People get turned around the axle of income disparity, because what actually has happened since WWII is that society has gone from being huddled pretty tightly around an average income ( a bell curve where almost every household made $65k) to a society where this has spread out further to the right ( a similar curve from $0 to $65k but now with a smushed peak a long drawn out tail going up into the 100's of thousands).

There are more wealthy families right now in the US than there has ever been. More people are earning more than ever before. But it creates a lot of societal fracture and strong negative perceptions. When the whole gang is broke, well we're in to together. When the gang ranges from broke, to comfortable, to some splurging, to wealthy, to flat out rich, the cohesion really takes a beating.