Look, nobody's denying that living costs in America have gotten rough. But that viral article claiming $140K is the new poverty line? That's some serious number-twisting right there.

The whole argument falls apart when you actually dig into the methodology. Cherry-picked data points and questionable assumptions don't magically turn upper-middle-class income into "struggling to survive" territory. We're talking about household earnings that put you in the top 10% nationally.

Sure, housing markets in SF or NYC are brutal. Student loans bite. Healthcare's expensive. But redefining poverty to include six-figure incomes? That's not economic analysis—that's rage-bait dressed up as research. Real affordability crises deserve better than manufactured outrage built on shaky math.