One of the more interesting phenomena relating to the US
Presidential campaign, is the almost constant daily reference to how to protect
the ‘middle class’. An alien from another planet would not be wrong to think
that everyone in America lives in gated communities, with large houses and
obligatory swimming pool. As an outsider and as someone who grew up in Europe
and now living in Canada, it seems almost incredulous that there is no audible
mention of ‘working classes’ and with only occasional passing reference to billionaires
and welfare recipients. Which is all the more surprising considering since Republican
candidate Romney in that now infamous video made explicit reference to 47% of
the US electorate being victims and creatures that could be written off
immediately as total losers.
I would put forward the view that to use the term working
class in the US electoral race would a) concede that the American Dream has left
the majority of the population economically disenfranchised and b) provides a ‘subversive’
class dimension to domestic politics which none of the 2 major parties want to
entertain. To my ignoramus view from north of the border, it seems almost as if
anyone who has a white collar / office job is labelled middle class. Back in
the UK, I always had a visual pyramid view of the
social class set up, with narrower/fewer people as you go up from working >
middle > upper etc. There are also social, behavioural and cultural
attributes which define 'class'.
I recognize that class labels are at best fluid and
constantly changing, but I think I'm missing something with respect to the US
scene.
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