Genuine challenge for elite pols: Keep us from ‘coming apart’
It appears that, come November, Americans will elect as president either a wealthy member of a narrow elite or … another wealthy member of that narrow elite.
Of course, I mean the prospect of Barack “Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and seen what they charge for arugula?” Obama facing Mitt “[My wife] drives a couple of Cadillacs, actually” Romney, in a contest to seem more in tune with Americans who gravitate toward iceberg lettuce and Fords.
This would be true even if Charles Murray hadn’t just published “Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010.” And while Murray does not discuss presidential politics in his treatise on the growing gap between the New Upper Class and the New Lower Class, his book’s arrival is timely — and ought to inform the 2012 debate.
“Coming Apart” has been one of the most talked-about books in the commentariat in the past couple of months. But in case you have not come across any reviews of it yet: Murray focuses on “white America” to control for divisions rooted in America’s cruel history of race. “Don’t kid yourself,” he warns, “that we are looking at stresses that can be remedied by attacking the legacy of racism or by restricting immigration.”
That admonition alone would improve our political dialogue. But the trends Murray describes go much further.
He argues that, while our nation has always had disparities of wealth, for almost 200 years Americans shared common cultural experiences. In part, this was because the rich, the middle and the poor interacted. They were not isolated by religious practices or educational attainment; they consumed similar culture in terms of music, television and cinema; they had similar tastes in food and bought different models from the same auto makers.
Over the past 50 years, he says, this has changed. A critical mass formed of highly educated, well-to-do people with jobs of great cultural and/or political influence. There were enough of them, and they were sufficiently mobile and connected, for businesses to cater to their tastes. Think craft beer, espresso, sushi (and arugula).
By and large this New Upper Class is, Murray notes, politically liberal. Yet, in their private lives they behave more traditionally. For example, they marry before having children, and most of them stay married, even as out-of-wedlock births and divorce have risen among all white Americans. Perhaps surprisingly, they are more likely than members of the New Lower Class to attend religious worship services regularly.
Religion and marriage aren’t the only social institutions weakening among the New Lower Class. Its members are less likely to participate in sports clubs, the Elks Lodge, scout troops, elections.
Murray devotes little of “Coming Apart” to identifying the causes of this stratification. But he suggests one reason is the crowding out of social roles by government programs. Another is the New Upper Class does not preach what it practices. Lest they seem judgmental, our elites stay mum about behaviors they deem essential in their own lives. Murray calls them the “founding virtues”: marriage, industriousness, honesty, religiosity.
The reference to the founders is instructive. The people who practice these virtues — increasingly, the elites but not the lower class — are more likely to say they are happy. That is, they are succeeding in “the pursuit of happiness.”
A presidential election that explores this malign neglect of virtue would be worthwhile. Certainly moreso than a contest to see whose theme songs make them most “authentic.”
– By Kyle Wingfield
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292 comments Add your comment
Dusty
March 9th, 2012
8:46 pm
What a let down!.
I just found out I am at the bottom of the social ladder.
I don’t eat arugula! Never bought any! Don’t want any!
But there is hope.
]
Google say that arugula is closely related to dandelions.
I’ve got plenty of dandelions. Don’t much want to eat ‘em though.
Velma
March 9th, 2012
8:47 pm
Conservatives need to chip in and buy themselves a dictionary.
Dusty
March 9th, 2012
8:50 pm
How come, Velma?
I think you eat arugula.
We Do Not Know What We Want And Yet We Are Responsible For Who We Are
March 9th, 2012
8:58 pm
@@@
March 9th, 2012
8:33 pm
In the world of the nou·veau riche, grits are now called polenta.
**************************************************************
In the world of the poveri biachi, grits are a part of their major food group.
Polenta SHOWS CLASS.
@@
March 9th, 2012
9:00 pm
Dusty:
Arugula is actually pretty good….watercress too. Both have a peppery bite.
I haven’t had iceberg in years. I’m more of a green leaf lettuce type. Butter lettuce when I’m feelin’ privileged.
Hillbilly D
March 9th, 2012
9:04 pm
I love to eat grits but they’re hell to pick.
@@
March 9th, 2012
9:05 pm
We Do Not Know What We Want And Yet We Are Responsible For Who We Are:
I don’t consider myself poor. And I’m only white from December to May.
We Do Not Know What We Want And Yet We Are Responsible For Who We Are
March 9th, 2012
9:05 pm
@Dusty
March 9th, 2012
8:46 pm
What a let down!.
I just found out I am at the bottom of the social ladder.
I don’t eat arugula! Never bought any! Don’t want any!
But there is hope.
]
Google say that arugula is closely related to dandelions.
I’ve got plenty of dandelions. Don’t much want to eat ‘em though.
******************************************************************************
Bottom of the social ladder?
CLASS is something that people are born with.
You cannot buy it like ARUGULA..
You either have it or you don’t.
Most people think it only relates to school.
We Do Not Know What We Want And Yet We Are Responsible For Who We Are
March 9th, 2012
9:06 pm
@@@
March 9th, 2012
9:05 pm
We Do Not Know What We Want And Yet We Are Responsible For Who We Are:
I don’t consider myself poor. And I’m only white from December to May.
***********************************************************************
What do you want from me?
A COOKIE……
Dusty
March 9th, 2012
9:08 pm
@@,
My family likes the same ol’ stuff. Baby spinach is a no no. So is any lettuce besides iceberg. I did get by with a little fresh chopped broccoli this week. Made me proud!!
Hillbilly D
March 9th, 2012
9:09 pm
CLASS is something that people are born with.
So some folks are inherently inferior from birth and not created equal?
Liberal Misogynist Hypocrisy
March 9th, 2012
9:10 pm
Obama, You Lie !
http://www.mrctv.org/videos/shepac-aims-liberal-misogynist-hypocrisy
We Do Not Know What We Want And Yet We Are Responsible For Who We Are
March 9th, 2012
9:19 pm
@@@
March 9th, 2012
9:00 pm
Dusty:
Arugula is actually pretty good….watercress too. Both have a peppery bite.
I haven’t had iceberg in years. I’m more of a green leaf lettuce type. Butter lettuce when I’m feelin’ privileged.
***************************************************************************************
“Butter lettuce when I’m feelin’ privileged.”
It don’t take much to PLEASE SOME OF YOU.
I bet you would like:
Romaine
Mache
Mesclun
Mizuna
With a nice french vinaigrette, feta cheese and grilled lamb chops and garlic bangette.
A nice glass of wine.
For desert a molton chocolate cake
Life is good.
Dusty
March 9th, 2012
9:20 pm
My goodness,
I’ve got to get my class act together.
Thought I had a chance with arugula.
But I wasn’t born with any.
At least my mother never mentioned it.
What’s a girl to do? Polenta?
@@
March 9th, 2012
9:22 pm
We Do Not Know What We Want And Yet We Are Responsible For Who We Are:
Wanna know what I love best?
COLLARDS!
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
March 9th, 2012
9:24 pm
Let’s see, the dummycrats tax and regulate you, take the money and give it to themselves. And then they sneer at you for being a poor unwashed slob.After this, they jet off to the Bermudas to eat Arugula and pat themselves on the back for being “better” than you.
And who votes for them?
We Do Not Know What We Want And Yet We Are Responsible For Who We Are
March 9th, 2012
9:27 pm
@Hillbilly D
March 9th, 2012
9:09 pm
CLASS is something that people are born with.
So some folks are inherently inferior from birth and not created equal?
************************************************************************************
YOU SHOULD KNOW.
We Do Not Know What We Want And Yet We Are Responsible For Who We Are
March 9th, 2012
9:30 pm
@@@
March 9th, 2012
9:22 pm
We Do Not Know What We Want And Yet We Are Responsible For Who We Are:
Wanna know what I love best?
COLLARDS!
*********************************************************************
So do I.
ALSO:
Kale
Turnips
Mustards
Spinach
Cabbage
All cooked with turkey tails.
yum yum
We Do Not Know What We Want And Yet We Are Responsible For Who We Are
March 9th, 2012
9:33 pm
@Dusty
March 9th, 2012
9:20 pm
My goodness,
I’ve got to get my class act together.
Thought I had a chance with arugula.
But I wasn’t born with any.
At least my mother never mentioned it.
What’s a girl to do? Polenta?
*********************************************************************
“But I wasn’t born with any.”
Neither was I.
But I learned to like a lot of things I did not have as a child.
You live and YOU LEARN.
Dusty
March 9th, 2012
9:37 pm
@@
COLLARDS!!
They’re wonderful. And AROMATIC!! And full of vitamins.
I once read that many people in poverty during the great depression survived fairly well eating almost nothing but collards and cornbread. They grew the collards.
Hillbilly D
March 9th, 2012
9:52 pm
We Do Not Know What We Want And Yet We Are Responsible For Who We Are
I reckon you’d be one of the tolerant ones.
BW
March 9th, 2012
9:53 pm
Haters gonna hate as they say….look the beauty is that people don’t want to acknowledge these facts. Minorities are not taking over the country where it matters…no significant minorities run Fortune 500s or even hold the most wealth or higher paying jobs. Times change….what certain people are afraid of is called karma. At days end everyone wants their children to do better than themselves….the epitome of the American dream.
Dusty
March 9th, 2012
9:54 pm
Turkey tails??? I fail at turkey tails. But gizzards and hearts are mighty fine and even a neck is not out of line. Dressing then completes the day except I am afraid to go and weigh.
Now I go to count sheep without a peep and have a good sleep.
(HillBilly, don’t pick too many grits. Will make your back hurt and your bunions bark!.)
G’nite..
Georgia , The "New Mississippi"
March 9th, 2012
10:26 pm
LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT……… white (trash) america is imploding due to its own willful ignorance and hate…………and the solution is to DOUBLE DOWN !!! DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
@@
March 9th, 2012
10:41 pm
(Reuters) – The Department of Agriculture is defending the use of ammonium-treated beef, dubbed “pink slime” by detractors, in meals destined for schoolchildren as part of the national school lunch program.
ew
Tommy C
March 9th, 2012
11:45 pm
The economy added 227,000 jobs in Febru… HEY EVERYBODY LOOK OVER HERE! ARUGULA!
The economy once again outperforms expectations and you are talking about arugula. I guess the cons no longer believe the election is about the economy…. now contraception, grits, and arugula.
Tommy C
March 9th, 2012
11:46 pm
And sluts and prostitutes… Didn’t want to forget the sluts and prostitutes.
Bernie
March 10th, 2012
12:28 am
Kyle, One thing I do know, come November you and your beloved Republican brothers will be looking inwardly trying to understand and cope with the biggest lost since Barry Goldwater. The loss of of all Three branches due to an insane ideology contrived by your current Republican leadership. It will not be until 2020 before a real come back can even be considered.
Logical Dude
March 10th, 2012
1:25 am
” Think craft beer, espresso, sushi (and arugula) . By and large this New Upper Class”
Oh my Freaking Gawd. I can afford to eat out once a month and I am part of the New Upper Class!
I made it! Not quite the 1% I’m aiming for, but hey, I’m Upper Class!
/sarc/
Lib in Cobb
March 10th, 2012
4:30 am
The GOP voters now have ED, or Electile Dysfunction which is the inability to get aroused about any candidate currently running for president.
GodHatesTrash, Superstar
March 10th, 2012
4:54 am
Go ahead, fools, keep right on dreaming that you tattooed iceberg-lettuce-eating, PBR-swilling, Chito-hogging, dumb-as-dirt obese ignorant slob b*stards (literally) can blame Obama for all your problems.
Nice job with promoting class warfare, Kyle – only this time it’s between those with class and the classless, and we note which side you’re cheerleading for.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
March 10th, 2012
5:56 am
The economy once again outperforms expectations
—————–
Thanks to public schooling general ignorance, and a bottom-feeding entitlement mentality, Democrats think three years worth of 8-10% unemployment, record numbers of people on food stamps, $1.5 trillion deficits, the loss of our AAA credit rating are characteristics of an economy outperforming expectations.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
March 10th, 2012
5:58 am
Michelle Obama Wears $540 Sneakers To Food Bank
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/michelle-obama-wears-silv_n_193138.html
MiltonMan
March 10th, 2012
6:49 am
Shhh Kyle! The clueless democrats that constantly hark that the repbs are the “evil rich” might be interested in reading the book. I find it hilarious that the dems are so clueless (and so broke here in Georgia) that they turn on their own (Evil rich, Roman Catholics) like wild animals eating their young.
Libs go to church more frequently than the rest of us? Are they sleeping through service/mass???
MiltonMan
March 10th, 2012
6:52 am
Lib in cobb – now that is funny. Let me guess, you send your kids to the crap-hole either known as Osbourne or Campbell High. I see a lot of cars with that “Hope and Change” garbage plastered on their cars parked outside of MUST ministries all the time.
MiltonMan
March 10th, 2012
6:57 am
It amazes me that we still have idiots like BW running around. This guy probably attends every Occupy rally.
“…no significant minorities run Fortune 500s or even hold the most wealth or higher paying jobs.”
Ever heard of no Kenneth Chenault CEO of American Express? How about Oprah? Tiger Woods?
spaceman109
March 10th, 2012
7:18 am
i note that young. mr,.murray does not mention a common cultural experience that amerikanskis also used to share: military service through the draft. i do not immediately recall the rationale for ending conscription. i certainly do see the long-term result: amerikanskis (as a general rule) now have no idea what it is like to be in the military or have any actual appreciation for the efforts for those who serve.
spaceman109
March 10th, 2012
7:19 am
oops…..pardon my punctuation. should be “young mr. murray.”
spaceman109
March 10th, 2012
7:23 am
guess i got up too early this morning….should be “for the efforts of those who serve.”
jd
March 10th, 2012
7:24 am
As the elite conservatives like Santorum plot to keep the white lower class dumb, the strata become more distant. Is it no wonder that HOPE goes to those making more than 100k while the sons and daughters of teachers, janitors, and carpenters are told “don’t be snobs, go to trade school.”
jd
March 10th, 2012
7:27 am
I broke the code… Only those who go to college appreciate arugula. Santorum does not want more people eating his arugula!
man behind the curtain
March 10th, 2012
7:53 am
Dang I didn’t know you could get Carribian islands at Whole Foods. What aisle is that on?
the red herring
March 10th, 2012
7:57 am
i believe that people that get out and work and earn money should keep more of it. not have it redistributed. that simply requires washington d.c. to spend less money and to spend no more than it takes in. we need less federal government not more (as obama and the likes want). we need lower gas prices to sustain our economic growth (which both obama and his energy secretary are against). rush limbaugh is an entertainer and should be treated the same as maher, etc.. the difference is limbaugh actually promotes smaller government, people improving themselves, and people working for the money they earn (as opposed to having that money taken away from those who earned it and given to those who didn’t). the democratic party several decades ago figured out they could buy votes with other people’s money—the strategy has paid off–we now have more voters getting money of some sort from the government than the voters that do not. If and when illegal immigrants get amnesty as obama/napolitano/et al want then the taxpaying voter will lose all elections and we will become a 3rd world country —which is the direction obama and his policies now have us headed.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
March 10th, 2012
8:18 am
jd: Is it no wonder that HOPE goes to those making more than 100k
—————-
No. HOPE is merit-based. Families making more than $100K have children who don’t think studying and paying attention in class are things to be mocked.
Ayn Rant
March 10th, 2012
8:19 am
What can we do to improve the “virtue” of lower-class Americans? And, why not fix the “virtues” of the politically powerful and the ultra-rich, while we’re at it; they play the same marriage/affair/divorce, brat-spawning games as the lower classes, albeit in better clothes.
Surely, nobody’s “virtue” can be improved by legislation, prohibition, disapproval, and coercion. The neo-conservative politicians say starve and deprive the lower classes, and they’ll come around to “upper-class” virtues. Surely that’ll lead to revolt, not reform.
The lower classes are not a new phenomena; they have been around always, throughout history in all societies. Older Americans remember the days of “white trash” and “shiftless blacks”. Today, the lower classes of society are more visible, but less maligned. And, they have access to social media, especially television, to glorify their ignorance and destructive behavior.
Class division based on social behavior, rather than privilege, is due to low intelligence, primarily, and deprivation, secondarily. Think about it! Only half the American population could score above IQ100 on an intelligence test. Many Americans are just plain pig-drool dumb, unable to associate cause with effect, unconcerned about their future, and gullible for religious and political demagoguery.
The way to handle the lower class burden on our society is to do what we are already doing, but do it better: placate them. Give those unwilling to work, or unable to do anything useful, food stamps, a small monthly stipend to cover their basic expenses, and health care coverage as good as that they would receive in prison. Guarantee everyone a flat-screen TV to watch the network trash, ball games, drug commercials, and Sunday religious services. Give everyone a smart cell phone for improving their language skills by texting their equally ignorant acquaintances.
But, give the lower class children good schools, and an opportunity for those who have inherited above their gene pool to lift themselves from the mire.
Now that we’ve solved the problem of the “lower classes , let’s try to improve the lot of the “upper classes”. How about teaching proper dress and manners in schools? How about requiring restaurants to offer arugula salads, French wines, good cheeses, and refined main courses? How about reserving television and cable channels for non-commercial entertainment and non-political news from the BBC?
Michael H. Smith
March 10th, 2012
8:25 am
MiltonMan,
Once it is realized that the churches of today tend to serve more as “Country Clubs” or “Social Networks” than centers of worship and missionary mind evangelistic ministries that serve accordingly to the mandate of the scriptures, first at home(Judea) then to the rest of the country(Samaria) and lastly, unto the rest of the world(ends of the earth) it is easier to understand why so many are quick to find fault with Christianity.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
March 10th, 2012
8:29 am
Give the lower class children good schools? How can it be that the public schools suck? They’ve been run by Democrats and liberals for decades, and we spend more per pupil than almost any country in the world. While we’re “requiring” people to do things, how about requiring that all government employees, including Democrat presidents, send their kids to the local public school?
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
March 10th, 2012
8:37 am
Tuition at Sidwell Friends school, where the Obozos send their two children:
$32,960 (includes hot lunch)
No word on whether arugula is included in the lunch.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
March 10th, 2012
8:59 am
Kyle, nice try on attempting to bring some thoughtfulness to the blog yesterday, despite the abject failure of the residents to grasp your meaning.
Let’s face it folks. Kyle put out a first-class commentary on trying to get to the root causes / symptoms of the divide that many of you on the left complain about on a daily basis, and what do you do?
Whine about arugula being associated with the President. Oh, the horror!
This sums up what my reaction to you folks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbXFyNv7c-8
I’m not saying this Murray guy is right or wrong, but his theory is at least worth intelligent discussion for crying out loud!
Ayn Rant’s most recent rant misses the point entirely. It devolves into yet another screed about how we should “fix” something that cannot and likely should not be fixed. You cannot change the natural order of things; that being that there will always be some people better off than others. There will always be some people smarter than others. There will always be some people luckier than others (even though we usually make our own luck).
We are guaranteed equal rights, not equal outcomes.
The issue is (if I understand his theory correctly for lack of a better terminology), the destruction of the whole “melting pot” concept of America. The age of the hyphenated American has taken hold. We’re not Americans anymore, we’re (insert your chosen designation) – Americans nowadays.
It makes us feel special. It makes us feel above average, even if we’re not. “I’m not merely American, I’m (whatever) – American.”
Big frikkin’ deal.
When we were only Americans, we had a common goal. Now that we’re hyphenated-Americans, we no longer focus on the shared, common goal, but on ourselves and those who share our smaller (and therefore lesser) designation. And make no mistake; it is government that has fostered and encouraged this practice of hyphenated-Americans for years. And yes, it is largely those folks of the liberal persuasion who have encouraged this class warfare they now rely on so much by insisting on designating us by subclass, ultimately weakening the foundation of this country that ultimately benefited us all.
Instead of the usual political attacks this blog usually turns into, why don’t you each try to understand and maybe learn from what this author postulates. My belief (nor his) can be considered the only right arguments in this issue, but except for Kyle’s initial attempt, they’re the only one’s addressing the argument at hand thus far.
Up your game, folks. Some of you are capable of doing so.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
March 10th, 2012
9:03 am
Obamas Take Separate Planes So First Lady Can Get A Few More Hours of Vacation in Martha’s Vineyard
Michelle Obama and her daughters arrived around 2 pm Thursday on a U.S. government jet while President Obama is scheduled to leave a few hours later on Air Force One.
——————–
Don’t all families take multiple private jets to vacay on Martha’s Vineyard?