Middle Class Hell!: Who Says There's No Free Lunch? Family Dines on Food Samples from Costco

Middle Class Hell!: Who Says There's No Free Lunch? Family Dines on Food Samples from Costco

A Video Blog of One Family's Struggle Through These Tough Economic Times

NEW HAVEN, Conn., July 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Armed with a pocket camcorder, a Connecticut man has created a series of brutally honest and darkly funny videos that chronicle his family's economic decline and their struggle to hold it all together against overwhelming odds. The result is Middle Class Hell.

Paolo Romanacci, 45, a husband and father of two from the suburbs of Connecticut who lost his once thriving business when the economy collapsed, said he created his tragi-comedy as a result of deep-rooted frustration. "I had gotten a flip camera as a Christmas present and simply started filming myself and my family as we lived our lives. Unfortunately, our lives were (and still are) crumbling under the weight of this devastating recession."

He went on, "My friends flipped out when I showed them my videos. They thought they were really funny and really truthful. So I created a website and began posting them online." At MiddleClassHell.com, Paolo invites us into his home to reveal the very real-life drama of attempting to maintain his sanity as his life falls apart. His wife and two young children reluctantly join him for the ride.

"Everyone runs around complaining about the unemployment rate, and that is a problem to be sure, but the bigger problem is that even if you have a job in today's world, you just can't make ends meet. And for a guy approaching middle age, that's really scary."

"When I was a kid, a man could graduate from high school, get a decent job, get married, buy a house, raise a family, and send his kids to good schools. The family could take a vacation, live debt free, and have an excellent quality of life on his salary alone. That was the American Dream and it was available to anyone who wanted it. That's no longer possible now."

But, where there is pain, there is also comedy. The honesty and vulnerability in the videos are palpable and the scenarios hit uncomfortably close to home. And that's what makes them so funny. In one memorable video, Romanacci drags his wife and kids to church to pray for the winning Powerball numbers; in another, they head off to Costco for a free lunch of food samples.

The response to Middle Class Hell has been overwhelming. "I've gotten messages from all over the country and from places as far away as England and India," says Romanacci. "People are thanking me for telling my story -- which, as it turns out, is also their story. The working class seems to really identify with the things I'm filming. If I can help someone who's in the same boat laugh a little despite what they're going through, then I suppose it's worth it."

More than three and a half years since he's shuttered his business, Paolo's family continues to struggle. They manage to stay afloat with the help of his wife's part-time teaching position and his occasional freelance work. "This is not what I signed up for, but somehow, some way, I'll make it work. Until then, I'll keep posting my videos. Hopefully, other people out there in this situation will take comfort knowing that they are not alone."

For more information please visit http://middleclasshell.com.

Contact:
Paolo Romanacci
203 930 6724
middleclasshell@middleclasshell.com

This press release was issued through eReleases® Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.


SOURCE Middle Class Hell

Middle Class Hell

Web Site: http://middleclasshell.com


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