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Subscribe to Working-Class Perspectives - Working-Class Perspectives offers weekly commentaries on current issues related to working-class people and communities. Contributors discuss a variety of issues, from what class means to how it intersects with race and gender to how class is shaping American politics. We welcome relevant comments of 500 words or less.
For questions or comments about this blog, e-mail Sherry Linkon. For assistance with news stories about working-class politics and culture, call or e-mail John Russo, 330-207-8085. Categories
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The State of the Working Class
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Category Archives: Jack Metzgar
Upward Mobility: Improving Conditions, Not Just Opportunities
I’m old enough now to have grandnieces and nephews, and almost all of them have lower living standards and worse working conditions than their parents. And their parents had it worse than their grandparents. The one exception is Carrie, who … Continue reading
How Big Is the Working Class – and Why Does It Matter?
Americans without bachelor’s degrees outnumber college grads 2 to 1. But if you and most people you know and have ever known are college graduates, you might not realize that most Americans are not like you and your cohort. As … Continue reading
Paying the Poorly Educated
Joe Biden was right to propose free Pre-K education for 3- and 4-year-olds and free community college in his initial legislative package, rather than pushing for free public university education and the cancellation of college debt. All four progressive education … Continue reading
How Class Cultures Work
Across my lifetime, I’ve lived within and between two class cultures that work together in complex and sometimes contradictory ways. Broadly, middle-class professionalism emphasizes aspiration, achievement, and becoming. Working-class culture, on the other hand, prioritizes authenticity, character, and belonging. One … Continue reading
Posted in Contributors, Issues, Jack Metzgar, Working-Class Culture
Tagged class relations, working-class culture
3 Comments
Biden and Social Wages
If Biden’s American Family Plan becomes law as he proposed it, my grand-niece Harri will finally have a “modest yet adequate” standard of living based on a new commitment from the federal government to provide social wages. Harri is a … Continue reading
Is Neoliberalism Dead? Class Struggle and a Wealth Tax
It is heartening to see a wide variety of economists and policy wonks declaring the end of neoliberal austerity based on Joe Biden’s actions during his first 100 days as President. With the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and the … Continue reading
Posted in Contributors, Issues, Jack Metzgar, The Working Class and the Economy
Tagged economic inequality, neoliberalism, wealth tax
6 Comments
Racial Justice, Class Justice
I’ve been feeling kind of white lately. Maybe it’s some of that white fragility Robin DiAngelo warns us about, but more and more often when I hear somebody say “disproportionately people of color,” it sounds like they’re also saying poor … Continue reading
Cultural and Political Diversity in the White Working-Class
Influential political analyst Ron Brownstein thinks American politics is all about answering this question: “How long can Paducah tell Seattle what to do?” The question resonates because metro areas vote so differently from small town and rural areas and because … Continue reading
Racism and the Working Class
When I tell other middle-class professionals who don’t know me well that I’m writing a book about working-class culture, it’s amazing how often they respond approvingly that “white racism” is an important subject. My reaction, depending on the circumstance, ranges … Continue reading
How Polarized Are We?
When I talk with relatives who are not only Trump voters but Trump enthusiasts, I feel pretty damned polarized – especially when I lose my temper and find myself saying some of the things my tribe often hatefully says about … Continue reading
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