Category Archives: Jack Metzgar

Class Prejudice and the Democrats’ Blue Wave?

Posted on November 26, 2018 by

Two days after the mid-term elections, The Washington Post published an analysis under the headline “These wealthy neighborhoods delivered Democrats the House majority.”  That headline is false in several different ways, but it is being repeated among a large group … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, Jack Metzgar, Working-Class Politics | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Middle-Class Influence vs. Working-Class Character

Posted on September 10, 2018 by

“Jesse” is one of a cohort of 80 students sociologist Jessica Calarco observed from the 3rd through the 5th grades and then revisited in middle school for her new book, Negotiating Opportunities: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in School.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Issues, Jack Metzgar, Working-Class Culture | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Becky and the Grind

Posted on April 23, 2018 by

Becky and the Grind Becky’s aunt had given her $300 to catch up on her electric bill so the power would not be turned off in her apartment.  But when Aunt Millie checked with the electric company, the outstanding bills … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, Jack Metzgar, The Working Class and the Economy, Working-Class Culture | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Tax Justice and Class Warfare

Posted on February 12, 2018 by

When Trump Republicans passed the historically unpopular Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, they continued a 3-decades long GOP effort to reshape the tax code in ways that are hard to reverse.  Relying on what political scientists call path dependency, Republicans … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, Jack Metzgar, The Working Class and the Economy, Working-Class Politics | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Social Class and Trump Voters

Posted on November 27, 2017 by

Politico’s Michael Kruse visited my hometown earlier this month to get a look at “one of the long-forgotten, woebegone spots in the middle of the country that gave Trump his unexpected victory last fall.”  Kruse concluded that “Johnstown Never Believed … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and the Media, Contributors, Issues, Jack Metzgar, Working-Class Politics | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Equal Opportunity Is Not Enough

Posted on September 18, 2017 by

We middle-class professionals are a crafty bunch, especially our intellectual elite.  One of our cagiest moves recently involves our expressions of concern about increasing income and wealth inequality in the U.S.  While eloquently expressing how guilty we feel about our … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, Jack Metzgar, The Working Class and the Economy | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Fear of Hygge and Working-Class Social Capital

Posted on June 19, 2017 by

One of the contenders for the Oxford Dictionaries’ “word of the year” in 2016 is the Danish word hygge (pronounced hoo-guh).  As defined by Oxford, it denotes “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, Jack Metzgar, Working-Class Culture | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments