It used to be that you were a guy who went to high school who didn't have a college degree, but you had a specific set of skills, and with the help of a union, you could make yourself a pretty good middle-class life.
Antigamente, um rapaz com o ensino secundário, mesmo que não tivesse estudos superiores, se tivesse um conjunto específico de capacidades, e com a ajuda de um sindicato, podia viver uma boa vida de classe média.