many places. However, choosing not to buy a car for your 16-year-old is absolutely not a signifier of poverty.

It was 20 years ago when I stayed with a friend after camp. I went to hang my towel over the balcony and was very quickly shut down! I made the point about the environment but that counted for nothing.

You get told to take it down, then you get fined. If you don’t want to adhere to the rules, you don’t buy a home in a covenant controlled neighbourhood. It’s not for everyone, but it is seen as a befit to many, because they can be assured that the neighbourhood will always meet certain standards.

Weird. My ex was American - lived in a very nice part of Kentucky. Not unusual to see washing outside at all during the summer months. And that was only 5-6 years ago.

He didn’t live in a covenant controlled community then.

I remember being confused by Roseanne as she lived in such a massive home but was supposed to be poor. And thought Starsky and Hutch were rich and successful because their car was so huge when it was supposed to imply they were scraping by with an old banger.

Like in The Middle. Such a great show.

@Bjorkdidit

It's becoming a thing in the UK too . My neighbour tumble drys all the time even in hot days ! Their choice , their electric bill. I've rarely seen washing out on lines on the street where I live and my house backs onto their gardens . I think it's just laziness.

Very interesting to read, thank you!