According to CNBC, experts from sociology, philosophy, history, financial psychology and theology said access to affordable borrowing that can build wealth has never been equal, and that people who are not in financial distress are most likely to be viewed as having “good” debt. Frederick Wherry, a Princeton University sociology professor, said the middle class is hit especially hard, while low-income Americans often qualify for financial aid and have more protections from debt collectors. Graham Hubbs, a philosophy professor at the University of Idaho, said money’s greatest power is paying and preventing debts, and that “good debt” is tied to the expectation that income will be sufficient to repay it. Louis Hyman, a Johns Hopkins University historian, said attitudes shifted in the early 1900s as installment lending expanded, but access to credit remained a two-tier system that favored white middle-class married men. Sonya Lutter of Texas Tech University said uncertainty has made many people want to avoid debt, though anxiety about taking on “good debt” may be lower for those with more options. Devin Singh of Dartmouth College said debt has long been used as a moral and social tool, and that unequal access to “good debt” persists because society has historically treated certain practices as inherently good.