Congratulations for a mistake free, properly punctuated comment. Such writing is a rarity today, despite spell checkers making it all so easy, it seems many just ignore them. I can agree with most of your comment. I'm just not sure how the middle class could be eliminated -- that sounds like something that would take a gargantuan effort and 3 to 5 generations to pull it off.
I left school some 59 years ago after grade 10. High school was mostly technical courses. But Mother and siblings encouraged me to speak and write intelligently. I've been asked more than once what university I attended. 555
The TV shows that you mention, huh, what, never heard of them (actually I have but have never indulged).
It's a shame to witness North American civilization being dumbed down. Digital phones no doubt contribute to this too. They should make us smarter, but it seems the reverse is happening.