Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs The distinction between the high-end and struggle street is acute because they often sit so close. Near Martin Place people actually queue to enter luxury shops that sell handbags, watches and jewellery for tens of thousands of dollars. Around the corner, people begin to queue for a street kitchen an hour before it opens.LoadingRich people in Bondi are ripping down unit blocks to replace them with mega-mansions, while homeless services are supporting people who never thought they would need help. On one night last week, the organisation Dignity sheltered 132 women, 87 men and 88 children. The youngest was a three-day-old baby; the oldest was a man over 90. Some of those needing help are working several jobs but still not able to make ends meet.In restaurants with Sydney Harbour views, degustation meals with wine cost up to $400, yet it’s disgusting that 44 kilometres west in Glendenning, Sydney’s Foodbank Centre is seeing an increase in demand from families who are employed yet hungry. Chief executive John Robertson says it’s also getting trickier to meet those needs. Donated food is declining as manufacturers get more efficient and reduce wastage.Some high-end Sydney private schools boast wellness centres with ice baths, while public schools have to hand-fan children who faint in the heat due to a lack of air-conditioning.Laser treatment, fillers and Botox are almost normalised in some Sydney social circles, while other families put off going to the dentist to get a tooth filled.While we may laugh watching the drraaaaaama of the Real Housewives of Sydney as they get their glow up, the gap between most of us and them is not funny. Their enormous handbags could house a family with rent relief for months.The cast of The Real Housewives of Sydney – the cost of some of their handbags could pay a family’s rent.Credit: James GourleyJohn Robertson says things are even harder outside of Sydney. The increase in crime in the regions can’t be conveniently explained away by soft judges, poor policing, bad parenting and social ills. Inequality stokes resentment.I feel these extremes are a signal of where we’re going in so many areas, including our public debate. We are losing our much-maligned middle-of-the-road opinions at a time when we need to meet in the middle of our differences.LoadingThe hollowing out of middle America is harrowing and a factor in the election of Donald Trump, whose economic policies seem likely to exacerbate inequality around the world. We should be proud we have a fatter middle than the USA and work to keep it so.The middle class rose out of the industrial revolution and peaked with the peak fashion, flicks and fabulous music of the 1970s. Since then, the pressure upon the group in which most of us identify has only increased. Many feel we are losing ground. It’s not “mid” to be middle class, it’s something we need to fight to maintain and to make easier to join. For those with less and, perhaps, for those with more who can afford to share.Sarah Macdonald is an author, journalist and broadcaster.Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter.
