Middle class in the 80's:
Couple modern newish cars, nice good sized house, good summer vacations, small amount of savings.
Middle class today:
Older cars, average sized house but paying a ton for it, short vacations if that, struggling to save money and pay off bills/debt, and getting a 2nd job to make ends meet.
Thats my view, however I do realize people are not as good with money today as they were in the past.. but nonetheless.. its not like it used to be. Looking at my household income and how Im doing, I thought I'd be doing better than I am.