This article is another example of discounting and trivializing those who support Donald Trump as well as Bernie Sanders as racism or class envy, and not due to real issues of inequality and decline of the middle class. So long as you dont acknowledge there are real issues that need to be addressed, then it's easier to continue the same old identity politics.
62
Oddly, Mr. Edsal did not mention either the reason for the increase in housing costs which is cited by Harvard economist Edward Glaeser, Paul Krugmann, and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford along with many others. The rise is prices is caused by scarcity induced by zoning density restrictions and overuse of historic landmark status. This is called "rent-seeking" in microeconomics -- the use of politics to create scarcity with the resulting increase in prices.
See Edward Glaeser's NYPost op-ed, "Build Big Bill" for more details as well as Tim Harford's book, "The Undercover Economist"
Also not noted is the now becoming famous economist Branko Milanovic's "Elephant Curve" which shows how the working class of developed countries (eg, US, Britain) have had no wage growth for the past 20 years while the middle class of developing countries such as China have had enormous wage growth because of free trade and also immigration.
See Branko Milanovic "Elephant Curve" for articles with more information.
See Edward Glaeser's NYPost op-ed, "Build Big Bill" for more details as well as Tim Harford's book, "The Undercover Economist"
Also not noted is the now becoming famous economist Branko Milanovic's "Elephant Curve" which shows how the working class of developed countries (eg, US, Britain) have had no wage growth for the past 20 years while the middle class of developing countries such as China have had enormous wage growth because of free trade and also immigration.
See Branko Milanovic "Elephant Curve" for articles with more information.
28
These economic arguments sound like a reason to support Bernie Sanders. I read several articles that said surveys have found the factor most indicative of being a Trump supporter is acceptance of authoritarianism. They want a tough guy to enforce their will. What will they do when they realize Trump doesn't care about them at all?
65
I'd rather live in a 300 square apartment in midtown Manhattan than a 3000 square house in the suburbs.
35
It's not the loss of "manufacturing" jobs, it's the loss of UNIONIZED jobs. Viz, meatpacking.
Factory jobs are horrible (viz, Rivethead), but they used to be unionized. That let the workers recapture at least some of the massive value added by a manufacturing plant and its workforce.
Whether or not we could have protected our unions while developing our economy is the critical question. We chose to destroy our unions, in hopes of broadening the economy through trade with countries where unions are illegal (and, before that, through states-rights policies that encouraged the flight of manufacturing to the anti-union southern U.S.)
It may also be true that mechanization and robotics will increasingly replace human assembly-line workers. Thank god for that, and for mechanized mining, harvesting, and anything else that can help humans escape dirty, back-breaking, lung-destroying, soul-sapping, repetitive manual labor. The solution is to ORGANIZE, and to vote against union-busters.
Service-industry jobs, and professions, can be organized, but it isn't easy. Without organization, though, laborers of all kinds, including professionals and self-employed people, will just fight each other for the scraps.
Factory jobs are horrible (viz, Rivethead), but they used to be unionized. That let the workers recapture at least some of the massive value added by a manufacturing plant and its workforce.
Whether or not we could have protected our unions while developing our economy is the critical question. We chose to destroy our unions, in hopes of broadening the economy through trade with countries where unions are illegal (and, before that, through states-rights policies that encouraged the flight of manufacturing to the anti-union southern U.S.)
It may also be true that mechanization and robotics will increasingly replace human assembly-line workers. Thank god for that, and for mechanized mining, harvesting, and anything else that can help humans escape dirty, back-breaking, lung-destroying, soul-sapping, repetitive manual labor. The solution is to ORGANIZE, and to vote against union-busters.
Service-industry jobs, and professions, can be organized, but it isn't easy. Without organization, though, laborers of all kinds, including professionals and self-employed people, will just fight each other for the scraps.
129
It's interesting to read this opinion piece back-to-back with the one on the "bro" culture on Wall Street. Trump epitomizes the "bro" culture, with his constant criticism of women based on their looks rather than their intelligence.
I find it astonishing that we might end up with someone with these kind of misogynistic attitudes as president. This will set back women's rights a hundred years.
I find it astonishing that we might end up with someone with these kind of misogynistic attitudes as president. This will set back women's rights a hundred years.
46
The Democrats are almost as bad as the Republicans, except they feel a moment of remorse after they stab you in the back. Hillary has nothing to offer these people, not even soothing lies.
26
"When you are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression"
Author Unknown
Author Unknown
69
There used to be a maxim not to have the most expensive, expansive home on the block because your value would never be returned. It still holds true, so those choosing the 3000 sq ft home in a neighborhood of 2000 sq ft homes may just be uninformed or ignorant.
Rather than fight for unions too many men and women blamed those good paying jobs for their less than mediocre existence. Organize and together there is strength. It still holds true.
Rather than fight for unions too many men and women blamed those good paying jobs for their less than mediocre existence. Organize and together there is strength. It still holds true.
51
Fine analysis, but the only take away is that these people are the past, and they are fighting the future. They've already lost. Just because someone has an opinion doesn't make it valid.
54
Let's look at this a little more honestly through the lens of class division. The whole point of the Upper Middle class working to make more money, supporting meritocratic politics, buying into more expensive neighborhoods and schools is to separate themselves from the middle, working and poor classes. It is not said outright but they see themselves above and entitled. If they did not their children would attend the same underperforming schools. Now, there are many feedback loops in policy that further stratify the classes and continue inequality. But, if you think the upper classes who control everything on a political level are going to change anything you're nuts. There is an ingrained hatred of the class below your own that permeates American culture. But, most discussions are lost on relative political stances instead of flatly acknowledging that the elitist notion of meritocracy is functional dead. All the hope in the world will not change exponential declining financial prospects for the majority of people in this country.
25
Misandry is certainly alive and well in many of these comments. It's no wonder we have so much trouble coming to resolutions on pressing issues when people want to dismiss those with different views, lives, perspectives and experiences in the basest condescension.
10
So it turns out there IS quite a bit of evidence that the gains of the wealthy really do make it harder for the rest of us after all! The fact that all of the supply-side, anti-entitlement politicians were done in by Trump, and Bernie gave Hillary a run for her money suggests that more people in this country are finally catching on to this.
Now, what every reasonable person needs to do until election day is whatever s/he can to persuade Trump supporters that he has absolutely no working plan to remedy these problems, no matter how many groups of people he (wrongly) blames for the suffering of the working class.
But this column also makes me realize how much easier my own life is because I have no children, nor any desire to ever own a home. These were conscious choices, but at the same time I know they would be undesirable for most people.
Still, the answer for those caught in the vice grip of inequality and stagnation has to be policies and values more closely aligned with Bernie Sanders than the bigotry and scapegoating peddled by Trump.
Now, what every reasonable person needs to do until election day is whatever s/he can to persuade Trump supporters that he has absolutely no working plan to remedy these problems, no matter how many groups of people he (wrongly) blames for the suffering of the working class.
But this column also makes me realize how much easier my own life is because I have no children, nor any desire to ever own a home. These were conscious choices, but at the same time I know they would be undesirable for most people.
Still, the answer for those caught in the vice grip of inequality and stagnation has to be policies and values more closely aligned with Bernie Sanders than the bigotry and scapegoating peddled by Trump.
36
Sure. Every human can bypass having kids and owning a home. That'll work for exactly one generation.....
11
That theory of "precarious masculinity" goes a long way toward explaining the growing number of American men who feel compelled to buy military-style rifles.
Those weapons are an assertion of masculinity, are they not? And the tenacity with which some (mainly white) men hold fast to their "right" to buy these weapons demonstrates that the attraction is far deeper than simple utility. Buys of these weapons obviously aren't using them in combat; many are never or rarely ever fired.
Those weapons are an assertion of masculinity, are they not? And the tenacity with which some (mainly white) men hold fast to their "right" to buy these weapons demonstrates that the attraction is far deeper than simple utility. Buys of these weapons obviously aren't using them in combat; many are never or rarely ever fired.
47
Wonderful and insightful commentary. We are all taught to aspire to a certain standard of living, which, I suppose, is the same as “keeping up”. Beyond the loss of manufacturing jobs, and leading up to the economic crash of 2008, homeowners took out second mortgages on their homes in order to “keep up” and most spent the money on tangible items rather than use the it to improve their property. The majority of the “toxic mortgages” that were securitized were second mortgages. After the crash there was nothing to show for the money spent.
I wonder how people in the middle class will be able to afford health coverage in the future if they can’t keep up in other areas? I think lack of jobs and the stagnant compensation we have will never support those who need to stay healthy in order to survive. The system seems destine to implode.
No wonder there are so many angry people. And now we have a candidate promising them jobs that pay $50K per year, if elected. It’s no wonder they will vote for him.
I wonder how people in the middle class will be able to afford health coverage in the future if they can’t keep up in other areas? I think lack of jobs and the stagnant compensation we have will never support those who need to stay healthy in order to survive. The system seems destine to implode.
No wonder there are so many angry people. And now we have a candidate promising them jobs that pay $50K per year, if elected. It’s no wonder they will vote for him.
17
Thomas Edsall's current column is mot notable for what it does NOT say. He fails to write what we can do to remedy the alienation and rancor felt by most blue and white collar Americans, male and female, watching the steady loss of their income, assets and social status over the last 30 years. Trump and the Republicans have an answer -- blame non-whites, immigrants, Muslims, refugees, uppity women and anyone else perceived to have too much power. Hilary Clinton and the Democratic Party leadership seem only too happy to rely on identity politics of a different sort -- Three Cheers for US (the ostensible "winners" of the Clinton coalition of middle class African Americans, socially liberal upper middle class men and woman, Wall Street, Silicon Valley and well connected establishment politicians) and (Surprise, Surprise) vilification of their political opponents. Of course, the effort to directly address the loss of middle class status, wealth and power among 99% of US was snubbed by the Democratic Party in the primaries. Is it too late to "feel the Bern"? Perhaps. But it's never too late to give up on the future. That's why the Democrats need to do some serious work in the present time.
23
Curiously, Sanders attracted relative few lower middle class workers. The core of his supporters were college kids and their affluent professional parents. And the unions, public-sector and private-sector, endorsed HRC, not Sanders.
23
Sanders did extremely well in states with large numbers of blue collar Democrats. As for unions, consolidating support among traditional Party supporters like labor unions has been the Clintons' stock and trade.
14
Yes, the grass is greener on the Jones's side of the fence.
But so it was in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the high point of the middle class American dream and the American economy by many measures: still unequaled innovation, productivity, and wealth creation, without grotesque income inequality.
The biggest change since then is not globalization, for the American economy is still over 75% domestic production for domestic consumption.
The biggest change is from a relatively tight labor market, with moderate immigration levels that would still make America the most the open society in the world, to a very loose labor market with record immigration levels.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, migrant agricultural labor paid more than twice what it does today in inflation-adjusted dollars. At the same time, unionized meatpacking was both much better paid, and much safer, than non-unionized meatpacking today. The same is true of many other job categories.
Carville may have said, "It's the economy, stupid." But the increasingly urgent lesson of the past forty-odd years of steeply rising immigration is, "It's supply and demand in the labor market."
But so it was in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the high point of the middle class American dream and the American economy by many measures: still unequaled innovation, productivity, and wealth creation, without grotesque income inequality.
The biggest change since then is not globalization, for the American economy is still over 75% domestic production for domestic consumption.
The biggest change is from a relatively tight labor market, with moderate immigration levels that would still make America the most the open society in the world, to a very loose labor market with record immigration levels.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, migrant agricultural labor paid more than twice what it does today in inflation-adjusted dollars. At the same time, unionized meatpacking was both much better paid, and much safer, than non-unionized meatpacking today. The same is true of many other job categories.
Carville may have said, "It's the economy, stupid." But the increasingly urgent lesson of the past forty-odd years of steeply rising immigration is, "It's supply and demand in the labor market."
17
Now let's imagine this: the rich folk living in the big house telling their next-door neighbors that the reason they are poor is because they are uneducated, evil racists.
26
Alternate reality. Here's what does really happen, though. Their rich Republican neighbors tell them that Mexicans, unions and Democrats are the reason they can't afford what some others can (even though incomes rise much faster under Democratic presidents).
22
These days they just use the term "takers".
9
Poverty (and wealth) is always relative. Relative to the development level of the productive forces of any given society in any given time. Therefore, it's relative to the wealth produced by the whole society (emphasis in the "whole") and it's distribution among it's individuals.
Since we are talking about productive forces, and not random atomized individual effort (because productive forces imply society), this means we are talking about the distribution of wealth among it's social classes any given time.
That's why it's absurd for one to say the Pharaohs of the Ancient Egypt were poor simply because they didn't have electricity or fossil fuel machines. Or that an American worker is richer than any European monarch of the 16th Century.
You can compare different levels of productive forces among different societies that exist at the same time or at different times (given you have sufficient data to do that) - but then the concepts of poor and wealthy don't apply. That's what Marx meant when he stated a house can be a mansion or a hut - it all depends on the concrete capacity of a given society to produce, in it's average productive capacity, even larger (or not) houses.
Since we are talking about productive forces, and not random atomized individual effort (because productive forces imply society), this means we are talking about the distribution of wealth among it's social classes any given time.
That's why it's absurd for one to say the Pharaohs of the Ancient Egypt were poor simply because they didn't have electricity or fossil fuel machines. Or that an American worker is richer than any European monarch of the 16th Century.
You can compare different levels of productive forces among different societies that exist at the same time or at different times (given you have sufficient data to do that) - but then the concepts of poor and wealthy don't apply. That's what Marx meant when he stated a house can be a mansion or a hut - it all depends on the concrete capacity of a given society to produce, in it's average productive capacity, even larger (or not) houses.
6
Having received most of my higher education (including graduate school) in a liberal environment inside the US, I am struck by one fact: a constant in that environment has been contempt for the white working class, which at times seems to approach in disdain the view of Russian aristocrats toward the "dark" peasants in Tsarist times or the British colonials' attitude toward the "natives" when they ruled India and large parts of Africa. The words used to describe the white working class are often the same: stupid, bigoted, without culture, violent, superstitious, childish. Despite American liberalism's claim of cosmopolitanism and tolerance of difference, many of our liberals seem quite unashamedly to despise the great (white) Unwashed inside our borders. "Racist" seems to be the all-purpose whip with which to flay them, even if the term could be turned against liberals who see nothing behind a (working class) white face except ugliness and stupidity. Of course, many if not most of these liberals are white.
It seems quite understandable that the targets of such contempt would react, and have found a mouthpiece in Donald Trump. Trump is not my favorite politician, but as I go to vote for Hillary in November I want to tell "politically correct" people that liberals have a hell of a lot to learn about respecting other people.
It seems quite understandable that the targets of such contempt would react, and have found a mouthpiece in Donald Trump. Trump is not my favorite politician, but as I go to vote for Hillary in November I want to tell "politically correct" people that liberals have a hell of a lot to learn about respecting other people.
68
The ironic thing is,I believe, Trump himself has little use for the lower classes, the poorly educated, except as marks for his scams. Think Trump branded clothing, water, steaks or "university." He believes nothing except for his personal exceptionally.
29
Best comment I've read today.
13
"Let them eat cake"! Neither party really gets it. A number of folks, not all of them poor, have had it up to here with wealth and privilege. It is an obscenity that we have all these billionaires paying little in taxes, getting light sentences when they are caught with their hands in the cookie jar, and doing very little to give back to society. The chickens nearly came home to roost this election. Watch out for next time!
17
Since 1976, the annual salary of a Toledo Public School teacher with a Ph.D. (don't ask) and 10 years' experience has gone from $54,000 (inflation adjusted) to $52,000.
This is more evidence of "a stunning loss of relative status . . . [as] wages have stagnated or declined." Others are worse off, with jobs eliminated. But 21st-century information costs more, communication costs more, entertainment costs more, etc. Those at the top end are doing very well, and can easily afford. being the Jones, the increasing "cost of sought after goods."
I think the Democrats would be well advised to stop campaigning on "identity-group politics." Everyone knows who would do better by every minority or disadvantaged group. As Mr. Edsall quotes, "Highlighting group differences, cultures, etc., has contributed to Trump's appeal."
Yes, the Obama administration brought us back from the economic brink, and has done what it could to promote economic fairness. Still, campaign like it's 1992: "It's the economy, stupid." Explain how Democrats, given more votes in Congress, will make the system more egalitarian.
This is more evidence of "a stunning loss of relative status . . . [as] wages have stagnated or declined." Others are worse off, with jobs eliminated. But 21st-century information costs more, communication costs more, entertainment costs more, etc. Those at the top end are doing very well, and can easily afford. being the Jones, the increasing "cost of sought after goods."
I think the Democrats would be well advised to stop campaigning on "identity-group politics." Everyone knows who would do better by every minority or disadvantaged group. As Mr. Edsall quotes, "Highlighting group differences, cultures, etc., has contributed to Trump's appeal."
Yes, the Obama administration brought us back from the economic brink, and has done what it could to promote economic fairness. Still, campaign like it's 1992: "It's the economy, stupid." Explain how Democrats, given more votes in Congress, will make the system more egalitarian.
28
You are in the wrong district. With that sort of experience you could get at least $90K in the NY/NJ/CT area. A friend's daughter with an MA in teaching and an MA in math started her career as a math teacher at over $100K, out on Long Island.
9
Housing: average cost per square foot in Toledo $64; average cost per square foot Long Island $825. Now explain to me how a wage of $100K in the NYC area is a better deal than $50k in Toledo.
40
Trumps rise is really not about not keeping up with the jones, it's more about the republicans discrediting the very notion of responsible government, themselves included. The GOP has made the point over and over again over the last eight years that we shouldn't expect government to work, and they have reinforced this point by intentionally sabotaging the Obama administration in every attempt it has made to make government work. You could call this the "Bachman-Mcconnell strategy of being the dumbest brick on the block". But this backfired on the few GOP candidates that had a claim of being capable experienced leaders, like kasich and bush, making them vulnerable to the junior high school level name calling attacks of the totally unqualified candidate trump. Since actually qualifications and experience became a negative attribute among the GOP primary voting population, what was left was the basest appeal to nativism, racism, media extravagance, and various other dog whistles. So now they have scraped a candidate off the the bottom the barrel who seems to be running for the position of whiner in chief, which resonates particularly well among the diminished expectation voting population described in the essay.
17
I have fallen further and further behind due to very bad injuries and illness and, of course, no American safety net, but it hasn't turned me into a racist or made me stupid. Rather, it makes me more compassionate for others suffering and more determined to find the good people on the world who will work tirelessly to help everyone live a better life. I have no idea why anyone who is suffering could take solace in Trump's bizarre, cartoonish, third-grade melodramatic outbursts, narcissism, and mysogeny. His rhetoric of fear was clearly developed to take advantage of those who fear for thei futures. His behaviors and philosophies are despicable and he offers no real meaning or solutions for progress for our nation.
56
"Precarious Masculinity" could well explain the popularity of Trump among the economically stagnant males. Of course, it could also explain their support for G W Bush and the Tea Party. And for jingoistic nationalism, which has been responsible for almost as much war and suffering as religion. Sorry, but it sounds like a disease that should be eradicated.
If Trump somehow makes men feel less precarious about their masculinity, maybe we should encourage a rethinking of masculinity. Trump is an unethical, dishonest bully who uses his wealth and connections to bash those who get in his way. He is a braggart and materialistic and greedy. His success comes at someone else's expense. he is the epitome of the problem, not the solution.
If Trump somehow makes men feel less precarious about their masculinity, maybe we should encourage a rethinking of masculinity. Trump is an unethical, dishonest bully who uses his wealth and connections to bash those who get in his way. He is a braggart and materialistic and greedy. His success comes at someone else's expense. he is the epitome of the problem, not the solution.
31
Reducing the current state of economic inequality to purchasing power of luxury items and achieving social status seems simplistic. In order to provide basics such as housing and food, in most families, both parents must work. That leaves significantly less time for families to spend together studying, playing, reading, performing chores, and whatever else families used to do.
The price of a house s now greatly inflated, and beyond the reach of the average worker, except in cities with few jobs like Detroit.
Trickle down economics has failed everyone except the politicians and the truly rich who own them. We need to find another way. The status quo is not working.
The price of a house s now greatly inflated, and beyond the reach of the average worker, except in cities with few jobs like Detroit.
Trickle down economics has failed everyone except the politicians and the truly rich who own them. We need to find another way. The status quo is not working.
23
Edsall has hit many good points especially, and apropos, beginning and commentary ending. Clinton or Carville said it best, "the economy stupid." All else are just distractions as Trump is himself and fraud. Marx' biggest issue with capitalism was that it is the antithesis of Democracy, it exploitative to non-capital holders. Capitalism can and has worked much better in the past but only by being forced to do things like "pay living and fair wages." This is not what capitalism is designed to do.
11
It is interesting to compare this article on precarious masculinity with the article in today's issue about Wall Street "Bro Culture" and its exemplification of precarious masculinity in the upper reaches of Wall Street hedge funds and investment banks. It appears that feelings of displacement among lower middle class white males and the sexist misogynistic culture of Wall Street which then systematically discriminates against women and others who don't fit into that "bro culture" stem in part from how we socialize boys in our culture about what masculinity is supposed to mean.
9
Tom,
This is a good piece on describing the origins of Trump supporters. I agree with the thesis that you have advanced. I did not agree with the thought experiment of Robert Frank. In my experience, the schools were drivers. I knew that I would probably not ever have the resources to send my sons to a private school but my theory was to invest in the best neighborhood that I could afford including looking for the bargain in the neighborhood. With the idea that the house would appreciate and hold its value and that the neighbors were interested in the welfare of their children and the quality of education available to the neighborhood.
On the aftermath of globalization, it is my strong belief that the evidence shows that we did not understand or fully appreciate what a host of polices enacted since the 70s did not recognize the harm that the policies were doing to the economy and the distribution of incomes and jobs. Our society became unstable and to make the argument quickly, we managed globalization very poorly.
When you compare the US with other advanced economies we did not do well for most income percentiles economically and socially. Some made out and as the rich gained in influence the voice of the majority of American's was silenced by the polarizing issues that kept the focus on prayer in schools, gun control, right to life, etc.
Money has replaced the social order, and fairness supposedly available in a represented democracy.
This is a good piece on describing the origins of Trump supporters. I agree with the thesis that you have advanced. I did not agree with the thought experiment of Robert Frank. In my experience, the schools were drivers. I knew that I would probably not ever have the resources to send my sons to a private school but my theory was to invest in the best neighborhood that I could afford including looking for the bargain in the neighborhood. With the idea that the house would appreciate and hold its value and that the neighbors were interested in the welfare of their children and the quality of education available to the neighborhood.
On the aftermath of globalization, it is my strong belief that the evidence shows that we did not understand or fully appreciate what a host of polices enacted since the 70s did not recognize the harm that the policies were doing to the economy and the distribution of incomes and jobs. Our society became unstable and to make the argument quickly, we managed globalization very poorly.
When you compare the US with other advanced economies we did not do well for most income percentiles economically and socially. Some made out and as the rich gained in influence the voice of the majority of American's was silenced by the polarizing issues that kept the focus on prayer in schools, gun control, right to life, etc.
Money has replaced the social order, and fairness supposedly available in a represented democracy.
11
The only way to keep up with the Joneses these days may be to not get a college education that will saddle you with a lifetime of debt all for a poor paying unreliable (outsourceable) job. The wealthy and corporate chieftains have starved the educational system of the taxes they need to properly train the employees that make the wealthy and corporate chieftains rich. Now they have the nerve to claim they can't find trained workers so they outsource to countries that do have an educational system that doesn't bankrupt their student citizens.
"the erosion of the traditional male self-image as provider and protector." Isn't that one reason for the NRA's strength these days?
As for Trump, ..., so sad.
"the erosion of the traditional male self-image as provider and protector." Isn't that one reason for the NRA's strength these days?
As for Trump, ..., so sad.
10
Mr. Edsall recycled theory of Veblen goods is way off the mark.
The working middle class worries are far beyond my-house-is-bigger-than-yours .
They are losing their livelihood to immigrants, both legal and illegal, willing to work for less, to workers overseas willing to work for less to products are imported without barriers (TPP) and to automation , the spread of which is facilitated by the Fed's policy setting interest at zero, delivering free capital to factory owners wishing to replace workers with machines.
The workers are thus willing to try a clown, rather then seeing a continuation of the present policies.
The working middle class worries are far beyond my-house-is-bigger-than-yours .
They are losing their livelihood to immigrants, both legal and illegal, willing to work for less, to workers overseas willing to work for less to products are imported without barriers (TPP) and to automation , the spread of which is facilitated by the Fed's policy setting interest at zero, delivering free capital to factory owners wishing to replace workers with machines.
The workers are thus willing to try a clown, rather then seeing a continuation of the present policies.
14
They elected tea party types who did zero to address any if the concerns mentioned. The working class once upon a time knew Republican's were not looking outfor them. The working class needs to get rid of the tea party types.
12
A wedding that cost about $10,000 in 1980 will cost more like $31,000 now, quoth Mr Edsall.
Well, yes, but that's only a smidgin more than the rate of inflation. The gubmint's inflation calculator says that $10,000 in 1980 is equivalent to $29,150 today, so thirty grand is about one percent above background inflation—not nothing, but not a crushing burden, either.
Well, yes, but that's only a smidgin more than the rate of inflation. The gubmint's inflation calculator says that $10,000 in 1980 is equivalent to $29,150 today, so thirty grand is about one percent above background inflation—not nothing, but not a crushing burden, either.
4
Did the house experiment record how many of those choosing the 3,000sf house over the 4,000sf one were women who knew that they were the ones who'd have to clean it?
20
Ah yes. The good old days. Which weren't good for everyone. Remember?
5
While the US and the UK rediscover that if the middle class isn't happy, nobody will be happy, this article doesn't give adequate weight to the deep cultural shift that's happening to middle class white men, the former drivers of the American and British middle class.
It used to be enough to be tall, charming and halfway competent. That's not the case anymore and it seems to be a shock to many middle class Americans, mums and nanas included. In 2016, economic gains are hard won and brutally competitive.
Welcome to a woman's world of glass ceilings, fellas.
It used to be enough to be tall, charming and halfway competent. That's not the case anymore and it seems to be a shock to many middle class Americans, mums and nanas included. In 2016, economic gains are hard won and brutally competitive.
Welcome to a woman's world of glass ceilings, fellas.
11
Who are these people who want a larger house:
More to heat and cool.
More to clean.
More to repair.
More to furnish.
Was it Emerson or Thoreau, I don't remember, who said in all things "simplicity, simplicity, simplicity"?
More to heat and cool.
More to clean.
More to repair.
More to furnish.
Was it Emerson or Thoreau, I don't remember, who said in all things "simplicity, simplicity, simplicity"?
13
I have not been left behind. I am a white, multi-degreed, motivated, hard-working person who was not handed a thing. My father died when I was ten, I was divorced many years ago and had to support myself. I have done exceptionally well for myself by myself. I am tired of the left/socialistic "woe is me attitude." Those people are the problem with this country. If you are not ambitious, frugal, smart, without an entrepreneurial spirit (because you except the gov't programs and hand-outs and you are content with them) then you reap what you sow.
4
I am sorry your father had to die so young. Sometimes working hard and struggling in life can make one hard. My brother is a bit like this but his heart is good underneath it all. Maybe someday you will open your heart again and feel compassion for others. I have traveled around the world and here in this country and can tell you how wonderful it is when someone you don't even know helps you when you least expect it, unasked. There is a bond of humanity, of kindness, and a lightness of spirit. This has happened countless times to me and I remember each experience with a deep humbleness. It is not about money or power or being better. It is simply connection and kindness.
20
I am happy for your success. Somewhere along the road to multiple degrees, I'm sure that you were taught that there must be losers, as well as winners, in capitalism. I have no doubt that your worked long and hard. But remember your luck to have some adult who taught you the value of education, or not being burdened as a caregiver to another family member, or not having an illness that took your time, energy and resources to survive, or making a bad investment despite research and caution. People can be frugal, smart, and ambious and still need a government program due to bad luck.
19
If anyone whose income is less than $750,000 a year decides that they should spend $31,000 on their daughter's wedding, I view them as beneath contempt.
10
While economic issues certainly figure into the calculus of Trump's rise, fury at the elites' sense of entitlement and "too big to fail" status is a substantial factor as well. As Eric Fernstrom wrote in the Boston Globe yesterday, "Hillary Clinton is the new O.J. Simpson."
8
Trump is clearly doing what he does best: Thriving on misfortune. Nothing else has to be said after he stated that the devaluation of the pound as a result of Brexit would be good for his Scottish golf resort. It always reverts to ME ME ME. And if the white disenfranchised see Trump as their savior, I have beautiful oceanfront property in Kansas to offer you.
23
The premise is correct. A majority of the remaining middle class voters are angry because so many of their former neighbors moved forward into the upper middle class and they were left behind. The pertinent fact that the "middle" middle class never had it so good has become irrelevant. Others are doing eve better. That's the rub.
6
Meathead nation.
5
It is quite clear that Democrats, liberals and the NYT view the "detestable non-professional straight white man" as the enemy.
The only politician willing to publicly challenge that is Donald Trump. With all his flaws, it should surprise no one that he quickly developed a following.
It is not fueled by keeping up with the Joneses. It is fueled by Trump jumping to the defense of that group, which is very much under attack.
Liberals thought that they'd take it quietly. Trump gave them half a chance to fight back.
The only politician willing to publicly challenge that is Donald Trump. With all his flaws, it should surprise no one that he quickly developed a following.
It is not fueled by keeping up with the Joneses. It is fueled by Trump jumping to the defense of that group, which is very much under attack.
Liberals thought that they'd take it quietly. Trump gave them half a chance to fight back.
14
I think you have it upside down. The "liberals" understand the class to be now disadvantaged, along with the traditional disadvantaged groups, adding to our inequalities in the U.S. I doubt Trump sympathizes, he simply recruits and exploits the issue for political advantage.
9
If your thinking process is so warped that you think the free market is the enemy, you are far too damaged to have the privilege of voting. There are governments out there that reflect your view of mankind, but this country will never be that damaged, thank God.
When citizens retain the capability to compete, the customer is assured the chance to compete for the best deal. This allows the poor worker the best chance to provide for their family.
Leave Animal Farm in the library shelf. DON'T bring it here.
When citizens retain the capability to compete, the customer is assured the chance to compete for the best deal. This allows the poor worker the best chance to provide for their family.
Leave Animal Farm in the library shelf. DON'T bring it here.
4
The implication is that whites are being supplanted by the advance of non-whites, but they’re not. Where are the blacks whose lot has improved in the last twenty or twenty-five years? Bring them forward. Have you seen them? I haven’t seen them. No one is doing better—and you’d have to be crazy to imagine that if whites as a group aren’t doing well, blacks as a group would be doing better; when does that ever happen? What I do see is the same patronizing dismissiveness: angry white men are the new angry black men—because it’s just a fit of pique; let them stew; their grievances are baseless or illegitimate. This moment could be the opportunity for whites and blacks to come together in common cause. It is the same establishment that they both are up against—even when there are other dissimilar reasons in addition involved, the oppressor, if you will, is the same. When people racialize, they do not see their common class interests. The result for many blacks has been despair. The result for many whites has been disaffection, one step removed from despair: they haven’t surrendered just yet to larger societal forces, while many blacks have given up. The result will be to make both race and class into caste—as the big-timers go about business as usual.
13
I agree that the working class, irrespective of race, deserves more respect. They have a right to be angry that many jobs have been out-sourced to countries with cheap labor, and that illegal immigrants are competing with them for the jobs that are left.
10
"Bereft of value?" So are Hillary. Hillary's values take down entire families. You just don't notice it as such. Like the powerful women who never mention who is keeping the home going.
7
Precarious masculinity.
This has been the case in Russia for some generations now, with guaranteed housing, minimal subsistence welfare payments and few jobs making men marginal, with a very high alcoholism rate.
And they have Putin. Who though called a master manipulator of the system to get power, would likely not be there if people didn't want him.
This has been the case in Russia for some generations now, with guaranteed housing, minimal subsistence welfare payments and few jobs making men marginal, with a very high alcoholism rate.
And they have Putin. Who though called a master manipulator of the system to get power, would likely not be there if people didn't want him.
10
This essay is true and valid as far as it goes, but the sexist Archie Bunker / Ralph Kramden "I'm the Man of My House / King of My Castle" ethos and co-morbid racist attitudes have always been with us. The question is, why do they suddenly metastasize in the presence of an odious orange catalyst?
8
...or people could stop trying to keep up with the Jonses? If you make around $35k per year then you are in the global top 1% of wealth. Feeling like you deserve more when you are literally better off than 99% of humanity is just a ridiculous level of entitlement. These people are not victims.
5
That is of little use when the cheapest house within 100 miles is $450K, and a 2-bedroom apartment rents for $3000 a month.
14
If my 35K in the United States had the same buying power it does in those oth countries your comment would make sense. But it doesn't.
As long as I have to remain here to take home that 35K I'm in a completely different position that Americans who move abroad and live in luxury on a social security or investment income.
As long as I have to remain here to take home that 35K I'm in a completely different position that Americans who move abroad and live in luxury on a social security or investment income.
11
No one likes to see America going down the toilet under Obama. It's time for a change for the better - that is - a return to America and the American Way!
6
Return to the "American Way"? Let's see, we had 8 years of Bush and 8 years of Clinton. It's pretty clear which 8 years were better...
3
America is much older than those two. I mean THE AMERICAN WAY!
2
The sooner working class whites start thinking rationally, the better off they will be. Stop seeing yourselves on par with Trump, Limbaugh & Hannity. Those buffoons might speak to/for you but it's highly unlikely you'll ever what they have. At the end of the day, they don't owe you a dime. You don't have to necessarily vote for Bernie Sanders but you do need to get your heads on straight. As the world passes you by.....
8
Not to worry; Trump will win, and then DECLINE, the nomination, whining all the way home -- after he's repaid himself all loans to the campaign! That's all that last month's fundraising push was designed to do.
See story just now in NYT about Trump not ruling out declining the office after elected -- that's just planting the seed for declining the nomination later this month. Mark my words....
See story just now in NYT about Trump not ruling out declining the office after elected -- that's just planting the seed for declining the nomination later this month. Mark my words....
6
Regressive tax policies that lower property taxes and increase sales taxes on everything including food are a part of the problem. Income from investments (money making money) is taxed less than income from work (sweat) ... this is what happens when you vote against your own interest.
12
And what of those who, having played the game of status, having had the bigger house, realize the McMansionization of the American landscape was as much of a disaster as the condoization of the American city?
What of those who have avoided the misery of marriage with its 50% failure rate, and have gladly avoided the curse of bringing yet more status-seeking, expensive, selfish, ego-obsessed consumerist entitled american bratty offspring into this unsustainable lifestyle?
Where in the theory of 'relative deprivation' fits those who have come to the realization that the smaller house is vastly superior to the palace, the ridding of excessive belongings liberating, and the lifestyle of the American consumerist unsustainable, miserable & corrupt?
And where would fit those men for whom the myth of the 'male achiever' and patriarchal ideal was a fraudulent farce & the male 'provider' repellant?
The problem is not achieving growth through competition, it's offering the minimum rights of healthcare, education & peace while deconstructing the marketing lie of conspicuous consumption & greed.
It can't have always been this way. There was contentment in humility, self-sufficiency, local production & integrity. It wasn't only competition & consumption.
So the Don has a huge hole in his ego that compels him to relentlessly seek celebrity & status of ultra-yuppieism.
What's corrupt is that anyone, let alone half of everyone, believes that's a viable path to satisfaction or success.
What of those who have avoided the misery of marriage with its 50% failure rate, and have gladly avoided the curse of bringing yet more status-seeking, expensive, selfish, ego-obsessed consumerist entitled american bratty offspring into this unsustainable lifestyle?
Where in the theory of 'relative deprivation' fits those who have come to the realization that the smaller house is vastly superior to the palace, the ridding of excessive belongings liberating, and the lifestyle of the American consumerist unsustainable, miserable & corrupt?
And where would fit those men for whom the myth of the 'male achiever' and patriarchal ideal was a fraudulent farce & the male 'provider' repellant?
The problem is not achieving growth through competition, it's offering the minimum rights of healthcare, education & peace while deconstructing the marketing lie of conspicuous consumption & greed.
It can't have always been this way. There was contentment in humility, self-sufficiency, local production & integrity. It wasn't only competition & consumption.
So the Don has a huge hole in his ego that compels him to relentlessly seek celebrity & status of ultra-yuppieism.
What's corrupt is that anyone, let alone half of everyone, believes that's a viable path to satisfaction or success.
9
Edsall, as usual, gives a first class article. I'd like to see him write an article or even better, a series with experts weighing in on the problem of human identity formation as so many markers of identity traditionally considered whether by left or right are discounted in modern times and we are expected to form our identities in presumably a different way, a way not yet really articulated which leads to confusion in cultural and personal identity formation.
For example we are increasingly told we should not identify by nation or religion or race or ethnic group or sex, that there is no fixed concept of being a man or a woman, and that comparing ourselves to others by amount of money or amount or type of goods is not right and that we should have equality in wealth and goods (the socialism argument)--in other words, there is a lot of pressure to keep people from seeming different from others yet it is paradoxically stressed that we must not conform, be in fact different from other people.
Well the question is how. What does it mean to be a person or a society in a world with no religion, no national sense, no racial or ethnic or gender sense, no difference between people as to wealth and goods? The only thing I can see is that people will become strongly identified by particular profession, that definition of individual and social functioning will move along professional lines. Society the more it attacks types of identity formation must supply new types of formation.
For example we are increasingly told we should not identify by nation or religion or race or ethnic group or sex, that there is no fixed concept of being a man or a woman, and that comparing ourselves to others by amount of money or amount or type of goods is not right and that we should have equality in wealth and goods (the socialism argument)--in other words, there is a lot of pressure to keep people from seeming different from others yet it is paradoxically stressed that we must not conform, be in fact different from other people.
Well the question is how. What does it mean to be a person or a society in a world with no religion, no national sense, no racial or ethnic or gender sense, no difference between people as to wealth and goods? The only thing I can see is that people will become strongly identified by particular profession, that definition of individual and social functioning will move along professional lines. Society the more it attacks types of identity formation must supply new types of formation.
10
In this society you define yourself by what brands you buy and unfortunately, for most people that pretty much sums them up.
4
It's too bad the angry Trump supporters are angry at the wrong people and the wrong things -- imagining minorities, immigrants and women taking their jobs; foreign countries outsmarting the US; and the government taking away their rights. The self entitled fall into 2 camps: they either feel superior, or mistakenly victimized. It's too bad the white working class who feel victimized can't see that-- along with minorities, women and immigrants-- that only the government is their ally in this capitalist system, and only a government not in the hands of of either the GOP elite, or an imbecile like Trump. A ruling class that doesn't put healthcare and education for it's citizens as a top priority needs to be radically changed.
21
A good point - Trump's supporters are likely to be marginalized by globalization and other inequality-inducing forces. However, they are not just Trump supporters, those who have been left behind. Rust belt whites, urban minorities, small business owners. Everyone is hurting; no one is optimistic. To cite the article's own figure: any household earning less than around 130K is marginalized. That's a heck of a lot of people. We should be talking about solutions to this problem, not about walls or a continuation of the status quo.
19
This is our Brexit.
It is not a good idea to blame those most negatively affected by changes beyond their control. That's how we could end up with Trump as President.
It is not a good idea to blame those most negatively affected by changes beyond their control. That's how we could end up with Trump as President.
13
It is how WE WILL end up with Trump as the next President -- and the pure unadulterated joy of seeing the lefty liberals here, with their heads exploding.
6
Psychologists would like to attribute anti-social shooters to mental illness; sociologists to attribute liars to genetic factors and the hapless to lack of knowledge; economists to attribute wealth to saving as getting and the destitute to fooling away and laziness; G.O.P.’s to ascribe of social welfare-receivers to fearing work and climate change to false sciences…
Most of the establishment and its infotainment allies refuse to question the real reason for income and wealth inequality – surplus value expropriation by capital – that is the most important cause of all social illness including inequality.
Voters and supporters of Donald Trump are typical party insurgents who engage in mockery of the mainstream political hucksters and the status quo as they’ve recognized what the cause of inequality is and is not. The decline in social and political status of the working class is not the cause but the effect of inequality between the rich and the poor. “Keeping Up With the Joneses” is secondary to the political rebellion; their real desideratum is profit-sharing with capital and the surplus value, hard-earned fruits of their labor power, goes to the heart of matter. In a similar vein, “precarious masculinity” is mere the third in importance to their political insurgence. Globalization as a way to dismiss unwanted labor and to enhance capital’s bottom line by bringing them to heel has passed beyond anticipation. Its last trump will be finally heard of.
Most of the establishment and its infotainment allies refuse to question the real reason for income and wealth inequality – surplus value expropriation by capital – that is the most important cause of all social illness including inequality.
Voters and supporters of Donald Trump are typical party insurgents who engage in mockery of the mainstream political hucksters and the status quo as they’ve recognized what the cause of inequality is and is not. The decline in social and political status of the working class is not the cause but the effect of inequality between the rich and the poor. “Keeping Up With the Joneses” is secondary to the political rebellion; their real desideratum is profit-sharing with capital and the surplus value, hard-earned fruits of their labor power, goes to the heart of matter. In a similar vein, “precarious masculinity” is mere the third in importance to their political insurgence. Globalization as a way to dismiss unwanted labor and to enhance capital’s bottom line by bringing them to heel has passed beyond anticipation. Its last trump will be finally heard of.
7
Corporations will do what they have to make the dividend and Eps numbers. Most of the time that means headcount reduction and cutting expansion and investments.
The need to "grow" usually leads to the need to cut.
When leaders make 300-400 times the average worker and pay a lower tax rate the metrics are broken.
The need to "grow" usually leads to the need to cut.
When leaders make 300-400 times the average worker and pay a lower tax rate the metrics are broken.
17
This phenomenon isn't so much about race as it is about gross and growing income inequality. The wealthy are doing fine but everyone else has been taking a beating for 40 years. I blame the political class for that, especially the hyper-capitalists and Ayn Rand admirers in the GOP. They've changed the purpose of government from enabling broad-based prosperity to protecting the wealthiest few. More and more people have figured that out. Hence the enthusiastic support for Trump and Bernie Sanders.
15
This isn't just a US problem; it's mainly a product of globalization. Manufacturing, and services that can be provided remotely, have been moving to other countries with lower labor costs. This builds the middle-class in those countries while eroding it in countries that already have a developed middle class. There are some things we can do to mitigate the effects, but globalization isn't going away. Self-defeating actions like supporting Trump or Brexit are going to make things worse. We have to figure out how to evolve or we'll become another example of a failed civilization that couldn't adapt.
14
Vastly superior forms are available for labor and resource distribution. What limits this? Capitalism. Capitalism is often restrictive of production and capacity utilization and poorly coordinates resource allocation. I may one day write a thesis on this because there is so much evidence of my assertion.
1
So white working class workers feel that their status is threatened. And the reason is because they now have to compete for jobs with other races/ethnicities and women. And I'm somehow supposed to sympathize with them? I can't. Many communities have had to live with depressed/stagnant wages for the better part of the last few centuries, but now that those same economic pressures have caught up to the white working class- it's officially a problem. And the left and it's excesses have made them feel bad. Awwwww. But it seems as if we are dealing with a bunch of entitled people who think the world should work solely for them. They are special snow flakes and no one appreciates them. Somehow they've been sold down the river and if we can just go back to time where women and minorities had no say in society, they would then feel better. So it seems as if the "left" was correct. They believe they are privileged and want to maintain their privileged status at the expense of everyone else.
9
Note how the articles drips with condescension toward the working class (referred to as "whites"). They lost jobs that are never coming back, so they must be resentful and thus racists, right? Any any politician who "exploits" (i.e., refers to) the issue of the working class's setbacks must also be racist, right? And never, ever suggest that failing to enforce immigration policy and permitting millions of illegal immigrants to work for less than market wages has anything to do with wage depression; oh god no. If you do, you are basically Hitler.
18
Why would we NOT have condescension towards the demographic that sees Trump as a viable leader for America? Any American who was so LAZY that they now compete with illegal immigrants for bottom-feeder jobs should be ashamed, they are, to use one of Trump's favorite words: Disgusting.
2
All of this may well be true. But it is the republicans that are inflaming their supporters to blame the other that Trump has capitalized on to get where he is at. Instead of trying to find fixes through governing they have sought to increase the income inequality. They have on purpose hurt the economy to make Obama look bad. In the process what they got was Donald John Trump. They have divided this nation against itself and have done so put of greed for power.
13
This the best analysis I have read of the Trump phenomenon. Thank you, Mr. Edsall. Nothing else needs to said on the subject.
2
What a terrific article! It lays out with persuasive analysis the engine of Trump's success so far. It is not difficult to see and understand. Just like the rise of Hitler was facilitated by the economic and psychological suffering of the Germans after WWI, so too is Trump's appeal given the factors discussed here today.
7
Call me slow. I simply cannot understand how "falling behind the Joneses" could cause anybody to vote for Donald Trump. I think falling behind the Joneses would be more appealing than having Trump's finger on the "Nuclear Button". How could anybody want, or accept, that?
14
Thank you, Mr. Edsall. It's refreshing to read sober and thoughtful commentary concerning the Trump phenomenon. Other NYT columnists have spewed nothing but knee-jerk contempt, vitriol and even hysterics at Trump followers and, to some extent, the supporters of other challengers to the political and economic status quo such as Bernie Sanders and Brexit.
I'm sick of driving through or past old industrial towns in Massachusetts and upstate New York that suffer from high unemployment, substance abuse, and a host of other ills. If I were to continue south and west into Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, I'm sure I would see the same thing. I blame Trump for exploiting this situation, but not for creating it. The blame for creating it lies with the Clintons and other elite members of the political and economic establishment, who failed to help those who lost out to automation and globalization.
I'm sick of driving through or past old industrial towns in Massachusetts and upstate New York that suffer from high unemployment, substance abuse, and a host of other ills. If I were to continue south and west into Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, I'm sure I would see the same thing. I blame Trump for exploiting this situation, but not for creating it. The blame for creating it lies with the Clintons and other elite members of the political and economic establishment, who failed to help those who lost out to automation and globalization.
19
Blame the Republicans and their obstruction and pandering to Party over progress.
5
Reply to Wang An Shih: Blame centrist Democrats like the Clintons as well.
2
This is the result of laziness and lack of thought. Anyone under 70 knew when they decided how to create their life that labor, making money with your body rather than your mind, was a thing of the past. Now they are angry because what was inevitable has come true. They blame everyone but themselves. They followed the loudest, angriest white male voices who lead them away from labor unions, who brought in illegal immigrants to work more cheaply. Lower pay means more profit. Lower employment means more desperate laborers and, therefore lower wages. Lower wages equals higher profit. But these whites who made lazy choices, who thought their white skin was all that was needed to live the American Dream, can't see that causation spiral because their minds are not trained to think. Sad, self-imposed misery.
15
Don't be too smug about your prospects in the new economy, even if you are earning a living in a non-working class occupation.
The only reason immigrant labor (illegal and legal) is attractive to employers is because it is cheaper & eventually the proliferation of work visas will threaten even well-paying white collar occupations. (This is already happening in IT and engineering fields)
It's tempting to say that this was inevitable, that the U.S. citizens who previously held well paying working class jobs were just not worthy of them because of their moral failings (racist, xenophobic) or their racial identity (entitled whites), but this is simply a way for our elites to further divide U.S. citizens - and it's working!
The only reason immigrant labor (illegal and legal) is attractive to employers is because it is cheaper & eventually the proliferation of work visas will threaten even well-paying white collar occupations. (This is already happening in IT and engineering fields)
It's tempting to say that this was inevitable, that the U.S. citizens who previously held well paying working class jobs were just not worthy of them because of their moral failings (racist, xenophobic) or their racial identity (entitled whites), but this is simply a way for our elites to further divide U.S. citizens - and it's working!
14
I'm in IT, got my degree on the GI Bill after serving America. I have to hire Indians, Chinese and even Russians for $100K jobs because there are not enough Americans to take the jobs. Some of this is due to the cost of education, but where there is a will, there is a way, and Americans just don't have the will anymore. America's economy is good. My state is the 6th largest economy in the world. There is no valid excuse other than laziness for any able bodied, able minded American to not have a job.
2
I wonder if another way of asserting manliness or importance is buying guns.
19
Wonder no more, Mike. It is.
7
Why can't I want the 3,000-square-foot house because it requires less upkeep?
15
I appreciate Mr. Edsall's article. But what he does not really address is that Trump's white working-class supporters are directing their anger at Latinxs, Black people, immigrants, Muslims, etc., when what he is showing is that it is politicians, in cahoots with US and global corporations and their executives, and globalization and neoliberalism, that are increasing the inequality and exacerbating the feelings of white fragility, precarious masculinity, and so on. No Mexican immigrant is making the decision to send Carrier's middle-class-ensuring jobs overseas! It's Carrier's board of directors, its executives, and Wall Street. Why isn't the anger directed there?
Also, Stephen Pinker is being quite disingenuous in his comments about not slurring women, and racial and ethnic minorities (who are now majorities in some places) as "just decency." That goes both ways. It's more fundamental, and criticisms of slavery, segregation, the Holocaust, colonialism, imperialism, etc., which are LEGITIMATE, may make some white people feel bad, so shutting those down would also be "political correctness" too, right? Or, is Professor Pinker suggesting that only white people can insult non-whites, but non-white people who show how whites have benefited, and still do, from the brutal history of Western exploitation and domination over centuries must remain silent?
Also, Stephen Pinker is being quite disingenuous in his comments about not slurring women, and racial and ethnic minorities (who are now majorities in some places) as "just decency." That goes both ways. It's more fundamental, and criticisms of slavery, segregation, the Holocaust, colonialism, imperialism, etc., which are LEGITIMATE, may make some white people feel bad, so shutting those down would also be "political correctness" too, right? Or, is Professor Pinker suggesting that only white people can insult non-whites, but non-white people who show how whites have benefited, and still do, from the brutal history of Western exploitation and domination over centuries must remain silent?
12
"Growing income inequality in the U.S. has meant that as those at the top are able bid up the price of valued goods like housing and access to good schools, those in lower groups have struggled to maintain their positions." It also means that for many Americans the idea that their children would have better lives than they had is not going to occur. By allowing those who have a lot more than the rest of to drive the economy and demand our politicians have created a monster that will, if not stopped, devour America.
It began with Ronald Reagan who claimed that all government was bad. He didn't bother to tell us that if we worked on it government could be good. We didn't bother to think of the consequences of cutting taxes: cut programs, increased user fees, a less responsive government, privatization of vital services, the eventual marginalization of the middle and working classes. It's much easier to blame the government rather than look at how we voted.
Americans believed the lie that it was "Morning in America". They continue to believe that the GOP has their best interests at heart. Yet this is the party that hates unions, wants to control our reproductive lives, refuses to tell the NRA to get lost, and has contributed to more government dysfunction than the secession of the South before the Civil War. Voting for Donald Trump is like voting to use a cannon when a fly swatter will do. So is building luxury housing when affordable is needed.
It began with Ronald Reagan who claimed that all government was bad. He didn't bother to tell us that if we worked on it government could be good. We didn't bother to think of the consequences of cutting taxes: cut programs, increased user fees, a less responsive government, privatization of vital services, the eventual marginalization of the middle and working classes. It's much easier to blame the government rather than look at how we voted.
Americans believed the lie that it was "Morning in America". They continue to believe that the GOP has their best interests at heart. Yet this is the party that hates unions, wants to control our reproductive lives, refuses to tell the NRA to get lost, and has contributed to more government dysfunction than the secession of the South before the Civil War. Voting for Donald Trump is like voting to use a cannon when a fly swatter will do. So is building luxury housing when affordable is needed.
66
"They continue to believe that the GOP has their best interests at heart."
They even believe that the OP is still G. So let's ask the begged question: Is it?
They even believe that the OP is still G. So let's ask the begged question: Is it?
4
Ronald Reagan gave more real jobs to workers than any other American President. Reagan's economic boom lasted until the Clinton's increased the growth of government enough to finally slow down the jobs growth.
He ALSO saw years with at least a 3% economic growth, which your hero Barack will never manage to do despite his doubling the national debt.
Barack Obama not only was the only president to cut Medicare but has made this wealth inequality thing WORSE. Why is that?
He ALSO saw years with at least a 3% economic growth, which your hero Barack will never manage to do despite his doubling the national debt.
Barack Obama not only was the only president to cut Medicare but has made this wealth inequality thing WORSE. Why is that?
7
So poorly educated men, the bulk of Trump supporters, hate not only minorities but half the entire population for taking "their" jobs. And Trump loves the poorly educated. Heck, let's just throw out the Civil Rights act, the Voting Act, and the Statue of Liberty to please the Neanderthals in the KKK. Nixon's southern strategy's inevitable outcome.
19
What condescension.
6
Very interesting to learn that Marx (who I have never read) had come to the same conclusions I had come to independently (though 150 years too late). Unfortunately, he and his followers have taken this insight into a different direction, mainly seeding discontent and unrest, which then further diminishes one's productivity, causing one to fall further behind, which causes more discontent, and so on. That is a vicious cycle from which there is no escape.
These days, the vicious cycle is driven at an accelerated speed by our social media, which fuel the feelings of inadequacy for ever more people at an ever faster rate.
If I had ever needed another reason NOT to subscribe to Facebook, Twitter and whatever the other platforms are called, then this is it.
Despite all daily frustrations, I am quite happy with my life as it is and I take pride in my little house in a neighborhood where property values (and hence my taxes!) are now also skyrocketing since several MacMansions have begun to appear a few years ago. Thank God I don't have to live in one of those!
These days, the vicious cycle is driven at an accelerated speed by our social media, which fuel the feelings of inadequacy for ever more people at an ever faster rate.
If I had ever needed another reason NOT to subscribe to Facebook, Twitter and whatever the other platforms are called, then this is it.
Despite all daily frustrations, I am quite happy with my life as it is and I take pride in my little house in a neighborhood where property values (and hence my taxes!) are now also skyrocketing since several MacMansions have begun to appear a few years ago. Thank God I don't have to live in one of those!
9
Most of the men I know make less than their wives, failed to finish college and don't help with the house work and go to shooting ranges a lot. Tough to feel sorry for these guys since they don't do much.
37
Men didn't start doing this just for fun. Conditions changed, and the men adapted poorly.
2
This article drifts perilously close to diagnosing a majority of the population as suffering from "affluenza" and its associated resentments, envies and anger. No most of us are the casualties of class warfare conducted by a powerful elite - hence the misplaced rage. Many Americans misclassify themselves as middle class deluding themselves that they have achieved the American dream. Few have any economic resources although they're employed. If you cannot afford a $400 repair bill, or must borrow money to pay for a funeral, you are poor -period. Low wages in America make people poor and are fueling the misdirected anger. Orange man is reaping the benefits
33
"This article drifts perilously close to diagnosing a majority of the population as suffering from "affluenza" and its associated resentments, envies and anger. "
I don't think that's inaccurate. Virtually all Americans are in pretty good shape, on a global scale. They want to do better than people they can see, not content with just having pretty reliable electricity and running water. And why shouldn't they aspire to what they can see?
I don't think that's inaccurate. Virtually all Americans are in pretty good shape, on a global scale. They want to do better than people they can see, not content with just having pretty reliable electricity and running water. And why shouldn't they aspire to what they can see?
4
Stupid thought experiment asked of incompetent people. Basic rule of residential real estate: better to have the smaller house in the super upscale neighborhood. Your property tax bill is likely to underpay for the amenities provided by your neighbors and, perhaps most important, it will sell very quickly.
PS boomers are 'rightsizing'. Who wants 3000 sqft?
PS boomers are 'rightsizing'. Who wants 3000 sqft?
17
Any person incompetent enough to take economic advice from Thomas Edsall can't be helped by anything appearing on a news website.
5
Here we look into our personal inner world where feelings feed actions that may surprise us. Two years ago a friend was content in her 1950s vintage brick rambler. Then the house across the street was torn down and an incredibly enormous faux Arts and Craft four level dwelling covered every possible inch of its land base. It dwarfs its surroundings. Realtors/builders say the local government enjoys the increased tax revenue that came at "no cost." The value of the rambler home is see as oh so much less than the land. Here in Edsall's Op-Ed we read the cost. The friend who feels somehow "less valued." The teachers who will not be able to live near their students at the neighborhood school. The divisions and distances that will make us more like strangers than neighbors.
19
Brilliant analysis, as usual. One missing element is that it isn't just globalization that's hurting the U.S. middle class, it's policy, specifically conservative policy. Deregulation of banking leading up to the crisis, concentration of industries without fear of trust-busting, record corporate profits and buybacks without having to pay workers first, big tax cuts for the rich, weaker unions, etc.
Conservative/Republican marketing has made government the enemy, when it is lack of government that is the main problem. For example, government didn't force investment banks to make bad loans (they were unregulated and do not originate mortgages) yet they collapsed in 2008, bringing down the economy.
Rather than vote Republican, the white working class should be voting for the most liberal policies they can, which these days is Bernie Sanders.
Conservative/Republican marketing has made government the enemy, when it is lack of government that is the main problem. For example, government didn't force investment banks to make bad loans (they were unregulated and do not originate mortgages) yet they collapsed in 2008, bringing down the economy.
Rather than vote Republican, the white working class should be voting for the most liberal policies they can, which these days is Bernie Sanders.
19
Or to put it briefly, we have two problems:
1. We've a very bad habit of equating success with how big your house is, and more generally with how many toys you happen to own.
2. A lot of working class men are having trouble that's more than simply economic--it's that for very real, material reasons, the grounds of what had been their identity have changed, probably forever.
Sorry to say, Trump's been successful largely because he's appealed to the ugliest roots of that identity: bigotry, and a sense of being superior to Them.
1. We've a very bad habit of equating success with how big your house is, and more generally with how many toys you happen to own.
2. A lot of working class men are having trouble that's more than simply economic--it's that for very real, material reasons, the grounds of what had been their identity have changed, probably forever.
Sorry to say, Trump's been successful largely because he's appealed to the ugliest roots of that identity: bigotry, and a sense of being superior to Them.
17
Robert, I'm not sure if Trump just appeals to bigotry and that sense of supremacy. I think he and his ilk have packaged Fear with great effectiveness. What really frustrates me and also breaks my heart is that in their Fear, people have believed the lies that say "its the fault of immigrants," or " globalization " or "women." In fact, it's our politicians who have sold their souls and pointed the finger to whatever respective bogeyman is most convenient cover. People are not stupid, no matter what some say. They may be less educated or sophisticated, but their fear comes from reality. All our lives are different and not for the better. Capitalism should be an opportunity. Now, it's become a gate that keeps most of us out so that the few can have it all. Mr. Trump is packaging himself as a liberator, when he's another example of the true problems.
4
As usual, there is no mention of the costs working class whites paid for ill-conceived, liberal elite social engineering policies via forced busing for school desegregation (a failed experiment that occurred mostly during the 1970-1990 period), affirmative action quotas, or unfair competition and depressed wages wrought by mass immigration. Avoiding these issues transforms their complaints into losers whining over "lost status." This approach goes back to social historian Richard Hofstadter's book Age of Reform (1956).
25
Many white working class men are not victims of the system. They are its creators and enablers. For thirty five years, lots of them voted for government that gave more money and power to wealthy corporations and individuals, while slashing budgets for investments in education and healthcare and family support and job retraining and pensions which help guarantee a decent life for every American. Along comes globalization and technological change and the addition of millions of new manufacturing workers in places like China - all of which would have happened regardless of what trade deals we did or didn't sign - and the result is disaster for these folks. So are they now looking for a new path forward? Nah. They just want someone who makes a lot of easy promises and tells them who to blame.
55
It is nearly sad how the working class continue to vote against their own self-interest by voting Republican.
It was the Republicans who push the trade treaties.
It is the Republicans who have pushed state funded college education to the parents.
It has been the Republican party that has pushed for the destruction of unions, it is the Republicans who continue to push against a living minimum wage.
The list goes on and on. Does anyone really think a guy like Trump really has the working class best interest in mind?
It was the Republicans who push the trade treaties.
It is the Republicans who have pushed state funded college education to the parents.
It has been the Republican party that has pushed for the destruction of unions, it is the Republicans who continue to push against a living minimum wage.
The list goes on and on. Does anyone really think a guy like Trump really has the working class best interest in mind?
44
And always remember, it is the Republican U.S. Chamber of Commerce that advised businesses on how to off-shore those businesses.
At first, I wondered why people affected by such actions continue to vote Republican ("What's the matter with Kansas").
Silly me. It's because the "other" is getting free stuff from the gummint, or so Fox and rw radio tell them.
Case in point: the president recently visited Indiana, where many jobs were saved due to his efforts to bail out the auto industry. Yet Indianans interviewed on the matter said they will still vote Republican.
I'm convinced people like that would rather complain about how bad they have it economically than (literally) give up their guns and Bibles.
At first, I wondered why people affected by such actions continue to vote Republican ("What's the matter with Kansas").
Silly me. It's because the "other" is getting free stuff from the gummint, or so Fox and rw radio tell them.
Case in point: the president recently visited Indiana, where many jobs were saved due to his efforts to bail out the auto industry. Yet Indianans interviewed on the matter said they will still vote Republican.
I'm convinced people like that would rather complain about how bad they have it economically than (literally) give up their guns and Bibles.
6
As a professor at CUNY, I beg to point out that in the BLUE state of New York, it took seven years and a threat of a strike for us to get a fair contract.
The State has been starving CUNY for funds for at least 30 years, and the governors were not always Republican. Indeed the current governor is a Democrat as was his father before him.
I am not a Republican and never have been, nor have I ever voted for a Republican presidential candidate.
But the constant abuse of Republicans that I see here in the NYT does, in my view, create unnecessary divisions and prevents the nation from solving its problems.
Why SHOULD Republicans cooperate with you if you are constantly abusing them? Would anyone?
The State has been starving CUNY for funds for at least 30 years, and the governors were not always Republican. Indeed the current governor is a Democrat as was his father before him.
I am not a Republican and never have been, nor have I ever voted for a Republican presidential candidate.
But the constant abuse of Republicans that I see here in the NYT does, in my view, create unnecessary divisions and prevents the nation from solving its problems.
Why SHOULD Republicans cooperate with you if you are constantly abusing them? Would anyone?
4
Hillary Clinton and the neoliberal Democrats pushed for the trade deals --and they are STILL pushing for trade deals that impoverish Americans.
Hillary thinks $12 an hour is a living wage. And I don't see too many Democrats standing with the unions.
Hillary thinks $12 an hour is a living wage. And I don't see too many Democrats standing with the unions.
7
I can tell you that as a married middle-class white man that I don't give a whit about losing "cultural dominance" (everyone can find what they like in this day and age) or whether my spouse makes more than me.
My one and only concern is wage deflation, both the domestic variety(2 generations of biz school graduates obsessed with cost cutting and "shareholder value") and the imported kind (having to "compete" with workers from nations with much lower wages and practically no benefits).
Of course the service sector will never be supplanted as the bulk of our GDP, 75-80%. Therefore, we must find a way for service sector workers be awarded for their experience like their manufacturing sector ancestors did at one time.
My one and only concern is wage deflation, both the domestic variety(2 generations of biz school graduates obsessed with cost cutting and "shareholder value") and the imported kind (having to "compete" with workers from nations with much lower wages and practically no benefits).
Of course the service sector will never be supplanted as the bulk of our GDP, 75-80%. Therefore, we must find a way for service sector workers be awarded for their experience like their manufacturing sector ancestors did at one time.
30
Unions. If service sector workers were unionized and immigration were limited to the college educated, service jobs could support families like manufacturing jobs did. It's not the nature of the job; it's the political power of the job holder that made the difference.
39
@ David Taylor
Yes, I agree. We've got almost 3 generations of b-school grads who don't know how well "bubble up" can work.
Yes, I agree. We've got almost 3 generations of b-school grads who don't know how well "bubble up" can work.
4
@David - Most service sector workers do have college degrees, and many have graduate degrees.
When I worked at the (very large) bank, we used to joke about the Vice Presidents Union, 150,000 strong, marching down 5th Avenue on Labor Day.
When I worked at the (very large) bank, we used to joke about the Vice Presidents Union, 150,000 strong, marching down 5th Avenue on Labor Day.
8
In the latest Independence Day celebratory issue of the Time magazine, there was a list of winners in the children's competitive events like Spelling Bee, National Geographic Bee (?), Science Talent Search (?), etc.
As far as I could tell from the names, all the winners were of Indian decent. Being an Indian immigrant, I was thrilled!
But, I am also scared. If the first or second generation Indians start excelling in so many areas, including financial, what will the other minority(ies), that has traditionally been at the top always, react?
Will they simply say, 'Ah well, we have been at the top all these year and now it is someone else's turn' and just leave it at that?
Or, will they, out of a sense of envy/revenge, try to make it difficult for these Indians from getting to the top while leaving them behind in the dust?
As far as I could tell from the names, all the winners were of Indian decent. Being an Indian immigrant, I was thrilled!
But, I am also scared. If the first or second generation Indians start excelling in so many areas, including financial, what will the other minority(ies), that has traditionally been at the top always, react?
Will they simply say, 'Ah well, we have been at the top all these year and now it is someone else's turn' and just leave it at that?
Or, will they, out of a sense of envy/revenge, try to make it difficult for these Indians from getting to the top while leaving them behind in the dust?
10
Interesting thought. I am in high tech and work with many people from India. In many ways, this is the first generation of Indians or at least the last 30 years must mark the largest immigration from India. I suspect what you are concerned about will not happen. The integration of immigrants follows a fairly standard path through generations. So rest assured that your grandchildren will be as fat and lazy, as poorly educated and in as much poverty as the rest of America. :-)
13
To Dreamer: I am married to an Indian man and I see things from the inside. He is a software engineer who grew up with a lot of pressure on him to succeed. Now, he lives here and wants to change his career. He sees his friends from college with high-powered jobs dropping from heart attacks & even strokes in India in their late thirties and early forties. Stress & lifestyle have been killing his friends. Life isn't just about being perfect and collecting possessions. A balance is in order.
This Article: What is happening in this country is criminal in regards to the .001% spending "dark money" to dismantle and control the government through their foundations, think tanks, and their so-called "experts" in the media who deny climate change and a host of other scientific research that gets in the way of their companies being able to pollute and act unchecked. They do not care what happens to the rest of us and will pit each group against each other in order to divide and conquer, like the British did in the past. Why fight over the spoils when we can focus on the real, underlying problems and create policy to fix what the ultra-right Republicans did in the past 35 years? First, we need to come together united against the rich (like the Koch brothers and et al.) who have hoodwinked a swath of Americans from the truth and stop looking at how big the neighbor's house is down the street in a little world-view.
This Article: What is happening in this country is criminal in regards to the .001% spending "dark money" to dismantle and control the government through their foundations, think tanks, and their so-called "experts" in the media who deny climate change and a host of other scientific research that gets in the way of their companies being able to pollute and act unchecked. They do not care what happens to the rest of us and will pit each group against each other in order to divide and conquer, like the British did in the past. Why fight over the spoils when we can focus on the real, underlying problems and create policy to fix what the ultra-right Republicans did in the past 35 years? First, we need to come together united against the rich (like the Koch brothers and et al.) who have hoodwinked a swath of Americans from the truth and stop looking at how big the neighbor's house is down the street in a little world-view.
4
The white working class has often sided with the right wing as they became more affluent. In the 70s when working class wages still kept pace with inflation and pensions were still offered in private industry they voted for Nixon. They were the ones who supported the Vietnam war because of their fear of Communism. Later they voted for Reagan so he could make America great again. During the 80s they lost their wages started to go down relative to inflation and eventually their company pensions were replaced with 401ks. They have chosen their path and it is consistently aligned with the market driven anti-tax politicians. Also, they were the ones that said everyone should pick themselves up by their own bootstraps and not rely on "handouts." I noticed that Trump is not telling them to do that because it is the politically correct people that are the problem. White working class men especially called the social contract and the welfare state a blight on society put in place by the "bleeding heart liberals". They don't like government debt even if it would mean jobs on infrastructure projects. I am wondering if the white working class voters know what they really want.
15
@Yogini - "they were the ones who supported the Vietnam War" ? Really? It was the working class who actually had to FIGHT in the Vietnam War, because they weren't protected by a deferment, like many affluent men who were in college were protected.
In my view, the affluent white men (certainly NOT working class) were the ones who sent working class men to die in Vietnam. The working class did what the elites expected of them and served. You may be surprised to know that many of those white working class men, like my father, became staunchly anti-war after that experience.
Sorry, by definition working class does not equal "affluent".
Yes, politically correct people who exclusively focus on race and gender issues to the exclusion of class issues (class being the real "four letter word") are the problem - your entire comment exudes contempt for people who work in blue collar occupations.
No wonder the present day Democratic Party is in crisis - the Democratic elites may not want to acknowledge it, but it's increasingly obvious. Keep up the Corporatist Democratic narrative though.
In my view, the affluent white men (certainly NOT working class) were the ones who sent working class men to die in Vietnam. The working class did what the elites expected of them and served. You may be surprised to know that many of those white working class men, like my father, became staunchly anti-war after that experience.
Sorry, by definition working class does not equal "affluent".
Yes, politically correct people who exclusively focus on race and gender issues to the exclusion of class issues (class being the real "four letter word") are the problem - your entire comment exudes contempt for people who work in blue collar occupations.
No wonder the present day Democratic Party is in crisis - the Democratic elites may not want to acknowledge it, but it's increasingly obvious. Keep up the Corporatist Democratic narrative though.
7
This article references something that the left is often blind to: it has, inadvertently, aided the rise of Trump. It goes beyond the anti-free speech excesses noted by Professor Pinker, and it extends into the realm of rhetoric about white privilege that has been unfairly applied with a broad brush to all whites.
Historically, being white has not given the same benefits to all whites. To use an easy example, if a white coal miner in the 1950s wasn't able to afford a house in an area that was whites-only, he was not much better off than the black coal miner who wasn't able to afford a house in the area and wouldn't have been allowed to move in even if he had the money. The end result is the same.
That's not to say there have been no benefits for the white working class vis-a-vis non-whites, but the discussion about white privilege needs to be significantly more nuanced if those on the left want to avoid a backlash. Telling one of the whites among the 32% of the working class who has a net worth of $0 that he's "privileged" and that he should be ashamed of his history -- even if his ancestors never owned slaves and/or came as very poor immigrants themselves -- is not going to elicit a positive response.
Trump will likely be defeated at the ballot box, but to fully defeat Trumpism the left needs to move away from rhetoric that promotes racial tribalism.
Historically, being white has not given the same benefits to all whites. To use an easy example, if a white coal miner in the 1950s wasn't able to afford a house in an area that was whites-only, he was not much better off than the black coal miner who wasn't able to afford a house in the area and wouldn't have been allowed to move in even if he had the money. The end result is the same.
That's not to say there have been no benefits for the white working class vis-a-vis non-whites, but the discussion about white privilege needs to be significantly more nuanced if those on the left want to avoid a backlash. Telling one of the whites among the 32% of the working class who has a net worth of $0 that he's "privileged" and that he should be ashamed of his history -- even if his ancestors never owned slaves and/or came as very poor immigrants themselves -- is not going to elicit a positive response.
Trump will likely be defeated at the ballot box, but to fully defeat Trumpism the left needs to move away from rhetoric that promotes racial tribalism.
84
You really have to scrabble to find a genuine, card-carrying lefty who lectures working folks about their privilege, you know.
And it isn't leftists who promulgated Jim Crow, the Klan, lynching, segregation and all the rest of the machinery of racism. Nor is it leftists who sold working people and farmers on the notion that their freedom depended on the oppression of others.
And it isn't leftists who promulgated Jim Crow, the Klan, lynching, segregation and all the rest of the machinery of racism. Nor is it leftists who sold working people and farmers on the notion that their freedom depended on the oppression of others.
7
Were the longer-term prospects for your hypothetical black and white coal miners the same? Were their chances for promotion and pay raises the same?
Is the one man's poverty really the equivalent of a society-wide stigma that barred the other from ever living where he chose to live?
It seems pretty un-nuanced to claim that the end result is the same, doesn't it?
Is the one man's poverty really the equivalent of a society-wide stigma that barred the other from ever living where he chose to live?
It seems pretty un-nuanced to claim that the end result is the same, doesn't it?
2
I don't doubt that my late husband, a white man, would have been a Trump supporter. He was a lifelong registered Democrat, but he was increasingly angry about his economic status. He hated what he called the PC police. He hated it that I made more money than he did. (And he couldn't see that was in part because of actions he took, his unwillingness to further his education through training offered on the job or by returning to school, his tendency to quit a job rather than learn something new.) Eventually, he had health problems that compounded his employment problems. His reactions when faced with "precarious masculinity" was to order me to quit school, to blame "the Mexicans" at his last job, to make racist statements about my heritage in front of our daughter, who of course shares that heritage, and to become verbally, emotionally, and sexually abusive. This "compensatory behavior" led me to leave him. He continued to up the ante until his health problems led to his death. He would have voted for Trump because he longed for the days when men were men and women knew their place. He felt like he was looking from the outside at a place others had taken from him, a place that was rightfully his but to which he no longer had access. Trump totally taps into all the insecurities he had. It's sad. Frightening, but sad.
253
I think you've hit on the root of the insecurity that also leads to Islamic terrorism. After a long history of successful imperialism. "He felt like he was looking from the outside at a place others had taken from him, a place that was rightfully his but to which he no longer had access."
6
Here's why middle class people should vote for Trump. For better or worse, the standard of living of the US middle class is still, barely but still, higher than that of other nations, including our neighbor, Mexico. The law of gradients says that, if you have two vats whose content is of different pressure and you open the vane between the two, a transfer will occur between the two vats until the pressure equalizes. Opening the borders to goods has had the exact same effect on the working class. The standard of living of people working in manufacturing has sunk nearly to that of the working population in Mexico. It will soon sink to the level of the Chinese working class unless something is done about this problem. If you believe that workers across the world should have the same conditions and standard of living, unavoidably that of the biggest vat, China, then you go ahead and vote for Clinton. The rich will thank you.
8
It is almost as loopy to believe that the American middle class is at a level with the Mexican middle class as it is to willfully ignore the fact that by rational standards (you know--the ones that don't include how many jet-skis you own) the middle classes in ALL the Scandinavian countries, Germany, the Netherlands, and half of England and France have better standards of living than in America.
They lead in health, edication, leisure time, and everything else that matters.
They lead in health, edication, leisure time, and everything else that matters.
4
Canada's middle class is richer. And citizens of most other nations have subsidized health care, which, in the long run, makes it far easier to live a middle class life.
6
@Zejee: "richer" is quite an exaggeration -- the Canadian middle class has about $3000 per year in additional income, and that is largely because it is a small white & asian nation. They have no illegal immigration, so no Canadian has to compete with an illegal Mexican earning $5 cash under the table.
Canadians pay far more in taxes, and for goods like clothing and electronics. So that $3000 is probably eaten up immediately.
If you travel to Canada, it appears Canadians live a very similar lifestyle to most Americans.
Subsidized health care only matters if you do not have a job, or have a low-level job that won't pay for health insurance. 85% of Americans have health insurance through their employers.
Canadians pay far more in taxes, and for goods like clothing and electronics. So that $3000 is probably eaten up immediately.
If you travel to Canada, it appears Canadians live a very similar lifestyle to most Americans.
Subsidized health care only matters if you do not have a job, or have a low-level job that won't pay for health insurance. 85% of Americans have health insurance through their employers.
2
Interesting article and many good comments. One of the biggest driving forces behind the resentment held by many toward the "elites" is their unwillingness to deal with the real problems caused by immigration,legal as well as illegal. Among them being the downward effect on the employment and incomes of lower income workers. Another, and never mentioned, is the strain put on the environment and resources by too many people in our country. There is an "inside the beltway" and liberal group think about immigration that can only see racism in the motives of those who oppose large-scale immigration.
8
The elites BENEFIT FROM IMMIGRATION! Why is this so hard for people to grasp! They want immigrants here to drive down wages. Global corporations and their leaders benefit from lower labor costs, and they pocket the difference. It is not the IMMIGRANTS who are the problem, it's the companies that do this allegedly to stay "competitive," i.e., to satisfy Wall Street and line the pockets of their top execs. Yet you like so many blame the immigrants. WHY?
On to of this, they benefit from companies being overleveraged by private equity firms; they pay themselves first, the companies collapse, they spin off of the profitable bits, employ the cheapest domestic (immigrant) labor possible or strip the workforce to the bone andship the jobs overseas, and taxpayers get left holding the bag again and again. WHY IS THIS SO HARD FOR AMERICANS TO SEE? The immigrants
On to of this, they benefit from companies being overleveraged by private equity firms; they pay themselves first, the companies collapse, they spin off of the profitable bits, employ the cheapest domestic (immigrant) labor possible or strip the workforce to the bone andship the jobs overseas, and taxpayers get left holding the bag again and again. WHY IS THIS SO HARD FOR AMERICANS TO SEE? The immigrants
13
Immigration continues to cover a large job segment most white Americans refuse to do - the work is hard, pays poor and is below their imagined social status - such as picking fruits and vegetables, working in a meat process factory, cleaning hotel rooms, landscaping, roofing, cooking, washing dishes etc.
A few years ago in Colorado - they tried to reduce the number of Mexican seasonal work permits for picking vegetables. The plan was to take able bodied men from the unemployment office - pay them $ 18.00/hour (twice what the Mexicans were making). The results - 9 out of 10 unemployment workers failed to last a week. The work they said was just to hard for the money - the farmers were left with no choice but to go back to work permits.
A few years ago in Colorado - they tried to reduce the number of Mexican seasonal work permits for picking vegetables. The plan was to take able bodied men from the unemployment office - pay them $ 18.00/hour (twice what the Mexicans were making). The results - 9 out of 10 unemployment workers failed to last a week. The work they said was just to hard for the money - the farmers were left with no choice but to go back to work permits.
11
That's only part of the story H1B visa holders - legal immigrants - -take living wage jobs from Americans. That is a fact.
3
A lot of conservatives seem to harbor resentment towards others in the middle class who earn more and have better jobs. Conservatives often tend to think of those that earn more as undeserving. Instead of trying to strive for those higher paying jobs themselves, conservatives often try to drag everyone else down. For example, conservatives who are resentful of higher union wages usually won't try to get a union job themselves...instead they'd rather support anti-union candidates who work to destroy unions, pass right to work laws and lower everyone's wages. With the conservative, it's not about moving up the middle class economic ladder, it's about dragging other middle class workers down.
Instead of attacking the wages and benefits of union members and other middle class workers, conservatives should be fighting for better wages and benefits for themselves. Unfortunately it seems as if conservatives prefer a race to the bottom. And while the conservatives rage against other middle class workers continues, the 1 percenters are happy that the fight is happening at the lower end of the econonic scale...far, far away from them.
Instead of attacking the wages and benefits of union members and other middle class workers, conservatives should be fighting for better wages and benefits for themselves. Unfortunately it seems as if conservatives prefer a race to the bottom. And while the conservatives rage against other middle class workers continues, the 1 percenters are happy that the fight is happening at the lower end of the econonic scale...far, far away from them.
25
Come now. "A lot of conservatives seem to harbor resentment towards others in the middle class who earn more and have better jobs. Conservatives often tend to think of those that earn more as undeserving."
I also read and hear many liberals/progressives who are equally - albeit perhaps from a different perspective - resentful of others who have more than they do, assuming it to be undeserved (ala "you didn't build that" mentality), obtained by chicanery or privilege, equal resentment of the so-called 1% (except for favored people like pols and celebrities, oddly enough) and so on. Both sides seem to view the elites of 1% crowd to be the "others" and to blame.
But when we find it so easy to just pigeon hole people into little niches with presumed uniformity of belief, conduct, ethos, etc. (i.e, all white males think A, all women believe B, all blacks behave like C, etc.) you end up with the mess we see - polarization and spinning our wheels in futility.
I also read and hear many liberals/progressives who are equally - albeit perhaps from a different perspective - resentful of others who have more than they do, assuming it to be undeserved (ala "you didn't build that" mentality), obtained by chicanery or privilege, equal resentment of the so-called 1% (except for favored people like pols and celebrities, oddly enough) and so on. Both sides seem to view the elites of 1% crowd to be the "others" and to blame.
But when we find it so easy to just pigeon hole people into little niches with presumed uniformity of belief, conduct, ethos, etc. (i.e, all white males think A, all women believe B, all blacks behave like C, etc.) you end up with the mess we see - polarization and spinning our wheels in futility.
7
"A larger house is better in absolute terms"... really? Take that statement to a logical extreme and the fallacy becomes obvious. As one who chose a small house for financial, ecological and practical reasons, I would point out that the preference for large houses is largely status-driven (as the article suggests) but not universal. Europeans recognize the superiority of smaller abodes.
20
Finally an article that goes to the heart of the Trump phenomenon: loss of perceived status among many European Americans. This is just the sort of cultural/psychological problem that American society has not been able to deal with. Of course there are similar longstanding problems among African Americans, Muslims in the US, Native Americans, and other groups. But since European Americans constitute the largest single group, their feelings have much more political impact when they become discontented.
8
For me this was the most important statement made in Mr. Edsall's essay:
"In effect, the increase in the resources commandeered by the overclass has pulled the rug out from under the once upwardly mobile white working class."
During this time, the working class has seen the loss of pensions, increased health care costs, and stagnant wages. The quality of schools in their neighborhoods has declined, and the cost of higher education has soared. The wealthy have been able to influence tax and investment policies that favor them, shielding more and more assets from taxation. Capital gains taxes are low, yet the wealthy clamor to have none. Mr. Trump has skillfully exploited the feelings of resentment by working and middle class people. These resentments are due to both social and economic forces that have developed over time. Sadly, a Trump Presidency would solve none of the problems plaguing the middle class. The good people supporting Mr. Trump will be mightily disappointed when it's all not Great! Believe Me!
"In effect, the increase in the resources commandeered by the overclass has pulled the rug out from under the once upwardly mobile white working class."
During this time, the working class has seen the loss of pensions, increased health care costs, and stagnant wages. The quality of schools in their neighborhoods has declined, and the cost of higher education has soared. The wealthy have been able to influence tax and investment policies that favor them, shielding more and more assets from taxation. Capital gains taxes are low, yet the wealthy clamor to have none. Mr. Trump has skillfully exploited the feelings of resentment by working and middle class people. These resentments are due to both social and economic forces that have developed over time. Sadly, a Trump Presidency would solve none of the problems plaguing the middle class. The good people supporting Mr. Trump will be mightily disappointed when it's all not Great! Believe Me!
35
And neither will a HIllary presidency.
5
Trump will help address this, by deporting 20 million illegal aliens.
Each illegal alien represents a JOB that will go to a US citizen!
Each illegal alien represents a JOB that will go to a US citizen!
4
"Growing income inequality in the U.S. has meant that as those at the top are able bid up the price of valued goods like housing and access to good schools, those in lower groups have struggled to maintain their positions."
Shouldn't there be a "[sic]" in there? "able *to* bid," sounds better.
Shouldn't there be a "[sic]" in there? "able *to* bid," sounds better.
Yep, when happiness means not only buying the next shiny new thing but making sure your thing is newer and shinier than your neighbors, it should become clear that we have lost our way.
And what better demonstration of just how much we have lost our way than the popularity of bombastic blowhard with a closet full of the newest and the shiniest, all shown off to the oohs and aahs of ... well, frankly losers but losers meant in a way so different than when sneered from the lips of that blowhard.
And what better demonstration of just how much we have lost our way than the popularity of bombastic blowhard with a closet full of the newest and the shiniest, all shown off to the oohs and aahs of ... well, frankly losers but losers meant in a way so different than when sneered from the lips of that blowhard.
5
Strange article. It starts out on the potentially interesting subject of the importance of perceived relative status and the recent skew of resources toward a growing upper middle class. Before developing this it meanders off to a second potentially interesting subject: the replacement of the old-time male role as provider and protector with a new role as partner. But before developing this it collapses into the utterly over-played subject about the white male victims of so-called political correctness.
Awful article – taking a serious economic and social issue, and wrapping it in an anti-Trump diatribe. We know Trump is full of hot air.
He is going to lose, and Hillary is going to win. We get it - make fun of Trump, ignore Sanders.
But wage stagnation is a real issue. It doesn’t need snarky white-privilege-humanities-dept-crap lines like “goods and services once viewed as theirs by right”. How about leading with “47 percent of Americans do not have the resources to cover a $400 bill”?
I would like to see what Hillary said to the Hedge Fund crowd about income inequality, and see if it matches up with what she is saying on the stump. Fat chance…
He is going to lose, and Hillary is going to win. We get it - make fun of Trump, ignore Sanders.
But wage stagnation is a real issue. It doesn’t need snarky white-privilege-humanities-dept-crap lines like “goods and services once viewed as theirs by right”. How about leading with “47 percent of Americans do not have the resources to cover a $400 bill”?
I would like to see what Hillary said to the Hedge Fund crowd about income inequality, and see if it matches up with what she is saying on the stump. Fat chance…
29
So 47% of Americans can't pony up $400 to cover an unexpected expense. That's the same percentage of Americans whom Mitt Romney described as "takers." Apparently they haven't taken much.
33
I don't wish to tell trained sociologists/psychologists their business because I'm sure they are just presenting their theories as they see them. I would also point out, as I'm sure many have already, that either gender can borrow from even the most stereotypical qualities of the other. That said, the thought of Trump being viewed as a symbol of masculinity is nauseating. The only traditionally masculine quality that might be assigned to Trump is confidence. Yet, that confidence is not self-confidence, but rather an insecure need to be constantly acknowledged by others. Neither is he a provider in the traditional masculine sense any more than, say, Bernie Madoff. Wealth through fraud is shameful, not masculine. He displays neither moral or physical courage. His is morally cowardly because he does not accept responsibility for his actions whether in his business dealings or in his short political career, despite leading people to ruin. At the same time, the very notion of Trump placing himself PHYSICALLY in harm's way to protect anyone or anything is laughable. What honor has Trump ever displayed beyond the ability to honor himself? What I see in Trump is an emotionally fragile man quick to give insults but easily unsettled by the slightest provocation (remember his hands?). Who would tell their son, "this is how a man should speak and behave"? Who would tell their daughter, "seek out men like this"? What nation would say, "this man can lead us"?
15
Precarious masculinity! A very sad new term of this time.
We see everyday on the freeway in our particular suburban area this precarious masculinity acted out in the form of men driving the latest huge oversized truck usually a Ford or a Dodge. Can they get any bigger? Yes if you "lift" or jack up the wheels thus giving the driver even more masculine look. Never mind the environment or safety of the rest of us in the face of these monsters going down the road. Its all about display, display of diminished masculinity.
This is a great article! Thank you very much NYT, superb reporting.
We see everyday on the freeway in our particular suburban area this precarious masculinity acted out in the form of men driving the latest huge oversized truck usually a Ford or a Dodge. Can they get any bigger? Yes if you "lift" or jack up the wheels thus giving the driver even more masculine look. Never mind the environment or safety of the rest of us in the face of these monsters going down the road. Its all about display, display of diminished masculinity.
This is a great article! Thank you very much NYT, superb reporting.
23
I believe that the size of the truck is in perfect alignment with the state of the party driving said truck and their sense of diminished masculinity.
I believe, "The Donald", has spoken to his own sense of diminished masculinity bragging about certain body parts.
I believe, "The Donald", has spoken to his own sense of diminished masculinity bragging about certain body parts.
1
OK, what method do you suggest to pull a two-horse trailer or a log-splitting machine? Do you think a Prius will do? Can you run a welding rig off an electric engine, or is a V-8 required?
2
'A Public Religion Research Institute survey in March found that half of Trump’s supporters — more than any other candidate’s — believe that society would benefit if “women adhere to traditional gender roles.”'
Insight to the source of independent white males and their vote against Mrs. Clinton, even though they might agree more with her positions and leadership style than Mr. Trumps.
Insight to the source of independent white males and their vote against Mrs. Clinton, even though they might agree more with her positions and leadership style than Mr. Trumps.
11
So, "precarious males" are aligning themselves with a guy living their fantasy? I get that blue collar guys thought the fix was in, factory jobs that would pay for vacation homes and extra vehicles. But that life has been waning for 40 years.
It really is time for them to man up. Go grill something that your wife brought home. Fix something. Or get educated to do something else.
You better find a way, or you'll feel really precarious when we have a woman president.
It really is time for them to man up. Go grill something that your wife brought home. Fix something. Or get educated to do something else.
You better find a way, or you'll feel really precarious when we have a woman president.
17
I rather buy the cheapest home of my neighborhood/building so my neighbors will be making sure that my property does not lose value.
Maybe that is why Trump is the king of bad deals and bankruptcy.
Maybe that is why Trump is the king of bad deals and bankruptcy.
54
To Aurace,
Perfect logic. There was an old cliche when it came to buying a house: "Better the least expensive house in the most expensive neighborhood, than the other way around".
Perfect logic. There was an old cliche when it came to buying a house: "Better the least expensive house in the most expensive neighborhood, than the other way around".
7
Good strategy Aurace. You should also make sure the building does not say "TRUMP" on the front of it too.
I wonder how much value the Trump brand is losing every day he continues to campaign?
I wonder how much value the Trump brand is losing every day he continues to campaign?
2
Of course. You have the benefit of the good neighborhood and its schools, while your house is worth more based on the neighbors' higher priced houses. And if someone is so insecure they need to have the same trimmings as all their neighbors, they will never be content anyway.
4
One can only hope the backtracking of the pro Brexit politicians has some impact on Trump supporters. The pre-vote rhetoric has not held up post Brexit. Hopefully enough Trump supporters will acknowledge that such rhetoric is exactly that, meant to influence the outcome but not reflective of a feasible plan for the future.
1
Minorities are ascending. Women are often the breadwinners. Patriarchy -with its white male dominance - is crumbling in the face of increasing equality.
Many of the people who support Trump and believe they have been left behind are also often the first to claim that those who are lower on the economic ladder are where they are because of their own behavior. And yet they are the first to blame others for their own lot in life. They have been encouraged from the pulpit to see themselves as deserving and told that that all those others are not only undeserving, but that those 'others' are reaping benefits from labors of the truly deserving.
When someone is accustomed to privilege equality feels like oppression.
Trump simply recognizes that misplaced perception of oppression, and has used it to his advantage. It is as Sinclair Lewis predicted - When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.
Many of the people who support Trump and believe they have been left behind are also often the first to claim that those who are lower on the economic ladder are where they are because of their own behavior. And yet they are the first to blame others for their own lot in life. They have been encouraged from the pulpit to see themselves as deserving and told that that all those others are not only undeserving, but that those 'others' are reaping benefits from labors of the truly deserving.
When someone is accustomed to privilege equality feels like oppression.
Trump simply recognizes that misplaced perception of oppression, and has used it to his advantage. It is as Sinclair Lewis predicted - When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.
21
"Minorities are ascending"
There you go. And some NY Times Op-Ed writers claim the African-Americans are losing ground.
There you go. And some NY Times Op-Ed writers claim the African-Americans are losing ground.
3
What do you mean by that? I thought black people were oppressed! hispanics were oppressed!
Now you tell me they are succeeding so wonderfully, they are DISPLACING white workers!
So I guess white people no longer have "privilege" and don't have to "check their privilege"????
Now you tell me they are succeeding so wonderfully, they are DISPLACING white workers!
So I guess white people no longer have "privilege" and don't have to "check their privilege"????
4
I was following you until you hit on “precarious masculinity.” While undoubtedly a relevant factor, I hesitate to apply the phenomenon too broadly. As a reactionary explanation to the economic factors introduced above, I find the idea overly simplistic and convenient. Sounds like a very sophisticated way of blaming political and economic dissatisfaction on sexism.
You go back to the Sanders campaign and you'll find many of the same demographics supporting a socially progressive and largely liberal candidate. Which, if you haven't heard the Sanders speech ten thousand times already, the core plank centered broadly on inequality. That's in stark contrast to Trump's nativism and Clinton's selectivism. The same people are responding to the same economic trends in different ways but with equal frustration.
That would suggest not all but many don't care whether women or minorities have better incomes. Their primary concern is with the health of their own household specifically. As correctly identified by Frank and Leonard, that perception can be negatively effected by the "Joneses" impact whether the perception is true or not. However, that doesn't eliminate the underlying anxiety no matter how it manifests.
There exist problems in this country that include but extend beyond misogyny, racism, and especially Trump. I'd suggest healthy caution when encountering complicated ideas made to fit simple explanations.
You go back to the Sanders campaign and you'll find many of the same demographics supporting a socially progressive and largely liberal candidate. Which, if you haven't heard the Sanders speech ten thousand times already, the core plank centered broadly on inequality. That's in stark contrast to Trump's nativism and Clinton's selectivism. The same people are responding to the same economic trends in different ways but with equal frustration.
That would suggest not all but many don't care whether women or minorities have better incomes. Their primary concern is with the health of their own household specifically. As correctly identified by Frank and Leonard, that perception can be negatively effected by the "Joneses" impact whether the perception is true or not. However, that doesn't eliminate the underlying anxiety no matter how it manifests.
There exist problems in this country that include but extend beyond misogyny, racism, and especially Trump. I'd suggest healthy caution when encountering complicated ideas made to fit simple explanations.
11
The picture trumps the article. The supposedly more luxurious home is a duplex, nestled among single family homes. The family on the ground floor has less yard, and more noise. The family on the top floor will always maneuver steps and has no yard. The single family homes, with basements and attics, probably have more space than either duplex. The perception of wealth seems to trump real prosperity.
7
Well -- there is one duplex on my street (not this ugly!). The family who owned it bought it years ago. They lived on the bottom, and the tenants lived upstairs. Over time, the rents went up and the value of the house went up (until it all crashed in 2008). The rent eventually paid the mortgage, and the owner family got to live RENT FREE.
I knew them well, and heard this story many times. They eventually retired and sold the home for 3 times what they paid for it, having lived rent-free for 20 years and put away a goodly sum for retirement.
The point is, the photo is meaningless. This is a duplex, awkwardly set among small single-family bungalows. It is no McMansion -- not by a LONG SHOT. It is a working class duplex.
I knew them well, and heard this story many times. They eventually retired and sold the home for 3 times what they paid for it, having lived rent-free for 20 years and put away a goodly sum for retirement.
The point is, the photo is meaningless. This is a duplex, awkwardly set among small single-family bungalows. It is no McMansion -- not by a LONG SHOT. It is a working class duplex.
4
What working class and middle class voters seem to have ignored is that repeated Republican administrations from Reagan on have failed to provide the "trickle down" promise of bettering the working class through massive tax cuts for the wealthy class. But they still believe in this myth and voting for Trump will only exacerbate this division not close the gap. The other myth that working and middle class white voters seem to miss is that jobs that have moved overseas are not coming back in large numbers to significantly impact manufacturing jobs. Technology transfer has become too available for that too happen not to mention that corporations have become dependent on cheap labor to maintain profits. White working and middle class Americans continue to buy into the propaganda by Republicans. Taking their frustrations out on minorities and immigrants is fascism not democracy. Ignorance is not an excuse for supporting a candidate that could care less for working and middle class Americans.
9
As usual, Mr. Edsall provides a thoughtful, well-written analysis,
and there is no doubt that Trump has a strong appeal to the voters he describes. But, Bernie Sanders also had a strong base among similarly situated individuals on the Democratic side. His appeal was grounded in the reality of immense, and growing, income inequality, and taking concrete steps to straighten things out. Trump's appeal was markedly different. It was based on a combination of thinly veiled racism and ridiculous unkeepable promises to build a wall, ban Muslims and deport millions.
History teaches us that one of the ways those at the top of a stratified society stay there, is by turning everyone else against one another. So, instead of "keeping up with Joneses", you turn on them and grow to hate them. And that's exactly what Trump, who is at the top of the economic heap himself, is doing.
and there is no doubt that Trump has a strong appeal to the voters he describes. But, Bernie Sanders also had a strong base among similarly situated individuals on the Democratic side. His appeal was grounded in the reality of immense, and growing, income inequality, and taking concrete steps to straighten things out. Trump's appeal was markedly different. It was based on a combination of thinly veiled racism and ridiculous unkeepable promises to build a wall, ban Muslims and deport millions.
History teaches us that one of the ways those at the top of a stratified society stay there, is by turning everyone else against one another. So, instead of "keeping up with Joneses", you turn on them and grow to hate them. And that's exactly what Trump, who is at the top of the economic heap himself, is doing.
15
Wonderful insight, but no answers. We need govt. to create programs to retrain workers left out because of globalization. We need infrastructure repairs, desperately. If the private sector sits on its money govt. needs to step in. Most of all we need compassion on both sides.
6
@ Chris - problem is government policies post 1980 have exacerbated inequality through tax cuts for wealthy, and spending cuts on everything. As they said in the Big Short, no bankers went to jail, instead that blamed the poor and immigrants. And teachers...
7
A government program to retrain workers? What, to become more government workers? In my state, government unions have transformed a "no income tax" state in 1991 to the most indebted state per capita. Every CT tax dollar I send to Hartford is a dollar I cannot put into the local economy that actually works for a living. Whenever I think of government trained workers, I look at our 90-minute minimum waits at the DMV and think about moving to another state.
2
@James: the absolute ideals for lefty liberals are the Scandinavian nations -- especially Denmark and Sweden.
In Sweden, one in FOUR workers is employed by the government. That is how they achieve their levels of employment -- which are far worse than our own. Our unemployment rate is under 5% -- Sweden's is 11%. And they only have 11% unemployment, because 25% of the Swedes work for their Federal government.
That is what the lefty liberals desire for the US. Also, to put anyone who cannot be employed by the government on "the dole". In Great Britain, fully one family in FIVE (20%) are on the dole -- and have been for generations. Most of these families have no member who has ever worked at any job....ever.
This is the ideal of lefty liberalism.
In Sweden, one in FOUR workers is employed by the government. That is how they achieve their levels of employment -- which are far worse than our own. Our unemployment rate is under 5% -- Sweden's is 11%. And they only have 11% unemployment, because 25% of the Swedes work for their Federal government.
That is what the lefty liberals desire for the US. Also, to put anyone who cannot be employed by the government on "the dole". In Great Britain, fully one family in FIVE (20%) are on the dole -- and have been for generations. Most of these families have no member who has ever worked at any job....ever.
This is the ideal of lefty liberalism.
2
This is very good. The phenomenon described is often called "comparison level" by my people, psychologists, and that seems to be how people really think. Moreover, "status" is multidimensional and goes way beyond financial factors, and that is acknowledged here. Consider this: white Southerners suffered a loss of relative status when the federal government, led by Democrats, insisted that their black fellow citizens were entitled to full civil rights. The South has been solidly Republican since 1964. Trump supporters appear to be centered in the former industrial areas of our country, not in the poorest. It is where white working men have suffered the greatest loss of status. If you looked at the maps, Brexit voters in England were concentrated in the old industrial midlands. We need some political genius to figure out how to get people to vote their self interest and not their perceived insults.
9
You do not get to tell ME what MY self-interests are.
Only I MYSELF can determine what my self interest are -- or are not.
And for what it is worth, I am a college graduate -- a woman -- a mother -- a grandmother -- and I work in a tech field. And I support Donald Trump.
Only I MYSELF can determine what my self interest are -- or are not.
And for what it is worth, I am a college graduate -- a woman -- a mother -- a grandmother -- and I work in a tech field. And I support Donald Trump.
2
Maybe I'm cynical, but more people would have the resources to cover the unexpected $400 bill for car repairs or health emergency, if they were not committing 31,000 ( or even $10,000) for a wedding ; which is essentially a one day celebration of a marriage, which too often ends due to money problems.
95
Ah, but you are postulating that humans can or should be rational.
That, my friend, is just not so.
That, my friend, is just not so.
2
The people who can't scrape together $400 for an emergency can't, and therefore don't, spend $31,000, $20,000, or even $10,000 for a wedding. My husband and I were married in a civic ceremony, and our "wedding party" was a small reception held at my parents' house with homemade food and couple of bottles of champagne. And that was 30+ years ago, before "wedding inflation" supposedly drove the cost of a wedding into the stratosphere. The idea of even a $5,000 wedding is laughable, except to those who can afford such indulgences.
7
And save more by not buying anything at WalMart (do you need that Chinese exported trash?), and cable TV, and lavish cell phone plans, and daily Starbucks coffee, etc. Take all that money and invest it weekly in an S&P 500 index fund, and voila, wealth is created for the individual. Americans waste so much money! I do not feel sorry at all for someone carrying a brand new cell phone who watched Game of Thrones on HBO when they cannot fix their car.
4
Ironically, Trump embodies those that have corrupted and skewed the system to benefit themselves the most that these middle-aged white males (majority of Trump backers) now hail as their savior.
There are no easy solutions to the systemic problems that globalization and automation have led to with men (mostly men) in that formerly benefited from "working with their hands".
What I do know is that vague promises of "making America great" is not a solution at all. Nor is xenophobic nativism, race baiting or scapegoating.
There are no easy solutions to the systemic problems that globalization and automation have led to with men (mostly men) in that formerly benefited from "working with their hands".
What I do know is that vague promises of "making America great" is not a solution at all. Nor is xenophobic nativism, race baiting or scapegoating.
10
I am reminded of the man whose wife sued for divorce on the grounds of impotence and whose girl friend sued for child support for a child that the man had fathered. One or the other of his wife and girl friend could be right, but it is less plausible that they were BOTH right. (Not impossible but implausible).
Is Trump so poor, despite his claims of being a billionaire, that he cannot afford to finance his campaign for the presidency?
Or has he become RICH by "corrupting and skewing the system to benefit himself"?
Both these things are negatives but they are inconsistent with each other.
I am not a fan of Trump, but neither am I a fan of lies about him.
An informed electorate means an informed electorate. When even main stream media like the NYT engage in a vicious partisanship, then what happens to that word "informed"?
Is Trump so poor, despite his claims of being a billionaire, that he cannot afford to finance his campaign for the presidency?
Or has he become RICH by "corrupting and skewing the system to benefit himself"?
Both these things are negatives but they are inconsistent with each other.
I am not a fan of Trump, but neither am I a fan of lies about him.
An informed electorate means an informed electorate. When even main stream media like the NYT engage in a vicious partisanship, then what happens to that word "informed"?
5
Well said Ludwig. So much of our information, whether it be true, false or in between, depends on who is doing the informing. It helps to get out of the echo chamber every once and awhile and read opposing viewpoints.
My hope is that this article won't be simply used to write off Trump supporters' concerns. I do not support Trump (I voted for Sanders), but we need to recognize that a far more effective solution than engaging in culture wars would be to address the real lack of opportunity for so many people, including, now, white men. Sometimes commenters on the left have acted as though injustice against white men is simply payback, and encourage women to "lean in," in other words, to behave in the same dog-eat-dog way that men have been encouraged to. Basic economic justice, and real opportunity at education and advancement, would mean that divisive rhetoric like Trump's won't gain any traction.
14
" same dog-eat-dog way that men have been encouraged to."
But have men always acted in a dog eats dog way towards women?
Note that two great writers, Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson became great in part because they did not have to work and were supported by the men in their lives.
And when the Titanic sank, the majority of passengers were men, but the majority of survivors were women who were given preference in the lifeboats.
Some men are bad, and some men are really pretty awful. if I was a woman I would certainly not marry one (smile). And yet many men have acted very very decently towards women. But feminism, helped by male feminists has created a false image of men and women in the past.
Never forget that the Taj Mahal was a tribute by emperor Shah Jehan to his diseased wife Mumtaz.
(An aside, I do sometimes wonder how that no doubt observant Muslim woman, Mumtaz, would feel about the fact that a beer is named after her. But perhaps that too is a tribute of sorts. )
But have men always acted in a dog eats dog way towards women?
Note that two great writers, Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson became great in part because they did not have to work and were supported by the men in their lives.
And when the Titanic sank, the majority of passengers were men, but the majority of survivors were women who were given preference in the lifeboats.
Some men are bad, and some men are really pretty awful. if I was a woman I would certainly not marry one (smile). And yet many men have acted very very decently towards women. But feminism, helped by male feminists has created a false image of men and women in the past.
Never forget that the Taj Mahal was a tribute by emperor Shah Jehan to his diseased wife Mumtaz.
(An aside, I do sometimes wonder how that no doubt observant Muslim woman, Mumtaz, would feel about the fact that a beer is named after her. But perhaps that too is a tribute of sorts. )
2
It seems to be all about expectation. I never expected to be able to get an unskilled job and even support myself, much less a stay-at-home wife and family. That was evident in the late 1970s. I got to put myself thru night-college for 10 years. What fun! But, it paid off, and I was able to have a career that was varied and interesting (IT), although not my chosen vocation(art). I never expected a new car (1st one bought when 55 years old for $17k). Luckily, my wife shares my life and financial values. Never expected to have anything. Maybe that is why I feel so fortunate now.
55
To Richard,
That's the key - shared values, financial and otherwise. True in a marriage, a family, a community and in a country. Sadly, we've drifted away from that fundamental virtue.
That's the key - shared values, financial and otherwise. True in a marriage, a family, a community and in a country. Sadly, we've drifted away from that fundamental virtue.
4
Thomas Edsall makes the mistake of believing that Trump’s support arises from a working class left behind. In fact the median income of Trump supporters is about $77,000, compared to the national median of about $53,000 (http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-mythology-of-trumps-working-clas.... Various authors have tried to shoehorn their concerns about income inequality into a narrative of Trump’s support. If economic conditions were really responsible for Trump’s ascent, why weren’t they evident 7 years ago when we were losing 650,000 jobs a month and unemployment was over 10%? Why are Trump’s supporters energized now, when unemployment is less than 5%, 14 million private sector jobs have been created, and 20 million more people now have affordable health insurance? The real reason for Trump’s rise is the racist/nativist/xenophobic subtext that has fueled the Republican Party since Nixon’s Southern Strategy. Many have been driven over the edge by having an African-American President. Over the last 40 years, Republican voters have consistently voted against their own economic self-interest in order to support "guns, God, [anti-]Gays," and candidates who have refused to raise the minimum wage while pushing tax cuts for the rich. Edsall should not make the dangerous mistake of imagining legitimacy for a movement fueled by hatred.
89
Make up your minds. Are Trump voters knuckle-dragging imbeciles, with no educations or jobs, who simply cannot keep with with this cool high tech economy?
Or are they $77K a year, employed, moderately affluent (this is a good income in the Midwest!) and simply RACISTS? So in your eye, they are well-to-do RACISTS and NOT poor?
Because the cognitive dissonance is growing louder and more crazy! They are poor -- no, they are rich Republicans who want to pay no taxes -- they are racists -- no, they are nativists -- no, they are ANTI-SEMITES (even when Jewish themselves)!
Why would it matter if they hated Obama (for his race or anything else)? Obama is a lame duck. He's not running. It proves nothing if they displace an old, white woman like Hillary. She is not black or any minority.
Or are they $77K a year, employed, moderately affluent (this is a good income in the Midwest!) and simply RACISTS? So in your eye, they are well-to-do RACISTS and NOT poor?
Because the cognitive dissonance is growing louder and more crazy! They are poor -- no, they are rich Republicans who want to pay no taxes -- they are racists -- no, they are nativists -- no, they are ANTI-SEMITES (even when Jewish themselves)!
Why would it matter if they hated Obama (for his race or anything else)? Obama is a lame duck. He's not running. It proves nothing if they displace an old, white woman like Hillary. She is not black or any minority.
3
Mr. Edsall has produced, as usual, a well-researched and timely article. One troubling point appears in the quote from Mr. Pinker: "Of course respect for women and racial minorities is not political correctness — it is just decency."
Pinker is promoting an equivalence between 'respect' and 'decency', and these two highly subjective concepts might not align in the way he implies.
In fact, a close inspection of traditional Republican campaign messaging (cf. Willie Horton, etc., etc.) and Donald Trump's amplified version of this messaging (aptly described elsewhere as 'the same ideas minus the dog whistle') might lead one to conclude (as other articles in the Times have done) that Trump is really just the 2016 model of the world-view and corresponding reaction to it that Republicans have been producing for over 100 years. Republican leadership may obfuscate a bit, but they really have no trouble supporting Trump-he is one of their own.
Today's Republican party is the bastion of the white, male, wealthy ruling class that has been with us since the days of the plantation owners in 1850 and the robber barons in the early 1900's. They may spin the story a little differently but their motive is always the same: maintain their wealth and power.
So, perhaps Mr. Pinker is being a little to gentle with these fellows. What they are opposing is not 'correctness', but a threat to their control of our country.
Pinker is promoting an equivalence between 'respect' and 'decency', and these two highly subjective concepts might not align in the way he implies.
In fact, a close inspection of traditional Republican campaign messaging (cf. Willie Horton, etc., etc.) and Donald Trump's amplified version of this messaging (aptly described elsewhere as 'the same ideas minus the dog whistle') might lead one to conclude (as other articles in the Times have done) that Trump is really just the 2016 model of the world-view and corresponding reaction to it that Republicans have been producing for over 100 years. Republican leadership may obfuscate a bit, but they really have no trouble supporting Trump-he is one of their own.
Today's Republican party is the bastion of the white, male, wealthy ruling class that has been with us since the days of the plantation owners in 1850 and the robber barons in the early 1900's. They may spin the story a little differently but their motive is always the same: maintain their wealth and power.
So, perhaps Mr. Pinker is being a little to gentle with these fellows. What they are opposing is not 'correctness', but a threat to their control of our country.
11
What's bothering people in general, including but by no means limited to white working class men, is that things do NOT seem to be getting better -- either for them or for their children.
This is not juvenile, this is not "penis envy," this is not racist.
Politicians trying to get elected under these circumstances tap into various personal or psychological or ethnocentric feelings. Donald Trump has been pretty successful at doing this.
But political correctness is not the problem, and appealing to individuals' anger is not the solution.
This is not juvenile, this is not "penis envy," this is not racist.
Politicians trying to get elected under these circumstances tap into various personal or psychological or ethnocentric feelings. Donald Trump has been pretty successful at doing this.
But political correctness is not the problem, and appealing to individuals' anger is not the solution.
19
"The median new house in the U.S. is now 50 percent larger than it was in 1980"
It is not so simple. When I was married, there was only one income between me and my wife but we lived at first in a 2.5 bedroom apartment, and then in a four bedroom house.
Now my daughter and her husband both work and occupy a small one bedroom apartment with their child.
Admittedly this might be less relevant since I lived in Boston, and my daughter in Brooklyn, two places with not too many Trump voters.
It is not so simple. When I was married, there was only one income between me and my wife but we lived at first in a 2.5 bedroom apartment, and then in a four bedroom house.
Now my daughter and her husband both work and occupy a small one bedroom apartment with their child.
Admittedly this might be less relevant since I lived in Boston, and my daughter in Brooklyn, two places with not too many Trump voters.
9
I found that question regarding house square footage fascinating. I answered it with a well duh: I will take the bigger house. Real estate experts will tell you it is beneficial to be the "cheap" house on the block. Otherwise, I found this fascinating because apparently a majority would sacrifice 1000 square feet if they could be the "big dog" on the block. This small statistics really explains the politics of resentment which as this article and 100's if not 1000's of articles and columns point out is Tump's schtick. He is a resentful human being despite his apparent silver spoon birth and self-described fabulousness and has parlayed this anger into the GOP nomination. God help us if this hugely needy person is elected. The hissy fits that we will witness when his first bill isn't passed or a foreign leader refuses to fall in line.
9
The rise of the GOP candidate is not only because of less wages or lack of 'keeping of with the Jones'. The GOP candidate addresses very real concerns of many citizens: terrorists, employment, safety procedures for admitting immigrants, wages, their personal safety as a US citizen, etc. The problem is that many politicians - democrat and republican - did not seem to be listening to their concerns.
Many US people are not happy with the direction that the US seems to be going. There is too much political correctness instead of calling people and events as they are. There are too many legally binding 'agreements' that take a person's First Amendments rights away while giving big business the right to take advantage. There appears to be a great deal of legislation being forced onto Americans without adequately addressing why the legislation is being made, sometimes sacrificing the rights of the many for the 'feelings' of the few. And, there are way too many 'victims' instead people who assume accountability and/or blame for their actions. (One example, taking out loans that the person cannot pay back, whether it be for a large home or a college education. Regardless of circumstances, each person made a choice to take the money.)
The reality, the GOP candidate speaks to the people's concerns - not just their income. And, the media gave him the free press to do so.
Many US people are not happy with the direction that the US seems to be going. There is too much political correctness instead of calling people and events as they are. There are too many legally binding 'agreements' that take a person's First Amendments rights away while giving big business the right to take advantage. There appears to be a great deal of legislation being forced onto Americans without adequately addressing why the legislation is being made, sometimes sacrificing the rights of the many for the 'feelings' of the few. And, there are way too many 'victims' instead people who assume accountability and/or blame for their actions. (One example, taking out loans that the person cannot pay back, whether it be for a large home or a college education. Regardless of circumstances, each person made a choice to take the money.)
The reality, the GOP candidate speaks to the people's concerns - not just their income. And, the media gave him the free press to do so.
2
I agree that the GOP expresses the people's concerns. They do that rather convincingly. Even as my priorities differ, it's hard to disagree.
However, they never offer credible policy plans that would address these concerns effectively. The best offers are sham solutions whose real intent are to divert wealth to the upper classes. No exceptions in the recent decades of my living memory.
And I can add that Bernie has the same weakness -- great insight into the problems but no solutions that have any chance to work in the real world.
However, they never offer credible policy plans that would address these concerns effectively. The best offers are sham solutions whose real intent are to divert wealth to the upper classes. No exceptions in the recent decades of my living memory.
And I can add that Bernie has the same weakness -- great insight into the problems but no solutions that have any chance to work in the real world.
4
Another word for political correctness is respect. Immigrants are already hugely screened. You face more danger from your household appliances than you do from terrorists. FBI crime stats say we've never been safer. Your fears aren't real. But your candidate is really dangerous.
9
When people complain about "political correctness", what I hear is people who want to use whatever language they choose to talk about others, regardless of how inflammatory, derogatory or demeaning it might be. Language is powerful. Bigoted language results in bigoted policies. This goes for everyone, left or right. The bottom line is, no one gets a tax break for being a woman, a racial minority or gay. Or for being a straight white male. Our money spends just as well as anyone else's. We should be able to expect the same protection as everyone else is paying for.
11
The US standard of a good life defined by 3,000 sf homes, trips to the mall to buy more things to add to over-stuffed garages, obesity, is not sustainable nor is it working. All 7B on the planet can see this unattainable lifestyle via social media. Maybe it's time to redefine the "American dream," to a progressive tax, deal with climate change, clean up corrupt DC, fix our infrastructure and tend to our millions of kids in poverty. An updated American dream.
148
My updated American dream is one where:
~access to healthcare, clean water, adequate nutrition, and safe housing are rights for all people, not privileges
~our country cares for its most vulnerable people and allows them to find dignity in self-determination to the greatest extent possible
~working full-time is enough to support oneself and one child, regardless of the nature of the work
~high-quality education is available regardless of the student's ZIP code or annual income
~access to healthcare, clean water, adequate nutrition, and safe housing are rights for all people, not privileges
~our country cares for its most vulnerable people and allows them to find dignity in self-determination to the greatest extent possible
~working full-time is enough to support oneself and one child, regardless of the nature of the work
~high-quality education is available regardless of the student's ZIP code or annual income
5
Economist Robert Frank based his conclusions on faulty assumptions. In his poorly-designed experiment, I would choose the 3000-square-foot home over the 4000-square-foot-home not to be superior to my neighbors. If I were forced to choose between these two mansions, I would choose the ridiculously grandiose home over then monsterously grandiose home, merely because it is SMALLER than the alternative, and CHEAPER and EASIER to maintain. What does it say about the economist, that he would interpret this as being motivated by material competitiveness?
9
A self-actualized person with a healthy self-esteem would choose the home that fit themselves -- their family -- and suited their needs. Without caring what the neighbors think.
But in real life....friends, family, co-workers can be awfully cruel if you live "in the wrong (low class) area" and even make fun of you. I have had relatives who would not let their kids come play with my kids, because "they didn't want to drive into that bad neighborhood where you".
Or they made fun of the school system here, and claimed my kids would never get into college, or be failures in life, because of the "bad (i.e., majority black) schools here".
I had other people who made fun of my house, because it is older and lacks amenities like air conditioning.
So there is tremendous SOCIAL PRESSURE to live in the right area, in the right house -- just like all your friends and family do.
It has little to do with square footage, except that you want to have what your friends have -- or BETTER than they have. What you don't want is to be the one person who has less, or lives in "the bad neighborhood" and is considered a failure.
But in real life....friends, family, co-workers can be awfully cruel if you live "in the wrong (low class) area" and even make fun of you. I have had relatives who would not let their kids come play with my kids, because "they didn't want to drive into that bad neighborhood where you".
Or they made fun of the school system here, and claimed my kids would never get into college, or be failures in life, because of the "bad (i.e., majority black) schools here".
I had other people who made fun of my house, because it is older and lacks amenities like air conditioning.
So there is tremendous SOCIAL PRESSURE to live in the right area, in the right house -- just like all your friends and family do.
It has little to do with square footage, except that you want to have what your friends have -- or BETTER than they have. What you don't want is to be the one person who has less, or lives in "the bad neighborhood" and is considered a failure.
4
For the last 50 years many of the white working class voted for Wallace, Nixon, and Reagan based on racial resentments. They busted their own unions. They ripped off their own kids. They signed on with the people who were hurting them. Many working class folks did in fact reject the trickle down economics and the racial code words, but many did not. I try to have empathy even as Trump makes use of neo-Nazi imagery. I want to say sometimes that if you can't make it in America after all the years of free land for whites, killing the native inhabitants, keeping the black person in bondage and Jim Crow until 50 years ago, keeping out the Asian workers until the 1960's--Then maybe you just can't make it. The best place empathy and my better angels can take me at this point is to say that you are going to have to make the call to live in the modern world or not. Then maybe we can have economic policies that help everybody except just the rich while the rest of us fight over race and who can use what bathroom.
169
"For the last 50 years many of the white working class voted for Wallace, Nixon, and Reagan based on racial resentments."
Wallace won the 1972 Democratic Presidential primary in Michigan and Maryland. The key issue was forced busing for public school desegregation. Wallace was against it. Other Democratic candidates or party officials were either in favor of it or wouldn't touch the issue. The busing led to the destruction of the Detroit Public School system.
McGovern sent his children to private schools, but of course in McGovern's eyes, busing was just what the working class folks of Detroit needed.
So where would you fall on this issue?
And there is no dog whistle to it.
Wallace won the 1972 Democratic Presidential primary in Michigan and Maryland. The key issue was forced busing for public school desegregation. Wallace was against it. Other Democratic candidates or party officials were either in favor of it or wouldn't touch the issue. The busing led to the destruction of the Detroit Public School system.
McGovern sent his children to private schools, but of course in McGovern's eyes, busing was just what the working class folks of Detroit needed.
So where would you fall on this issue?
And there is no dog whistle to it.
4
Great comment. While immigrants in the 60's 70's and 80's were working two jobs and making their kids study and go to school, these people sat around and expected to be given a good working class job without much effort. Dad worked at the plant and so will they. Why worry, why study? Women, blacks and hispanics only got the dreg jobs if anything and were always paid less but white working class men sure didn't care - wasn't their problem. And Asian and Jewish kids were as a norm harassed for being geeks in school and not jocks. Well things have changed, education matters, and these people have been left behind. I too am lacking in sympathy, especially now that the racism and sexism is so overt and ugly.
4
" Great comment. While immigrants in the 60's 70's and 80's were working two jobs and making their kids study and go to school..."
Great comment on the comment...
Yes, folks who "have" definitely earned it. All those complaints about the 1% some of Edsall's more recent complaints about the 20% living in isolation is just so much sour grapes. They've earned it and lower middle class is just one mass of whiners.
Good comment Cary mom, spot on!
Great comment on the comment...
Yes, folks who "have" definitely earned it. All those complaints about the 1% some of Edsall's more recent complaints about the 20% living in isolation is just so much sour grapes. They've earned it and lower middle class is just one mass of whiners.
Good comment Cary mom, spot on!
2
John Bogle's observation--that if you don't know what enough is, you'll never have it--seems to capture the problem perfectly. But enough for what? As Frank puts it: enough to achieve our goals. But what should our goals be? Striving to keep everybody above average is a futile fantasy promoted by capitalism. It is in no way natural. Instead, strive to be healthy, useful, caring, and growing: everybody can afford this, within whatever means they have.
32
You say that everyone can afford to strive to be "healthy, useful, caring and growing". I think there are minimal acceptable standards of attainment that most would agree on, that also require a minimal personal infrastructure. I mean secure income, housing, access to decent healthy food and clean water, and good education, among others. What we are seeing is the growth of an underclass of citizens who are struggling to attain any of that. Look up "Abraham Maslow". Physiological and safety needs must be taken care of before higher levels of development can be attained. We are dooming a large percentage of our citizenry to live their lives at the bottom.
20
Your point i well taken, but community support is a separate (though vital) issue from personal striving.
No one needs to spend $7,000-10,000 on a funeral.
No one needs to spend $33,865 on a new car. New cars can be bought for 1/3 that price, used cars for less than that, and one can do without a car. My parents didn't have one, our one family car is 16 years old and often is not driven for weeks at a time.
No one needs to spend $31,000 on a wedding reception. Ours cost about $1,500 (inflation adjusted), and our daughter's (recently) about $2,000.
If the mother stays home, there is no out-of-pocket cost for child care. If she works, she brings in income.
The problem is rising expectations (yes, inequality contributes to that). Expect to live like your parents or grandparents, and (unless they were quite well-off) you are unlikely to be disappointed. Frank gets this right, but the problem is psychology, not economics.
No one needs to spend $33,865 on a new car. New cars can be bought for 1/3 that price, used cars for less than that, and one can do without a car. My parents didn't have one, our one family car is 16 years old and often is not driven for weeks at a time.
No one needs to spend $31,000 on a wedding reception. Ours cost about $1,500 (inflation adjusted), and our daughter's (recently) about $2,000.
If the mother stays home, there is no out-of-pocket cost for child care. If she works, she brings in income.
The problem is rising expectations (yes, inequality contributes to that). Expect to live like your parents or grandparents, and (unless they were quite well-off) you are unlikely to be disappointed. Frank gets this right, but the problem is psychology, not economics.
9
Good point - many will claim that they can't live as well as their parents generation but they neglect to look at their own lives and see they have (and spend far, far more, often on credit) much more material stuff, loaded up cars rather than basic ones, much larger houses, take more vacations (usually flying rather than driving) - it's often a false comparison and neglects to realize that many of those supposed disparities are the result of personal choices.
6
The working class doesn't spend 10K on their weddings. They have them in their backyards, and their friends and family bring food. They don't have new cars--they have wrecks they spend their free time fixing. They don't go to Disneyland or to restaurants; they don't take vacations. They're doing all the things you suggest, and they still can't pay their bills because their wages (from 2 or 3 jobs) aren't enough.
I think it would be great if we knew more about each other's lives, but we divide ourselves by class. (I'm looking at you, NY highrise with separate entrance for the non-1% who have the nerve to live there.)
I think it would be great if we knew more about each other's lives, but we divide ourselves by class. (I'm looking at you, NY highrise with separate entrance for the non-1% who have the nerve to live there.)
6
You seem to think that everyone's lives are the same (or should be).
In fact, in many parts of the US you DO need a car. I buy used cars, but repair bills can sometimes eat up what you save by buying cheap. I am a mother, but I have to work as I'm the sole existing parent.
Your post comes off as hectoring.
In fact, in many parts of the US you DO need a car. I buy used cars, but repair bills can sometimes eat up what you save by buying cheap. I am a mother, but I have to work as I'm the sole existing parent.
Your post comes off as hectoring.
3
So, at the end of the day (to coin a phrase), it pretty much does boil down to nostalgia over the redction of white male privilege?
5
Reminds me of a cartoon where an employee goes to his boss and say, "If you can't afford a raise for me, could you see your way to giving Jones, there, a salary cut?"
Maybe it is the peacock/peahen problem. If a peacock has very nice and beautiful feathers but another peacock has even more beautiful feathers, then the hens will mate with the other peacock.
In lots of areas, running a race, playing a tennis tournament, etc, it is comparative achievement which matters.
Maybe that is the psychological basis for why the 3000 square foot house is better for the house dweller.
For that matter, even though most of MY contributions are published, I still feel envious of those with green arrows (trusted commentators) whose contributions are not "moderated" but published at once. If they did not exist, would I feel better? Probably.
Maybe it is the peacock/peahen problem. If a peacock has very nice and beautiful feathers but another peacock has even more beautiful feathers, then the hens will mate with the other peacock.
In lots of areas, running a race, playing a tennis tournament, etc, it is comparative achievement which matters.
Maybe that is the psychological basis for why the 3000 square foot house is better for the house dweller.
For that matter, even though most of MY contributions are published, I still feel envious of those with green arrows (trusted commentators) whose contributions are not "moderated" but published at once. If they did not exist, would I feel better? Probably.
4
A fine truly cogent observation written delicately to ease in it's digestion. *chuckle*
Thank you for this well-reasoned and informative piece. The next logical step is a thorough discussion of our presidential candidates' policy recommendations and ability to provide leadership that advances opportunities for ALL. Mr. Trump has slogans and symbolic solutions (aka "The Wall") rather than policies. He advocates divisiveness and exclusivity instead of continuing to break down barriers that limit the opportunity for individual success. A policy and leadership dialogue will not quell the fear and sense of hopelessness that fuels Trump's current supporters, however, it may prevent others from succumbing to infection of the Trump virus.
8
If all those used to be white middle class men want to be like Trump all they have to do is acquire the skills of taking advantage of declaring Bankruptcy. Another thing they can do is stop feeling sorry for themselves and start acting like the men they seem to think they are. If you ask me, those white male Trump supporters remind me of a bunch of cry babies looking for a hand out.
7
Many have become affluent by having their companies (or by investing in companies) that have moved their production lines to countries with cheaper labor and poorly-enforced environmental laws. Others have been making high incomes through hi tech. Both off-shoring and hi tech have removed what were good paying jobs from the economy. The working class people, so denigrated in this article, are left scrambling for the left-over jobs.
Illegal immigration makes it even harder for the working class to find a decent-paying job. There are so many people who have slipped into our country that their sheer number means that there are many more applicants for every job than can be hired. (The number of illegal immigrants is much higher than the 11 to 12 million figure thrown around by the media. Even the Census Bureau web site has a paper by Jensen, Bhaskar, and Scopilliti suggesting that foreign male Hispanics have been undercounted.) It also means that employers have no need to raise wages with inflation.
The unemployment rate does not include Americans, in their prime working years, who have become so discouraged about finding work that they have finally stopped looking. Nor does it convey information on all of those who want to be working longer hours or who could be doing more advanced work, if they could find it.
Relative to inflation, those who are working are earning less. Many cannot find full-time employment or any work, at all.
Illegal immigration makes it even harder for the working class to find a decent-paying job. There are so many people who have slipped into our country that their sheer number means that there are many more applicants for every job than can be hired. (The number of illegal immigrants is much higher than the 11 to 12 million figure thrown around by the media. Even the Census Bureau web site has a paper by Jensen, Bhaskar, and Scopilliti suggesting that foreign male Hispanics have been undercounted.) It also means that employers have no need to raise wages with inflation.
The unemployment rate does not include Americans, in their prime working years, who have become so discouraged about finding work that they have finally stopped looking. Nor does it convey information on all of those who want to be working longer hours or who could be doing more advanced work, if they could find it.
Relative to inflation, those who are working are earning less. Many cannot find full-time employment or any work, at all.
12
In other words, I didn't finish or attend college; let me try to punish everyone else who did.
5
Ahh, yes - the working class is uneducated and/or stupid, which drives their resentment of their economic and intellectual "betters" ...
What about people who did attend (and complete) college and are un- or under-employed because of our increasingly stratified (and unsustainable) economy that is run for the betterment of the top 10%?
Comments like yours are the reason I am increasingly turned off by the elitism of the present-day Democratic Party & I am a Democrat!
What about people who did attend (and complete) college and are un- or under-employed because of our increasingly stratified (and unsustainable) economy that is run for the betterment of the top 10%?
Comments like yours are the reason I am increasingly turned off by the elitism of the present-day Democratic Party & I am a Democrat!
7
Or they could have finished college, and their major not longer applies to the current workforce. I know of high school classmates who majored in engineering, only to find themselves laid off as different technologies and younger people were hired. Your name-calling is similar to what the Remain people did in the campaign to the Brexit vote, and we all know how that turned out.
12
Or a different variable, someone finished with a useless degree in some made up social nonsense that qualifies them for nothing in the real world and now can't find a job - must be someone else's fault?
4
Globalization and the loss of manufacturing jobs have all too often been cited as the causes of median income stagnation. However, anti-union policies, the failure of the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation and the obsession on cutting taxes for the rich are far more likely causes. There is no economic reason why a service job should pay far less than a manufacturing job or why the median income has not kept pace with rising productivity, except for government policy. We must concentrate on the factors that we can control and stop blaming factors supposedly outside of our control.
11
The government does not set wages for various industries.
Many manufacturing jobs once had unions, which negotiated higher pay for what was pretty rote, simple work.
Women have complained for 50 years now, that jobs that are considered "female" pay far less than jobs that are considered "male" -- a ditch digger or janitor earns a lot more than a child care worker or a secretary.
Another problem is that there are now so many people chasing too few jobs, that employers are in "the catbird seat". They can be as picky as they want, and demand a college degree for a parking lot attendant job. And desperate people (obviously) agree to work for $7.25 an hour, rather than earn NOTHING.
Many manufacturing jobs once had unions, which negotiated higher pay for what was pretty rote, simple work.
Women have complained for 50 years now, that jobs that are considered "female" pay far less than jobs that are considered "male" -- a ditch digger or janitor earns a lot more than a child care worker or a secretary.
Another problem is that there are now so many people chasing too few jobs, that employers are in "the catbird seat". They can be as picky as they want, and demand a college degree for a parking lot attendant job. And desperate people (obviously) agree to work for $7.25 an hour, rather than earn NOTHING.
2
Is is really just "right wing populism" at work, or is it a bit more basic regardless of one's race or ethnicity or sex? Certainly I see the point the author makes, but it has become quite fashionable on the left - and often exemplified in comments here in the Times - to prattle on about "white privilege" and to assign collective blame and guilt to "old, white (Christian) males" regardless of their own personal status, condition, etc. Only that disdained demographic is assumed to hold hateful and harmful views, and to be the cause of the collective ills and woes of society in a way that is simply not permitted to speak of other groups. Let an article make some reference, for example, to crime committed by young black males and it will immediately raise scorn and derision, with cries of racism. If you need a convenient bogeyman for something, however, just toss out the old white guy line and you're good to go.
Human nature, these pundits forget, is human nature, and often quite divorced from their Balkanized little divisions of the population. And human nature being what it is, people who are repeatedly told they are blessed with some elitist benefit and holding down or obstructing others they don't even know, naturally become resentful of the accusers.
A simplistic view of people doesn't really let us move collectively together to achieve a shared national betterment.
Human nature, these pundits forget, is human nature, and often quite divorced from their Balkanized little divisions of the population. And human nature being what it is, people who are repeatedly told they are blessed with some elitist benefit and holding down or obstructing others they don't even know, naturally become resentful of the accusers.
A simplistic view of people doesn't really let us move collectively together to achieve a shared national betterment.
12
Edsall is correct. The Trump voters have a legitimate beef. They have lost too much ground. Fighting back is the human way, isn't it? The problem is Trump is a corrupt con man who is going to do nothing for his supporters. Decent wages are tied to the rise or fall of labor unions. Americans should bring them back. Also trading with countries that don't pay decent wages should stop. Let them trade with each other. Maybe countries should only do business with countries of similar economic status. If a bogus con like trickle down can make a successful run at the big time, why not try equal country status and see what happens. It can't be worse than trickle down.
13
There is a lot to agree with here.
As a generic white male I feel pretty awful about it most of the time, mostly due to things that I have 0 control over.
I tend to be caught in the dragnet of systemic racism and sexism on a regular basis. I am repeatedly told that my opinions do not matter. 90% of my interaction with women centers around making them comfortable because I am viewed as a rapist and an abuser until abundantly proven otherwise. I am told that I didn't earn my job or my standing in society. I am told that not only am I racist now, I have always been racist and always will be racist no matter what I do.
On top of that because of job churn I am almost pathologically worried about getting fired and becoming homeless.
Now, if I had a history of extreme conservatism then this wouldn't be that much of a problem.
I don't. I know what the words cisgender(you are comfortable with the gender of your birth) and kyriarchy(it's like the patriarchy but much more vast) mean. I think gay marriage should be legal, people should use bathrooms that fit their gender preference, and that the government has a place in improving the lives of its citizens. In other words, a pretty generic progressive.
And yet, because I am white and don't like to be browbeaten all the time I don't feel welcome..anywhere basically.
Imagine how moderates and conservatives feel.
As a generic white male I feel pretty awful about it most of the time, mostly due to things that I have 0 control over.
I tend to be caught in the dragnet of systemic racism and sexism on a regular basis. I am repeatedly told that my opinions do not matter. 90% of my interaction with women centers around making them comfortable because I am viewed as a rapist and an abuser until abundantly proven otherwise. I am told that I didn't earn my job or my standing in society. I am told that not only am I racist now, I have always been racist and always will be racist no matter what I do.
On top of that because of job churn I am almost pathologically worried about getting fired and becoming homeless.
Now, if I had a history of extreme conservatism then this wouldn't be that much of a problem.
I don't. I know what the words cisgender(you are comfortable with the gender of your birth) and kyriarchy(it's like the patriarchy but much more vast) mean. I think gay marriage should be legal, people should use bathrooms that fit their gender preference, and that the government has a place in improving the lives of its citizens. In other words, a pretty generic progressive.
And yet, because I am white and don't like to be browbeaten all the time I don't feel welcome..anywhere basically.
Imagine how moderates and conservatives feel.
100
You need to move to Portland, you'd be welcome. Of course, it's getting pretty expensive to live here.
3
Now you know how most minorities feel. Your new gain, empathy.
3
Hey, I'm completely with you on the job security thing.
But with the rest, honestly, I think its not that hard to figure out what sort of behaviors make women feel objectified or threatened and simply avoid those behaviors. And also, I interact with minorities and immigrants (or their offspring) on a fairly regular basis and I feel that for the most part, if I simply treat them with the same respect I do whites or anyone else, that getting along is relatively easy.
And so, I really can't accept that's its such a burden on white males (conservative, moderate, or otherwise), to simply show respect and common courtesy, even if they can't afford a house as nice as the Jones's.
But with the rest, honestly, I think its not that hard to figure out what sort of behaviors make women feel objectified or threatened and simply avoid those behaviors. And also, I interact with minorities and immigrants (or their offspring) on a fairly regular basis and I feel that for the most part, if I simply treat them with the same respect I do whites or anyone else, that getting along is relatively easy.
And so, I really can't accept that's its such a burden on white males (conservative, moderate, or otherwise), to simply show respect and common courtesy, even if they can't afford a house as nice as the Jones's.
3
There is a lot that is right about this article - but the lede is misleading. This isn't just Trump supporters. It's a large part of Sanders appeal on the Democratic side as well. This is actually a cross-partisan issue. If Hillary doesn't address it more forcefully than she has, there is a significant chunk of her presumed general election base that is ripe for cherry-picking.
10
Even though I'm a teacher and a musician, so by definition lower-middle-class, I still remind myself every day that, economically, I'm in the top 5% of the world's population. I have clean water to drink, a car and a bike to get me around, cable TV and internet, a phone, my children both survived their childhoods, if I get sick there's a hospital, if my house burns there's a fire department, and when I flip the switch, the lights go on. Billions of people have none of those things.
I just hope I don't get shot by the cops on my way to the grocery store.
I just hope I don't get shot by the cops on my way to the grocery store.
277
This is the neatest explanation yet of how Democrats are to blame for Trumpism. Now whether anyone's buying . . .
Republican policy has been dedicated to the manufacture of two critical realities: 1) the creation of 'exceptionalist' mentality designed to justify a creed of social justice that relies on the 'laws of the jungle' rather than the more evolved human rules of law and justice; 2) the dumbing down America on the premise that broad-based education and educational standards wrongly violates that very same social creed.
It a "me, myself, and I" slap on the back for them, their relatives, and their pay-to-play friends, and a serious blow to human values, humanity, and evolution itself.
It a "me, myself, and I" slap on the back for them, their relatives, and their pay-to-play friends, and a serious blow to human values, humanity, and evolution itself.
9
This column is so true, Mr. Edsall. Much of this election is about money: people who used to have some, people who have always wanted some, and people who think they automatically should have some money by being born a certain color. I've noticed this rising resentment in the NYT real estate section and style section. I've read the NYT since I was little and the real estate/style sections have always had some rich people silliness in it. But that used to be a good thing; it was an aspirational model to copy for people, just like the articles from a NYT writer named Monique P. Yazigi - who wrote really good articles about rich New Yorkers - were a textbook model to live by for many living elsewhere.
But now? Write an article about people splurging or being flashy and see the hostile comments abound: "These people are horrible, wasting money like that; I'm happy right where I am in rural or small-town __." These folks may be happy in those places but in the past they would've tried to move to a bigger, better house in those places, drive a Mercedes, and thrown OTT parties for themselves and their children. They can't do that anymore so now they're mad at the people who can.
I'm not one of those super-rich people and never will be. But I thought it was fun to read about them. Now I realize people thought that was a real lifestyle that they all deserved. They don't have it - and Mr. Trump, who does have a semblance of that life, is making sure they resent those who do have it.
But now? Write an article about people splurging or being flashy and see the hostile comments abound: "These people are horrible, wasting money like that; I'm happy right where I am in rural or small-town __." These folks may be happy in those places but in the past they would've tried to move to a bigger, better house in those places, drive a Mercedes, and thrown OTT parties for themselves and their children. They can't do that anymore so now they're mad at the people who can.
I'm not one of those super-rich people and never will be. But I thought it was fun to read about them. Now I realize people thought that was a real lifestyle that they all deserved. They don't have it - and Mr. Trump, who does have a semblance of that life, is making sure they resent those who do have it.
7
Yeah, that must be it. An unemployed factory worker in Wichita, Kansas -- who thinks he deserves to live in a palace, and throw huge society parties -- and he is voting for Trump, because he resents the high society types who live that Gatsby lifestyle.
Uh...no.
Uh...no.
3
trump is all about resentment
6
If Donald Trump currently "embodies manhood", we really, really need to update the definition.
342
The more accurate headline would be:
How America's Massive Male Inferiority Complex Fueled the Rise of Donald Trump's Massive Male Inferiority Complex
The vast majority of the sad, pathetic Donald Trump caucus suffering from 'precarious manhood' syndrome are all happy to quote their hypertrophied leader who comes with an unconditional, money-back shyster guarantee of his family jewels:
"I guarantee you there's no problem. I guarantee it"...as Donald Trump said in March, a high point in Presidential pornography strongly applauded by his 2nd-grade supporters of penis power and traditional masculine tyranny.
As professor Joseph Vandello has noted, 'precarious manhood' requires continual social proof and validation (i.e., Trumpian narcissism and megalomania).
'Precarious narcissism' makes certain men feel threatened by challenges to their masculinity, followed by the traditional troglodytic impulse to lash out in physical aggression --- hence the cheerful violence and taunting of the typical Donald Trump White Male Supremacist rally.
Male Inferiority Complexers believe in the idea that social proof is key to 'proving' one's manhood, i.e., they crave attention, social status, 'being a winner' and social domination.
Braggadocio is more important than actual bravery and brains to these troubled Trumpian souls.
Donald Trump and his army of angry men don't need a Trump Presidency; they just need deep, daily intensive psychotherapy to treat their massive inferiority complexes.
How America's Massive Male Inferiority Complex Fueled the Rise of Donald Trump's Massive Male Inferiority Complex
The vast majority of the sad, pathetic Donald Trump caucus suffering from 'precarious manhood' syndrome are all happy to quote their hypertrophied leader who comes with an unconditional, money-back shyster guarantee of his family jewels:
"I guarantee you there's no problem. I guarantee it"...as Donald Trump said in March, a high point in Presidential pornography strongly applauded by his 2nd-grade supporters of penis power and traditional masculine tyranny.
As professor Joseph Vandello has noted, 'precarious manhood' requires continual social proof and validation (i.e., Trumpian narcissism and megalomania).
'Precarious narcissism' makes certain men feel threatened by challenges to their masculinity, followed by the traditional troglodytic impulse to lash out in physical aggression --- hence the cheerful violence and taunting of the typical Donald Trump White Male Supremacist rally.
Male Inferiority Complexers believe in the idea that social proof is key to 'proving' one's manhood, i.e., they crave attention, social status, 'being a winner' and social domination.
Braggadocio is more important than actual bravery and brains to these troubled Trumpian souls.
Donald Trump and his army of angry men don't need a Trump Presidency; they just need deep, daily intensive psychotherapy to treat their massive inferiority complexes.
213
They need living wage jobs, single payer health care, and tuition free college education for their children.
2
As a middle class, white, straight, retired boomer myself, I can relate to this anxiety. The assumptions I grew up with are no longer true, if they ever were: white, straight, middle-class males were entitled to succeed, even if that success was at the expense of all others. I never thought I'd say this, but it seems to me that my political tribe, the Democratic party, must somehow embrace the newly marginalized members of our society described here and treat them as any other oppressed group, with similar programs and initiatives to allow them to hope again.
14
What a simplistic argument for a complex set of variables that "fueled" the rise of Trump. If Trump supporter are rural, for example, do they have neighbors nearby to compare with? Do all Trump supporters live in the small house on the block in an affluent suburb?
And the flipside of Mr. Edsall's assumptions is that non-Trump supporters must live in the big house on the block with the new SUV, since they do not feel the pains of inadequacy. Does that sound accurate? Not to me.
As to the "precarious masculinity," that idea doesn't dovetail with the above either. I would suggest that many white middle-class men that support Trump work in the trades...and one not-so-hidden aspect of women entering the working force is that they are not entering vocational trades, or becoming skilled laborers. Women are encouraged to go to college and acquire white collar jobs. So by Edsall's arguments, the only affected masculinities are those of white collar workers that don't make enough compared to the Joneses, and decide to support Trump. That small subset does not account for his popularity.
Try again.
And the flipside of Mr. Edsall's assumptions is that non-Trump supporters must live in the big house on the block with the new SUV, since they do not feel the pains of inadequacy. Does that sound accurate? Not to me.
As to the "precarious masculinity," that idea doesn't dovetail with the above either. I would suggest that many white middle-class men that support Trump work in the trades...and one not-so-hidden aspect of women entering the working force is that they are not entering vocational trades, or becoming skilled laborers. Women are encouraged to go to college and acquire white collar jobs. So by Edsall's arguments, the only affected masculinities are those of white collar workers that don't make enough compared to the Joneses, and decide to support Trump. That small subset does not account for his popularity.
Try again.
5
"If Trump supporter are rural, for example, do they have neighbors nearby to compare with? "
Yes, and in many cases the neighbors are also relatives. If people new to the area are the least bit social, they go to the nearest church in part to get to know the neighbors they have.
Yes, and in many cases the neighbors are also relatives. If people new to the area are the least bit social, they go to the nearest church in part to get to know the neighbors they have.
3
The Politics of envy or resentment are a large variable in the Trump Equation. Reminds me of Huey Long "Every Man a King" or Hoover's (or France's Henry IV) "Chicken in Every Pot." Trump offers the promise for renewed American greatness. When its weary subjects living in postwar Cape Cods or renting in marginal fourplex apartments from the 1950s, driving an older Saturn, hear the promise of Making America Great Again, it resonates. Unfortunately Hillary continues to hope her mendacious defense of the e-mails somehow trumps "The Donald's" demagoguery. She has trouble selling hope the way Bill Clinton did in 1992.
At some point Hillary needs to be honest, apologize and let the chips fall where they may. Unfortunately the never-ending collections of photos showing her reading e-mail and a Congress bent on dragging on the issue ad infintum are going to dog her from now to November.
Oddly Trump's consistent braggadocio offers the people in small houses some comfort, cold as it may be. The Democratic Party likely hopes that she can bring some positive vision to her campaign, despite dodging indictment by the FBI. Bill's transition from the trailers to the top of the heap were inspiring in 1992. Barack Obama rose from the protection of his single parent home to classic success at Columbia and Harvard - an inspiring trajectory for a young African-American man. Hillary needs to inspire an American electorate living in a broken-down world to the believe they can open the palace doors.
At some point Hillary needs to be honest, apologize and let the chips fall where they may. Unfortunately the never-ending collections of photos showing her reading e-mail and a Congress bent on dragging on the issue ad infintum are going to dog her from now to November.
Oddly Trump's consistent braggadocio offers the people in small houses some comfort, cold as it may be. The Democratic Party likely hopes that she can bring some positive vision to her campaign, despite dodging indictment by the FBI. Bill's transition from the trailers to the top of the heap were inspiring in 1992. Barack Obama rose from the protection of his single parent home to classic success at Columbia and Harvard - an inspiring trajectory for a young African-American man. Hillary needs to inspire an American electorate living in a broken-down world to the believe they can open the palace doors.
4
'Of course respect for women and racial minorities is not political correctness – it is just decency.' ~ Steven Pinker
I beg to differ.
We ought, even if only from self interest, be courteous at all times to all persons. That is indeed a matter of decency.
Respect, however, is not the same as courtesy or common politeness. Respect must be earned. Respect must be won, however grudgingly.
Working class men typically understand this even if many upper-middle class, white women and men do not. If we don't deserve respect, then we won't get it — certainly not from working class males — nor should we.
I beg to differ.
We ought, even if only from self interest, be courteous at all times to all persons. That is indeed a matter of decency.
Respect, however, is not the same as courtesy or common politeness. Respect must be earned. Respect must be won, however grudgingly.
Working class men typically understand this even if many upper-middle class, white women and men do not. If we don't deserve respect, then we won't get it — certainly not from working class males — nor should we.
11
I grew up around a lot of working class men and their sons. I think I did a number of things that should have earned their respect. For the most part that did not happen. And I saw that pattern repeated in their treatment of others who were not part of their insular groups.
14
Carol, I spent many years teaching white, black, Irish, Jamaican, North African, Greek, Turkish, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, and other Asian working class boys and girls, in tough inner city London schools, and at Tottenaham College.
For the most part, I believe I failed to gain their respect, despite being male, well educated, very athletic and far more intelligent than almost all of them.
I think that one of the crucial qualities that I lacked in their eyes was the self-confident, easygoing, quickwitted humour, the ability to think on my feet and utter a clever retort to their endless barbs.
It had been also the same, however, many years and tears before, when I had myself been a schoolboy. I did my best, most of the time, to shape up to the expectations of my peers, but in that regard was crushingly unsuccessful in that milieu too.
Some of us just don't get no respect, however much we try to gain it. In my case, I've simply had to grit my teeth and learn to live without it.
For the most part, I believe I failed to gain their respect, despite being male, well educated, very athletic and far more intelligent than almost all of them.
I think that one of the crucial qualities that I lacked in their eyes was the self-confident, easygoing, quickwitted humour, the ability to think on my feet and utter a clever retort to their endless barbs.
It had been also the same, however, many years and tears before, when I had myself been a schoolboy. I did my best, most of the time, to shape up to the expectations of my peers, but in that regard was crushingly unsuccessful in that milieu too.
Some of us just don't get no respect, however much we try to gain it. In my case, I've simply had to grit my teeth and learn to live without it.
4
A really nice review of income, economics, inequality, politics, personality and social psychology that helps us understand how some voters appear to be voting "against their own interests:" the deprivation and diminishment felt as a result of income and wealth inequality is very real and the economy today offers very little recourse to those who aren't interested in higher education or can't afford it.
That leaves many feeling angry and resentful, just the toxic mix that a snake oil salesman like Trump knows how to play on like a musical instrument.
Democrats always hope that explaining things will change the minds of those suckered in by someone like Trump, or the GOP. But that rarely works - information is dismissed and the emotional appeal of Trump is much stronger since it offers a magical, but fictitious, and content-free "solution:" "I'm smart and I'll fix everything - trust me."
Any GOP candidate is guaranteed 45% of the electorate - all the effort of a campaign is to get that next 5.1% needed to win in key states.
That leaves many feeling angry and resentful, just the toxic mix that a snake oil salesman like Trump knows how to play on like a musical instrument.
Democrats always hope that explaining things will change the minds of those suckered in by someone like Trump, or the GOP. But that rarely works - information is dismissed and the emotional appeal of Trump is much stronger since it offers a magical, but fictitious, and content-free "solution:" "I'm smart and I'll fix everything - trust me."
Any GOP candidate is guaranteed 45% of the electorate - all the effort of a campaign is to get that next 5.1% needed to win in key states.
9
Factories close and people who formerly could afford a decent home, medical care and a working automobile now have to go to the emergency room when they are sick and walk 20 miles to a job that pays half as much as the job they had at the factory. A family which could live on the income of one earner working one job now has to live on the income of two earners working two jobs. This is not a Psychological problem. All the psycho-babble in the world will not solve this economic problem.
When I was growing up in the sixties a friend who graduated from high school went to work for GM and 3 years later bought a house. Now in San Francisco 3 Stanford graduates each with multiple degrees will have to share a two bedroom apartment so they can have a roof over their heads. A couple of years ago Applied Films closed it's research facilities in Palo Alto and moved those facilities to China because they could hire 20 China PhDs for one American. It is not just Blue Collar workers who are losing in this economy.
When I was growing up in the sixties a friend who graduated from high school went to work for GM and 3 years later bought a house. Now in San Francisco 3 Stanford graduates each with multiple degrees will have to share a two bedroom apartment so they can have a roof over their heads. A couple of years ago Applied Films closed it's research facilities in Palo Alto and moved those facilities to China because they could hire 20 China PhDs for one American. It is not just Blue Collar workers who are losing in this economy.
312
what's the answer? train the person who's lost a job to take a better one. invest in him or her for the future. don't try to preserve the past in aspic so he doesn't have to change.
5
That's it in a nut shell. However same could be said of the following. In the 50's my husbands parents could only afford a very small house for 5 children, they were school teachers, both with their masters from University of Michigan.
They lived in Ypsilanti, in an area that wasn't very nice. But, somewhere in the 60's, people from the south began migrating to Michigan to work in the factories.
These workers bought bigger homes in the nicer areas, had cars apparently on their front lawns at times, motor homes, boats, etc. All the while my in-laws taught school and could afford very little for their kids. They taught the factory workers children, who mostly grew up to work in factories as well.
Luckily for my in-laws they were able to save a little and buy property elsewhere in Michigan that gave them a comfortable life, but their financial backgrounds were the polar opposite of their neighbors. Their education did very little if they had cared to try to 'keep up with the Jones'' next door.
They lived in Ypsilanti, in an area that wasn't very nice. But, somewhere in the 60's, people from the south began migrating to Michigan to work in the factories.
These workers bought bigger homes in the nicer areas, had cars apparently on their front lawns at times, motor homes, boats, etc. All the while my in-laws taught school and could afford very little for their kids. They taught the factory workers children, who mostly grew up to work in factories as well.
Luckily for my in-laws they were able to save a little and buy property elsewhere in Michigan that gave them a comfortable life, but their financial backgrounds were the polar opposite of their neighbors. Their education did very little if they had cared to try to 'keep up with the Jones'' next door.
3
I have trained people for over 10 years, and not everyone can be retrained. BUT, of all the people I have worked with , some of the best people to learn a new job are older people. They pay attention to what information is being taught, they do not constantly gaze at their smartphones, and they are willing to ask questions. People who have lost jobs in manufacturing/factory work could be retrained for union electrician for example.
9
This statement was astonishing to me: "the practice among liberal interest groups of 'highlighting group differences.'"
For hundreds of years, white men denied women and minorities access to the right to vote, to jobs, education, and wealth. They did this systematically, legally, and culturally, and in every aspect of the human experience. They excluded these groups entirely based on skin color and biological equipment.
How dare these "liberal interest groups" make white men feel bad by pointing this out.
For hundreds of years, white men denied women and minorities access to the right to vote, to jobs, education, and wealth. They did this systematically, legally, and culturally, and in every aspect of the human experience. They excluded these groups entirely based on skin color and biological equipment.
How dare these "liberal interest groups" make white men feel bad by pointing this out.
262
"For hundreds of years, white men . . ."
The idea inherent in this comment is one issue the author is addressing.
It is de rigeur these days to condemn all white men, including those like me who are the natural allies of your ostensible cause(s), because of something that happened in the past, not something I ever did or would do.
That's just lazy grandstanding. My male forbears owned no slaves and were, as far back as I can read family history, not abusers, but good husbands in keeping with their times.
Here's a thought experiment: let's assume "AJoy" was bombarded, on a daily basis, with condemnation for some evil her great great great great great grandmother did back in the mists of time, maybe in the old country, and AJoy were made to suffer silently in the stocks of public calumny for such. Day after tedious day.
How would she feel? A bit aggrieved?
Time and history are the very essence of the human epistemology. Sloppily hopping on the intellectual [sic] bandwagon of condemning all white males all the time is to avoid rational thought, and is way too common.
The idea inherent in this comment is one issue the author is addressing.
It is de rigeur these days to condemn all white men, including those like me who are the natural allies of your ostensible cause(s), because of something that happened in the past, not something I ever did or would do.
That's just lazy grandstanding. My male forbears owned no slaves and were, as far back as I can read family history, not abusers, but good husbands in keeping with their times.
Here's a thought experiment: let's assume "AJoy" was bombarded, on a daily basis, with condemnation for some evil her great great great great great grandmother did back in the mists of time, maybe in the old country, and AJoy were made to suffer silently in the stocks of public calumny for such. Day after tedious day.
How would she feel? A bit aggrieved?
Time and history are the very essence of the human epistemology. Sloppily hopping on the intellectual [sic] bandwagon of condemning all white males all the time is to avoid rational thought, and is way too common.
6
Factory workers worked side by side with black and hispanic workers. They all lost.
5
This is a thoughtful column. Clearly, the issues that affect Trump voters are not limited to their particular demographic. The cost of early childcare in the US is, for example, a scandal and a disgrace. But both Bernie and Hillary have offered proposals that would, potentially, directly address some of these inequalities, while all Trump offers is bluster and ego.
It's hard to imagine that life would get any better for working class folks with a Trump presidency, but hey, we've seen this movie before: angry white people voting against their own interests. It's clear that keeping up with the Jonses is less about economic disparities than simmering racial hostility, since poor white Republicans apparently don't mind so much if the 6,000 square foot house is occupied by wealthy white 1%ers.
It's hard to imagine that life would get any better for working class folks with a Trump presidency, but hey, we've seen this movie before: angry white people voting against their own interests. It's clear that keeping up with the Jonses is less about economic disparities than simmering racial hostility, since poor white Republicans apparently don't mind so much if the 6,000 square foot house is occupied by wealthy white 1%ers.
47
So....apparently angry black people (or hispanic people) NEVER vote against THEIR self-interest when they vote for Democrats?
Or are their two standards, David?
And why is the cost of child care "a scandal"? Do you want child care workers to make minimum wage or not? Do you want them to earn good salaries and benefits? Do you want them to make $15 an hour? If you DO -- and you SAY YOU DO -- then you have to expect that such posh child care will of necessity be very, very costly.
Or are their two standards, David?
And why is the cost of child care "a scandal"? Do you want child care workers to make minimum wage or not? Do you want them to earn good salaries and benefits? Do you want them to make $15 an hour? If you DO -- and you SAY YOU DO -- then you have to expect that such posh child care will of necessity be very, very costly.
2
It's like the folk tale of the man visited by an angel who grants him one wish on the condition that whatever he wishes for, his neighbor will receive twice as much. After much agonizing, the man chooses his wish: "I wish for you to pluck out one of my eyes.
8
The Grossest National Product
3
In other words, the middle class is getting a raw economic deal, doesn't like it and is finally trying to do something about it. Supporting Trump, however, is the wrong way to go about it.
84
In shows like “The Property Brothers” and “Love It or List It,” HGTV both reflects and encourages people to spend every last dollar they have on their “dream house.” I am listening now while some buyer is saying “I want land, I want space, I want peace, I want a huge modern kitchen and three bathrooms...” Another family had four children and the wife insisted on having two washers and two dryers and not one but two large refrigerators. Have people gone out of their minds? Do they really think this is 1953 and their jobs are secure forever? Sure, they feel good for a few moments looking at their big houses when they come home from work. Does this all buy lasting happiness? Do most people have that spare $400 for an unexpected repair after sinking all their money into their big status symbol?
32
Absolutely. Another code word for "dream house" is "forever house." Justify spending huge amounts of money and sacrificing your future because it'll be "forever." Ignoring that nothing is forever, wouldn't you rather direct your resources towards your relationships, your life outside of work, and your life outside of your house?
5
Yes, and yet in our culture among people younger than 60,our lives are supposed to revolve around being busy outside the house: cycling, hiking, skiing, all kinds of sports,...but then there's always "entertaining." Everybody has to have a barbecue pit and a massive dining table at their house so they can entertain. OK, to each his/her own; it just gets a little boring to me.
4
Let's be clear however: those shows on HGTV are FAKE. It has been revealed many places that the shows are "staged" and the families are often actors or paid to appear....in house-hunting shows, sometimes they are not even in the market to buy and often do NOT buy the house that is shown to be their choice. Or they already bought it a while back.
The shows are ADVERTISING -- highly compensated! -- for realty companies and remodeling firms and interior decorators and even finance people. They gin up excitement and avarice in the people who watch -- encourage every materialistic impulse. If such shows "sell" another 1000 people to spend way too much remodeling their kitchen.....they are worth every penny they cost to produce.
Is this entertainment? I find it to be depressing, exploitative materialism devoid of common sense or decency. And I have noticed that it is very rare they discuss the realities of PAYING for these dream homes -- what is the mortgage? can the family really afford it? is it a reasonable remodel for the neighborhood? what is the monthly payment?
The scary thing is these shows went on blithely after 2008, in the face of the foreclosure crisis -- and didn't slow down until around 2010 or 2011 -- then by 2013, they back in full gear again. Today, it's like the crisis NEVER HAPPENED and they are promoting house flipping again!
The shows are ADVERTISING -- highly compensated! -- for realty companies and remodeling firms and interior decorators and even finance people. They gin up excitement and avarice in the people who watch -- encourage every materialistic impulse. If such shows "sell" another 1000 people to spend way too much remodeling their kitchen.....they are worth every penny they cost to produce.
Is this entertainment? I find it to be depressing, exploitative materialism devoid of common sense or decency. And I have noticed that it is very rare they discuss the realities of PAYING for these dream homes -- what is the mortgage? can the family really afford it? is it a reasonable remodel for the neighborhood? what is the monthly payment?
The scary thing is these shows went on blithely after 2008, in the face of the foreclosure crisis -- and didn't slow down until around 2010 or 2011 -- then by 2013, they back in full gear again. Today, it's like the crisis NEVER HAPPENED and they are promoting house flipping again!
4
Yes, Herr Drumpf promises to make America and the left behind Great and White again.
The working class whites that flock to his rallies and those with the lowest education level not being able to get a job that supports a family, have nothing left to feel superior to those "Others" than the shade of their skin.
His chaotic appropriation is not only of right-wing populism, but akin to the fascism of an Austrian born paperhanger who as well blamed all that ailed his adopted country on those "Others".
Have those supporting Il Trumpolini never learned history? I guess not, because if they had, the rise of him being the presumptive candidate could never have happened.
The working class whites that flock to his rallies and those with the lowest education level not being able to get a job that supports a family, have nothing left to feel superior to those "Others" than the shade of their skin.
His chaotic appropriation is not only of right-wing populism, but akin to the fascism of an Austrian born paperhanger who as well blamed all that ailed his adopted country on those "Others".
Have those supporting Il Trumpolini never learned history? I guess not, because if they had, the rise of him being the presumptive candidate could never have happened.
48
First off, there is no evidence whatsoever that Trump supporters are made up of the "unemployed" or that they are uniquely poor.
That is lefty hyperbole gone crazy.
And the DEMOCRATS are widely supported -- certainly Hillary dominated the primaries due to this -- by poor UNEDUCATED and often unemployed BLACK voters. Why is THEIR lack of education or jobs perfectly OK and does not invalidate their votes -- but the education/jobs of Trump supporters DOES?
That is lefty hyperbole gone crazy.
And the DEMOCRATS are widely supported -- certainly Hillary dominated the primaries due to this -- by poor UNEDUCATED and often unemployed BLACK voters. Why is THEIR lack of education or jobs perfectly OK and does not invalidate their votes -- but the education/jobs of Trump supporters DOES?
3
Perhaps a reminder to empathize with the cornered rat, even if you're not going to let it stay in the house.
5
Another great article Mr. Edsall.
And shortly it will be followed by the usual set of comments demonizing white men, or that especially detestable subset, straight white men. There will be no sense of irony in those comments; no realization that the language used would be instantly categorized as hate speech, racist and sexist if directed at any other group in society. Some of the comments will almost certainly talk about how all straight white men are privileged and thus do not deserve any equality of treatment because they have all the power (even if they have minimal education, no job, and a net worth of $0).
The Victim Olympics require at least one category who cannot be given medals.
And the elites who run this society require a perpetual Victim Olympics to divide, conquer and rule the vast bulk of the society that is not elite.
And shortly it will be followed by the usual set of comments demonizing white men, or that especially detestable subset, straight white men. There will be no sense of irony in those comments; no realization that the language used would be instantly categorized as hate speech, racist and sexist if directed at any other group in society. Some of the comments will almost certainly talk about how all straight white men are privileged and thus do not deserve any equality of treatment because they have all the power (even if they have minimal education, no job, and a net worth of $0).
The Victim Olympics require at least one category who cannot be given medals.
And the elites who run this society require a perpetual Victim Olympics to divide, conquer and rule the vast bulk of the society that is not elite.
74
you were wrong about the comments. so far none " by the usual set of comments demonizing white men, or that especially detestable subset, straight white men." might be wrong about others things as well.
4
Haven't read all commentary, however, so far no blatant bashing of hetero white males. I haven't personally heard blatant generalizations like that hurled at any groups, except minorities, in quite some time. I think your view is a little outdated.
2
You forgot "heteronormative cisgender" OLD white males with no education or jobs.
But who are mysteriously so powerful they control all of society.
With no jobs and net worth of zero (i.e., can't come up with $400 in an emergency).
But who are mysteriously so powerful they control all of society.
With no jobs and net worth of zero (i.e., can't come up with $400 in an emergency).
2
I thought our votes were secret--how does the act of voting affirm our masculinity?
4
There is no question that the wealth gap in America is a huge problem, but some of it is self-inflicted.Technology did not just fall out of the sky yesterday. Talk of machines replacing humans in the workplace has been common ever since I was in school in the sixties. U.S. manufacturers have been chasing cheaper labor for over fifty years. First, they moved from the unionized rust belt to the un-unionized South. Then to Mexico and Asia. So why didn't all these displaced angry white males read the writing on the wall and get a better education? Because they were so sure of their privileged status, they didn't think they had to. Meanwhile, women and, to a lesser extent, minorities have taken advantage of increased opportunities for higher education and now are filling jobs that white men thought they deserved.
In the end, inability to adapt does tend to make one obsolete.
In the end, inability to adapt does tend to make one obsolete.
132
This is so true and it's just going to get more extreme as automation replaces so many positions that exist today. Sadly, our failed Congress (GOP taking primary responsibility) is unable to do anything to help.
3
The percentage of white males who are not college graduates is lower than that of black or hispanic Americans (and I am not even counting illegal aliens, who are virtually ALL uneducated and semi-literate).
Somehow if an uneducated, unskilled, unemployed BLACK American supports HIllary Clinton and votes for her without question -- their vote is respected and encouraged, despite their lack of education. If a WHITE American supports Trump, his vote is DISRESPECTED for those reasons.
That makes no sense.
Also it is some big lefty myth that Trump supporters are all knuckle-dragging imbeciles, who deserve their layoffs and reduced lifestyles -- because hey! they FAILED to go to an Ivy League college!
In truth, many of them have retrained and gotten new jobs or careers several times over the last 35 years -- only to fall further and further behind. They work more hours but get paid less. And many DO have educations -- perhaps not a doctorate from an Ivy League school, but I'll bet most of them have some education beyond a high school diploma.
This is just self-serving histrionics, because the Liberal Darling Hillary has mucked up (and will again), and because she's not leading by dramatic percentages.
Somehow if an uneducated, unskilled, unemployed BLACK American supports HIllary Clinton and votes for her without question -- their vote is respected and encouraged, despite their lack of education. If a WHITE American supports Trump, his vote is DISRESPECTED for those reasons.
That makes no sense.
Also it is some big lefty myth that Trump supporters are all knuckle-dragging imbeciles, who deserve their layoffs and reduced lifestyles -- because hey! they FAILED to go to an Ivy League college!
In truth, many of them have retrained and gotten new jobs or careers several times over the last 35 years -- only to fall further and further behind. They work more hours but get paid less. And many DO have educations -- perhaps not a doctorate from an Ivy League school, but I'll bet most of them have some education beyond a high school diploma.
This is just self-serving histrionics, because the Liberal Darling Hillary has mucked up (and will again), and because she's not leading by dramatic percentages.
1
I think it is important to talk about, and hopefully we can correct, growing income inequality, and this column if very helpful in quoting those statistics. But part of this article seems to me to be a bunch of experts giving fancy excuses for misogyny and racism.
24
My husband and I just bought our second, and much smaller and simpler, home. Effectively, we downsized in our 30s instead of 60s. Our first house was an investment -- a two-family in an urban environment -- that rewarded our work and compromised living style when we sold it. The decision to leave was mostly based on school district (from failing in every measure to excellent in every measure), but it was also because of the expense of a large home, even a home where 75% of the mortgage is paid for by a tenant. Water, sewer, electric, combined with municipal taxes, pre-school costs, etc. were stifling. Our goal in our new home search was to find a house that was relatively simple to maintain and could be covered by one income. It was a tough search whilst we watched friends saddle themselves with their castles of debt.
After moving into our more modest neighborhood, I was stunned on an evening walk to find myself walking through what I half-jokingly referred to as "Trump Tower" -- modest homes with lawns decreeing "make America great again." Many pieces I read in the Times strike me as a detached from a non-Manhattan existence. Not this one. I am seeing this played out as if it were a script to an Greek-turned-America tragedy.
I hope we can make it through this period without caving to the anger and bigotry. We will see.
After moving into our more modest neighborhood, I was stunned on an evening walk to find myself walking through what I half-jokingly referred to as "Trump Tower" -- modest homes with lawns decreeing "make America great again." Many pieces I read in the Times strike me as a detached from a non-Manhattan existence. Not this one. I am seeing this played out as if it were a script to an Greek-turned-America tragedy.
I hope we can make it through this period without caving to the anger and bigotry. We will see.
59
“the increase in the resources commandeered by the overclass has pulled the rug out from under the once upwardly mobile white working class.”
Nope. Nope. Nope.
That’s the leftist Narrative, but it simply ain’t true.
The resources the “overclass” receives would not exist but for its efforts.
The problem is that the leftist “overclass” insists on policies which directly and adversely impact the ability of the less exalted to earn a decent living. Tolerance of illegal immigration and advocacy for easy legal immigration undercuts wages. Ideological advocacy for the highest business taxes in the world drives opportunity offshore. Eco-extremism – people sitting in $5 million co-ops in Manhattan making policy for impoverished upstaters – precludes construction, extractive industries, or power usage.
Consider the cost of child care: leftists insist it be heavily regulated and, often, performed by licensed, unionized, often governmental providers. Of old, one of the neighborhood women took care of other folks’ kids. Government makes the problem worse.
Leftists purport to love “middle class jobs”, until someone threatens to create them.
Send illegals home. Curtail unskilled legal immigration (ala Australia). Eliminate corporate taxes. Repeal eco-extremist regulations. And, voila, there will be a middle class again.
Oh, Group-think is poison and “whites” are right to object to it.
Nope. Nope. Nope.
That’s the leftist Narrative, but it simply ain’t true.
The resources the “overclass” receives would not exist but for its efforts.
The problem is that the leftist “overclass” insists on policies which directly and adversely impact the ability of the less exalted to earn a decent living. Tolerance of illegal immigration and advocacy for easy legal immigration undercuts wages. Ideological advocacy for the highest business taxes in the world drives opportunity offshore. Eco-extremism – people sitting in $5 million co-ops in Manhattan making policy for impoverished upstaters – precludes construction, extractive industries, or power usage.
Consider the cost of child care: leftists insist it be heavily regulated and, often, performed by licensed, unionized, often governmental providers. Of old, one of the neighborhood women took care of other folks’ kids. Government makes the problem worse.
Leftists purport to love “middle class jobs”, until someone threatens to create them.
Send illegals home. Curtail unskilled legal immigration (ala Australia). Eliminate corporate taxes. Repeal eco-extremist regulations. And, voila, there will be a middle class again.
Oh, Group-think is poison and “whites” are right to object to it.
5
nope
8
Legal immigration is "easy"? I guess you have no clue of how long it takes and how difficult it is to become a legal immigrant to these shores.
As to the poisonous 'group-think', that seems to be the forte of the Faux Noise educated and the Trumpists who get their opinion thrice pre-chewed by them.
Your last few words of "whites' being right outs you as nothing but an arch-right racist.
As to the poisonous 'group-think', that seems to be the forte of the Faux Noise educated and the Trumpists who get their opinion thrice pre-chewed by them.
Your last few words of "whites' being right outs you as nothing but an arch-right racist.
11
Why is "Manhood...an uncertain, tenuous status and one that is easily threatened?"
Males do not risk their lives in the process of procreating.
Males are biologically larger than most women most of the time.
Males still dominate politics, finance, earning power and absolutely control all major religions.
Is manhood "easily threatened" because some writers say so? Or might it be because men have a culture of violence/killing--again identified by the writers of history and modern military strategy, policy and politics?
With weapons of today size does not determine might, in the bedroom "size" no longer determines successful outcomes.
Do men "like" violence and killing? I seriously doubt it--ask those who have lived through it, those who have been around it and even those who have perpetuated it. TV, movies and all media aside (again put together by writers/producers/male dominated teams, with agendas to sell whatever it is they are selling) real life is not a Shakespearean play. Most people want a few things--to survive, the happiness in engaging daily lives, good/happy relationships, community. Could our writers/media creators take a new look at the world, could our religious leaders finally put women in full positions of power of authority, and will the taxing/financial interests endorse those changes, the elected politicians affirm them, finally those at the top of the economic industry really tell the truth about your own lives? Writers/voters are you listening?
Males do not risk their lives in the process of procreating.
Males are biologically larger than most women most of the time.
Males still dominate politics, finance, earning power and absolutely control all major religions.
Is manhood "easily threatened" because some writers say so? Or might it be because men have a culture of violence/killing--again identified by the writers of history and modern military strategy, policy and politics?
With weapons of today size does not determine might, in the bedroom "size" no longer determines successful outcomes.
Do men "like" violence and killing? I seriously doubt it--ask those who have lived through it, those who have been around it and even those who have perpetuated it. TV, movies and all media aside (again put together by writers/producers/male dominated teams, with agendas to sell whatever it is they are selling) real life is not a Shakespearean play. Most people want a few things--to survive, the happiness in engaging daily lives, good/happy relationships, community. Could our writers/media creators take a new look at the world, could our religious leaders finally put women in full positions of power of authority, and will the taxing/financial interests endorse those changes, the elected politicians affirm them, finally those at the top of the economic industry really tell the truth about your own lives? Writers/voters are you listening?
6
Why is manhood easily threatened?
I'll answer that question with a question.
What is the difference between a man and a boy?
In most societies in the past there was some type of ritual that drew the line between a boy and a man. In our society we don't have such a thing. At this point in time the answer is "because I say so" which is extremely precarious and can be taken away pretty easily. That's why manhood is tenuous and womanhood isn't.
I'll answer that question with a question.
What is the difference between a man and a boy?
In most societies in the past there was some type of ritual that drew the line between a boy and a man. In our society we don't have such a thing. At this point in time the answer is "because I say so" which is extremely precarious and can be taken away pretty easily. That's why manhood is tenuous and womanhood isn't.
3
"Do men "like" violence and killing? "
In the abstract, they love it!
Look how well violent movies, television, and video games sell. Listen to all the calls for war and military intervention by men who never spent a day in the military. Look at all the people, mostly men, carrying guns and waiting for an opportunity to be a "good guy with a gun." Physical violence is power and, as such, appeals to those who feel powerless.
In the abstract, they love it!
Look how well violent movies, television, and video games sell. Listen to all the calls for war and military intervention by men who never spent a day in the military. Look at all the people, mostly men, carrying guns and waiting for an opportunity to be a "good guy with a gun." Physical violence is power and, as such, appeals to those who feel powerless.
7
All of this is obvious and misses one crucial piece of the puzzle: the inability of Americans to discuss social difference in terms of class. Americans (and many American journalists) like to talk about America as if it were an egalitarian if not a "classless" society. As a result, the differences that are being discussed are race and gender, which misses the point entirely.
Of course, many Trump supporters may be bigots and machos, but if they didn't have to worry about health care, their kids' college education and their retirement, populists like Trump would not stand a chance, because America would look pretty great to begin with.
Rabble rousers stand no chance if people are more or less content with their economic situation. Marx understood this, Bismarck (among other things, the father of the modern welfare state) understood this, and, naturally every populist from Lenin to Beppe Grillo and from Mussolini to Farage.
Of course, many Trump supporters may be bigots and machos, but if they didn't have to worry about health care, their kids' college education and their retirement, populists like Trump would not stand a chance, because America would look pretty great to begin with.
Rabble rousers stand no chance if people are more or less content with their economic situation. Marx understood this, Bismarck (among other things, the father of the modern welfare state) understood this, and, naturally every populist from Lenin to Beppe Grillo and from Mussolini to Farage.
149
when has anybody in the world not had to worry about health care, education and retirement? do you imagine that the norm is a carefree life?
Actually many countries in Europe have had just that health care, education, retirement. But they also have had a tight border control and do not allow unlimited immigration of unskilled workers. The immigrant must have skills the people in those countries do not have.
3
@slightlycrazy
In most of Northern Europe, people don't have to worry about health care, education, and retirement. The US is a real outlier in the developed world when it comes to these issues. And yes, healthcare in the Netherlands or Germany is better than in the US and so are Dutch and German state-run universities, which outrank almost all state schools in the US, and don't cost a dime in tuition. And yes, the generous retirement and pension schemes over there work better than 401(k)s in the US.
In most of Northern Europe, people don't have to worry about health care, education, and retirement. The US is a real outlier in the developed world when it comes to these issues. And yes, healthcare in the Netherlands or Germany is better than in the US and so are Dutch and German state-run universities, which outrank almost all state schools in the US, and don't cost a dime in tuition. And yes, the generous retirement and pension schemes over there work better than 401(k)s in the US.
12
"...you are asked to choose between living in a 4000-square-foot house where all the neighbors have 6000-square-foot homes or living in a 3000-square-foot house where all the others are 2000 square feet. The most common choice, Frank reported, was the 3000-square-foot house. "
Could that possibly be because most people don't NEED a 4000 square foot house, and they know it? Heck, I'd pick a 2000 square foot house, regardless of how big my neighbor's was, because I don't want to have to clean an additional 2K feet of space.
Could that possibly be because most people don't NEED a 4000 square foot house, and they know it? Heck, I'd pick a 2000 square foot house, regardless of how big my neighbor's was, because I don't want to have to clean an additional 2K feet of space.
196
It's remarkable to what degree status controls people's decision-making. If more people thought like you, fewer would be floundering in debt.
7
I for one would have chosen the 4,000 sq ft house in the 6,000 sq ft neighborhood. More space in a better neighborhood. Are people really so status conscious as to chose the 3,000 sq ft house? Crazy.
4
And I don't want to have to maintain and repair four toilets, either.
3
Ya'know it's great that Mr. Edsall and other NYT contributors
go around quoting from hither and yon in order to find some
racist/nativist underbelly to Mr. Trump's statements but...that's
because they write from their elitist armchairs; and they just
don't get it.
Look, this is a...consumer based society and in order for it
to function, consumers have to have money...to...spend.
Trump's focus on the re-industrialization of America and the
in-shoring of companies to the USA hints at the possibility of
more jobs and income...for Americans of all class tiers.
go around quoting from hither and yon in order to find some
racist/nativist underbelly to Mr. Trump's statements but...that's
because they write from their elitist armchairs; and they just
don't get it.
Look, this is a...consumer based society and in order for it
to function, consumers have to have money...to...spend.
Trump's focus on the re-industrialization of America and the
in-shoring of companies to the USA hints at the possibility of
more jobs and income...for Americans of all class tiers.
10
we are already the one of the two biggest manufacturing economies in the world. most of this is due to mechanization and automation. trump cannot reverse that, anymore than he can make the sun rise in the west.
12
I have some nice waterfront property to sell you in Florida. You'll love it.
4
"Trump's focus on the re-industrialization of America and the
in-shoring of companies to the USA hints at the possibility of
more jobs and income...for Americans of all class tiers."--NK.
If this is truly "Trump's focus," Noel, you need to explain why so few women and minorities are willing to sign on to his agenda. Either these particular demographics do not WANT "more jobs and income," or they've concluded the Trumpster has no clue as to how to provide them. My guess would be it's the latter.
in-shoring of companies to the USA hints at the possibility of
more jobs and income...for Americans of all class tiers."--NK.
If this is truly "Trump's focus," Noel, you need to explain why so few women and minorities are willing to sign on to his agenda. Either these particular demographics do not WANT "more jobs and income," or they've concluded the Trumpster has no clue as to how to provide them. My guess would be it's the latter.
10
Wow. The bigger house in your photo is a vulgar, tasteless mess. A shame.
Is there no zoning at all in that neighborhood?
Is there no zoning at all in that neighborhood?
51
If the offending manse were a center-hall Colonial painted white with Bentley Green trim, with six-over-six windows flanked by Bentley Green shutters and a plain four-paneled entry door with a discreet brass knocker whose luster was toned down at the factory rather than by time, would that more middlebrow-acceptable treatment make Edsall's point more pointed?
This vulgar, tasteless mess, as you call it, with its home center aesthetic, is representative of what sells as new construction in the outer boroughs --- the sort of structure that many first-time homebuyers, often newcomers to the boroughs, even the country --- aspire to.
Our 19th-century neighborhood near the Staten Island Ferry saw this sort of development as a threat 20 years ago and were successful in securing historic district designation for 78 buildings --- one of the few community preservation strategies that actually works.
Zoning might have prevented the building in the photo from its aggressive use of the lot, but it could not have prevented or altered the aesthetic choices --- choices that the buyer probably loved, perhaps even specified.
This vulgar, tasteless mess, as you call it, with its home center aesthetic, is representative of what sells as new construction in the outer boroughs --- the sort of structure that many first-time homebuyers, often newcomers to the boroughs, even the country --- aspire to.
Our 19th-century neighborhood near the Staten Island Ferry saw this sort of development as a threat 20 years ago and were successful in securing historic district designation for 78 buildings --- one of the few community preservation strategies that actually works.
Zoning might have prevented the building in the photo from its aggressive use of the lot, but it could not have prevented or altered the aesthetic choices --- choices that the buyer probably loved, perhaps even specified.
4
2 front doors + 2 mailboxes = apartment building
4
This photo is borrowed from a NYT story about zoning and development - sometime in the past year if I recall correctly.
4
The central reason for middle-class erosion is the de facto change to a regressive tax structure from a progressive tax structure. As long as capital gains are taxed at rates well below the income tax rate, we will see enormous concentrations of wealth. This wealth concentration prevents spending in a consumer based economy, and explains much of wage stagnation, declines in labor participation, and much of the marginalization Edsall touches on. If we want to even out living standards, we must even out taxes.
381
Your analysis is correct, but utterly shallow.
Why must we even out taxes? Because special business interests convinced our leaders to change the tax to a regressive one.
How did the business interests do that? Because their giant campaign contributions allow them access to influence our lawmakers.
Why/ how do giant campaign contributions allow access? Because there is no law, no rule limiting the revolving door of regulatory-to-industry employment; because SuperPACs have been encouraged to exist by a SCOTUS ruling that holds money is the same as speech, especially when committed by a corporate 'person'.
So, how to deal with inequality? By electing the only candidate who has campaign finance reform as the very heart of his platform, who urges rules to deal with the revolving door to the government trough, and who urges taxes on the trade of speculative financial instruments- the income from which is currently taxed as capital gains.
Why must we even out taxes? Because special business interests convinced our leaders to change the tax to a regressive one.
How did the business interests do that? Because their giant campaign contributions allow them access to influence our lawmakers.
Why/ how do giant campaign contributions allow access? Because there is no law, no rule limiting the revolving door of regulatory-to-industry employment; because SuperPACs have been encouraged to exist by a SCOTUS ruling that holds money is the same as speech, especially when committed by a corporate 'person'.
So, how to deal with inequality? By electing the only candidate who has campaign finance reform as the very heart of his platform, who urges rules to deal with the revolving door to the government trough, and who urges taxes on the trade of speculative financial instruments- the income from which is currently taxed as capital gains.
3
It's not only working class. It is also IT people, accountants and others who have seen their wages stagnate, or even reduced, with the abuse of H-1B visas. The Clinton Foundation has taken donations from the corporations abusing H-1B visas. She calls for MORE immigration, calling it immigration reform.
34
Blaming H-1B visas is another cop-out. Lowering education standards and opportunities while the cost of education has skyrocketed are larger sources of concern. Educational quality and opportunity has increased elsewhere in the world while shrinking in the US. This is a direct result of government policy and the obsession with cutting taxes.
10
You are correct - however, by characterizing this as a "white working class male" issue, the corporatist Democrats can then dismiss the problem as being an amorphous, psychological problem ("loss of status") experienced by a particular group that they deem as unworthy anyway.
6
@Really: what you said, plus notice Mr. Edsall and others ALWAYS refer to Trump's supporters as "not college educated" -- as if that makes them unworthy of an opinion or to vote.
Yet the same "uneducated" black or hispanic voters in inner cities are prized as desirable and worthy voters, and cheered on when they voted nearly 100% for Obama.
Yet the same "uneducated" black or hispanic voters in inner cities are prized as desirable and worthy voters, and cheered on when they voted nearly 100% for Obama.
3
Rule 1 of life. Don't assume anything is yours by right. You have to earn it or prove that you deserve it.
6
Sadly, that clashes with our modern entitlement mentality - many people think they're owed success, money, favor, whatever because...well, just because.
5
Yeah... that's like an anti-solidarity rule. Kinda gross. Every man woman and child for themself? What about, ummm, like... our legal rights? Or moral obligations to fellow humans in a world of sheer and utter bounty?
3
Illegal immigrants assume they have the right to live in our country, and that they are entitled to all of services meant for citizens and legal immigrants. Why don’t they organize to make demands of their own governments instead of demanding recognition from ours!! So many of our country’s resources are going to illegal immigrants rather than our own people that it is no wonder that the latter are angry.
2
My dad worked 2 full time jobs so his kids could be educated and not have to work so hard. His sacrifice was only partially successful. None of us 4 even live at the standard we grew up at. I have been underemployed for 13 years because I can't move.
Everyone seems to forget that people may not be mobile and if jobs are bad where they live, that's what they do.