Not to disagree with you or Parenti but there was a time when the illusion of a middle class seemed tangible because of the postwar economic boom, compounded by things like sexism and racism; the benefits of that boom largely floating beyond the grasp of those not white and male.
In any event that illusory evidence has evaporated, and the true analysis of the binary class structure reasserts itself.
Yes, I think if you watch American Graffiti or Happy Days you can see exactly what the mythical “American Middle Class” was supposed to mean. Every white dude can work 40 hours a week, and have a suburban house, a car, a wife, 2.5 children, money to spend on vacations, milk delivered to their front door, etc.
The Simpsons even made fun of this trope with their famous “Frank Grimes” episode. Grimes straight up tells Homer Simpson that he is a lucky dumbass and that “In any other country, you would be dead.”
If you read On the Road by Jack Kerouac, he uses his GI Bill money to get a degree and then spend months upon months hitchhiking around America without a job. The American Dream was definitely a real thing for a specific segment of the American population for a certain period of time, but now we see even boring white dudes being excluded from the shrinking middle class. Of course, this increases radicalization.
Sure, there was a period where there was a significant portion of the population who felt that their economic conditions were decent. I think the observation that Parenti makes is that the difference between workers who are relatively well off and those who are struggling is not itself significant. Ultimately, they share a common interest in improving working conditions and other aspects of labor. Thus, they have a shared class interest which is at odds with interests of the capital owning class.
I totally agree. I just wanted to point out that when the media talks about the “middle class” they are not only talking about something that isn’t real but also wildly out of touch with the actual phenomenon they are mistaking it for.
Not to disagree with you or Parenti but there was a time when the illusion of a middle class seemed tangible because of the postwar economic boom, compounded by things like sexism and racism; the benefits of that boom largely floating beyond the grasp of those not white and male.
In any event that illusory evidence has evaporated, and the true analysis of the binary class structure reasserts itself.
Yes, I think if you watch American Graffiti or Happy Days you can see exactly what the mythical “American Middle Class” was supposed to mean. Every white dude can work 40 hours a week, and have a suburban house, a car, a wife, 2.5 children, money to spend on vacations, milk delivered to their front door, etc.
The Simpsons even made fun of this trope with their famous “Frank Grimes” episode. Grimes straight up tells Homer Simpson that he is a lucky dumbass and that “In any other country, you would be dead.”
If you read On the Road by Jack Kerouac, he uses his GI Bill money to get a degree and then spend months upon months hitchhiking around America without a job. The American Dream was definitely a real thing for a specific segment of the American population for a certain period of time, but now we see even boring white dudes being excluded from the shrinking middle class. Of course, this increases radicalization.
Sure, there was a period where there was a significant portion of the population who felt that their economic conditions were decent. I think the observation that Parenti makes is that the difference between workers who are relatively well off and those who are struggling is not itself significant. Ultimately, they share a common interest in improving working conditions and other aspects of labor. Thus, they have a shared class interest which is at odds with interests of the capital owning class.
I totally agree. I just wanted to point out that when the media talks about the “middle class” they are not only talking about something that isn’t real but also wildly out of touch with the actual phenomenon they are mistaking it for.
I think we’re in complete agreement here :)
I think so too
a middle class existed from 1945 to 1973