Oh, boy. So much wrong here. First off, I live in the Chicago suburbs. Clearly you don't. Plenty of people have swimming pools "in a place that snows half the year" (note: it doesn't). These are middle class people. You don't need to be wealthy to own a pool, and the fact that we actually have all four seasons here is irrelevant to the cost.
Second, who are his wealthy neighbors? Todd and Margo? They're clearly yuppie wannabe snobs. They act rich, but that's the joke. They're really no better off than THEIR neighbors, the Griswolds. They also have a smaller house and fewer possessions with no kids. So they can afford some expensive things like the stereo, but that doesn't make them wealthy. And the Shirleys (Clark's boss) don't even live in the same neighborhood.
Lastly, Clark isn't using the bonus to pay for the entire swimming pool. He needs it to pay for the deposit. He specifically says he doesn't have enough in his account to cover it otherwise. The Griswolds have a "big" house (even that is debatable), but otherwise don't have a lavish lifestyle. Someone in the top 5% who isn't a spendthrift wouldn't be kiting checks to pay for a pool.
So sure, the Griswolds are upper middle class. But they're not rich.
Oh, boy. So much wrong here. First off, I live in the Chicago suburbs. Clearly you don't. Plenty of people have swimming pools "in a place that snows half the year" (note: it doesn't). These are middle class people. You don't need to be wealthy to own a pool, and the fact that we actually have all four seasons here is irrelevant to the cost.
Second, who are his wealthy neighbors? Todd and Margo? They're clearly yuppie wannabe snobs. They act rich, but that's the joke. They're really no better off than THEIR neighbors, the Griswolds. They also have a smaller house and fewer possessions with no kids. So they can afford some expensive things like the stereo, but that doesn't make them wealthy. And the Shirleys (Clark's boss) don't even live in the same neighborhood.
Lastly, Clark isn't using the bonus to pay for the entire swimming pool. He needs it to pay for the deposit. He specifically says he doesn't have enough in his account to cover it otherwise. The Griswolds have a "big" house (even that is debatable), but otherwise don't have a lavish lifestyle. Someone in the top 5% who isn't a spendthrift wouldn't be kiting checks to pay for a pool.
So sure, the Griswolds are upper middle class. But they're not rich.