I have been thinking thoughts similar to those you gave, Mr Reich. I think *and I hope* that we are seeing a (probably small yet significant) social revolution. Our collective un-unionized "strike" for better pay and working conditions *might* make an impression.
In any case, the combination of the political disaster that is America today, the long-duration failure of the economy to serve working people while opulent excess thrives, the rise in awareness of the continued institutional entrenchment of racism, the unwillingness of the American government to unequivocally acknowledge and take action on climate change, the continuing intransigence of Sinema and Manchin at a critical historic juncture that for them still fails to rise above personal position via campaign financing, the demonstration by the pandemic of many jobs being performable without commuting, and the general, negative mental health impact of the pandemic have all combined to awaken many people from the semi-somnambulistic state in which most of us pass most of our lives.
Digression: I want to say that, as a social phenomenon with the prospect of effecting durable change, this began with Bernie Sanders. Despite the failure of his campaign in the most obvious sense, he opened up the national conversation in an unprecedented way for people to stop pretending everything is pretty much okay so don't rock the boat. I hope that history gives him the credit in hindsight that he deserves for this.
In a word, many at the same time now see the state of our society as broken. It's not just millennials who are in a malaise of "why bother participating" when jobs stink, wages stink, the planet is being destroyed, ... Having come of age with the hippies, I have to compare then with now. We were profoundly disillusioned and angry that the world was not the wonderful place our post-WWII parents said it was - to the point that our own government was actively torturing and killing us by way of the War in Vietnam. But -- however naive we may have been -- we had hope. We believed it was within our power to change things, if only we stayed vocally and persuasively true to our values. Today's young adults and adolescents don't have that, and it's easy to see why.
Lacking that, there will be a social change. What we have before us is the opportunity to make it a good one, or let it default to being a catastrophically bad one. Will we go beyond the Civil Rights and Women's and ecology movements of the 60s to materially advance that work, or will we invite the Trumpsters of the world to take over completely and destroy everything? They are eager and active in doing so. Will we strip tax laws down to the point that people can actually understand them, and resume taxation of those who benefit most from capitalism, or further entrench our recent return to Industrial Revolution's robber baron realities? We seem unlikely to produce changes that do more than somewhat mollify the mobs back into obeisance.
I believe that the (damnably slow) arc of history is toward better conditions for larger portions of the population, but we seem to be going through a powerful backslide. What we don't accomplish in the next few years will work against us for *at least* decades to come. I am not confident of our success in the near term. If I were near the beginning or middle of my career instead of recently retired, I would be very despondent. As father to four adult children, I am sorry they have to live in the world as it is today, and worried for how things will play out over the rest of their lives.
Agree. My greatest fear is that so many become so disillusioned that they drop out of politics and other forms of social activism, opening the way for Trump or a Trump-like figure (backed by big money) to take over and destroy our democracy. (But this only on my bad days!)
The Virginia gubernatorial election coming up in a few weeks will tell us whether Democrats and independents have grown too disillusioned to come out to the polls. I am encouraged by the increasing involvement of the former guy in this election, because nothing and no one drives Dems to the polls like Donald Trump.
In a contrarian opinion you might share, Porter, I actually hope Trump will stay visible and engaged until 2024 and then run again and win the RNC nomination. I think defeating him will be much more likely than defeating someone who gets to appear to be bringing sanity and decorum back to the "real" GOP, only to be a sneakier, slightly subtler than Trump version of the same shit the real GOP has stood for increasingly since Reagan.
That's the hope I have. There is a reason for the record voter turnout in 2020. I have no doubts that if Trump runs again in 2024 that many if not most of the same voters will be at the polls. I'm optimistic there'll be even more. I'd like to see 90,000,000 votes this time!
"My greatest fear is that so many become so disillusioned that they drop out of politics and other forms of social activism..."
We went further than that and left the country entirely. I'm afraid, Professor, that the canoe is over the falls now. Pretty soon it won't matter where you sat or how hard you paddled.
The disillusionment of politics and social activism on both the right and left side is that they saw nothing get done in government. That is why Bernie and Trump becomes appealing. The hope is that something might get done with a more extreme character. But people forget the more extreme the character, the more extreme the response will be. That is what happened to Trump. That is what probably would have happened to Bernie. But the end result would be disillusionment because nothing would have gotten better for the average citizen. And now with a corporate moderate like President Biden, nothing still can't get done because of corporate sell outs like Sinema and Manchin. And once again feeding disillusionment. The question real is who benefits from all this disillusionment, because it is probably them who are funding the disillusionment.
Dear Audrey, with respect using labels to define the complexity of policies that Bernie sanders supports is unhelpful. But define which of his policies you find "So far left" and then we can debate it.
Bernie's support was huge during the 2016 Democratic primary. Only intervention by Debbie Wasserman Shultz at the DNC kept him from winning the primary. He awakened a deep growing feeling among us 99% that surely will grow.
I am very glad that you recognize the importance of Senator Bernie Sanders in all this. There are some of us who were and still keen on Sanders and regretted that he--and he alone--had a clear and very public plan and agenda and stuck to it. (There are also those who will acknowledge that nothing that Bernie Sanders ever did--nothing his fellow Democratic Socialists/Progressives/Lefties ever proposed constituted an attacks on the US Constitution or the rule of law. Bernie took the Constitution as a given but he wanted to use his knowledge and experience to help ordinary working people.) of course, I voted for Biden when the time came for that but I feared that Biden was willing to compromise, to sell out the American Progressives, to cut deals which would weaken a program designed to right yours of wrongs done to far too many of us. (So far, Biden is turning out as I feared--and that was conciliatory to the political opposition rather than committed to the well--being of the people of the United States. That is, I'm none to pleased with the outcome of the 2020 election but I accept it as what had to be if the US was to continue at all. That is a far cry from what Sanders offered and had offered through his own service to the country.) I have read that Sanders will have a lasting impact, he will be the major figure for this time, he will be our own FDR...and I only hope he can use his skill and connection to the rest of us to see some small victories in the fight to undo the Constitution and what we stand (or stood) for.
Bernie really resonates with the Roosevelts (great comparison) - See Ken Burns movie "The Roosevelts" saying both Teddy (although he was a war monger) & FDR were both anti-corporate & point out the preamble to the Constitution (or Bill of Rights) says that government's main purpose is to promote the "happiness" (welfare) of the common person. Specifically both said corporations can represent themselves so don't need any help from government. But thanks to Regean and the metasticized GOP we now have the Federal government mostly helping corporations and the establishment politicians both D & R giving only mouth service to the common person during the elections to harvest our votes. Only Bernie ever calls out "establishment" politicians as corporate politicians. Establishment politicians feed the military industrial complex with forever wars like Ike said, and only Bernie ever calls this out.
If we get out of the current era somewhat intact, it will do to Bernie Sanders, not to Joe Biden. Those who fear what Bernie proposes have failed to recognize that many European countries have operated on mixed societies built on healthy social welfare programs, private enterprise, and a growing concern for international environmental crises. Currently, the United States is ominously run by huge multi-national corporations and individuals without a shred of concern for broadly-based welfare and well-being. Bernie is like a beacon, a point of light, and a firm supporter of the rule of law. I had the unique privilege of meeting Bernie at a rally prior to the primary...I was already deeply in his corner but, from the rally on, I never wavered in my support. I only wish that his message had managed to drown out those who never knew or listened to what he was telling us. Instead, we elected an expedient--a necessary conciliator--but that election does not serve our needs as Bernie proposed and as he continues to lead from the Senate. With Joe, we might salvage what's left of our country'' Bernie proposed something better than that.
I recently read part of an article that stated that Bernie Sanders had written and published a piece in a West Virginia newspaper concerning the voting record and activities of Joe Manchin, the Senator from W VA. West Virginia would be prime recipient of Infrastructure funds since the state is on the poor side and in need of what the Federal Government has proposed...W VA would be given a large boost and the funds would help the state turn away from obsolete industries that are harmful to the environment and not at all helpful to the state's future. It's really a question as to who Joe Manchin represents: 1--himself, his investments, and the wealthy fossil fuel industries that have dominated in the past and want to continue doing so, or 2--the ordinary working people who face increasing poverty and risks to their own health and safety. Of course, Sanders approach did not win favor with the tycoons running the state and dependent on Manchin for their well-being. My question is: why didn't Joe Biden think of that? Why isn't Joe going directly to the citizens of W VA who need a bit more help to turn the corner and re-invent themselves, by which we all gain a better life? Yes, I would have voted for Sanders in a flash as he has some ideas on how to activate ordinary people and encourage them to demand better responses from their own elected officials.
I agree. Bernie should've had the nomination, not Joe Biden.
There's a reason why Democratic Socialists/Progressives like myself doesn't like Biden, because he's another center-right, neoliberal politician just like Obama. We just only voted for Biden to get rid of Trump as he's too toxic.
Only progressives/Socialists like Sanders cares about our rights & this country, as they work hard to unlike moderate, center-right, neoliberal politician s that only cares about money while pleasing corporate donors.
I have to admit that I'm having a hard time mapping the coordinates of OP here (very nicely set out) and having a hard time getting Robert R's thesis in the audio (segment) to fit and map to my own experiences as a Gen X-er growing up in the UK and Europe and the son of a man that was borne 1930 in Germany - but later served in the US airforce (during the Korean war) and later during Cold War (full swing) as NASA.
I live in the USA now - dual citizen and have lived and worked in Europe in the past and I have to say Europe was mostly 75% destroyed after WWII and later when Europe got back on it's feet in large part through judicious and measured consequences of the Marshall Plan;
only to get us to a situation where any one of us could be vaporized through nuclear War (primarily with the Russians) until the wall 'Came down" . I personally lived only 4 miles away from NATO Head Quarters (HMS Warrior) - NW outskirts of London.
... So to be blunt 'We" esp. Gen X ers knew that the two preceding generations had 'Eff-ed up pretty spectacularly to get to the point where at any moment we would be given a 5 minute warning to figure out what to do in your literal 5 minutes of life or whether you really wanted to live in a post apocolyptic (sp) "Britain" or where-ever.
Consequently a counter culture developed with an emphasis on rejecting everything that has gone before. Kinda now you'd say "Boomer" versus "Gen-X".
What I see now and have experienced and also with extended family in the USA, are people and systems that are FAILING. People are Burnt out at all levels. Adults with families have had to move back in with their parents - so three generation crammed in cheek by jowl. And folks in some situations (of my own personal experience) have had to basically form impromptu and informal co-operatives where a group of individuals may be trading a variety of services and materials with each other where money / $ does not change hands. Almost a barter economy... Which is exactly what happened after WWII in Germany and especially Soviet Occupied East - Germany.
These are not "Metrics" of a quiet (reflective) revolution, these are the signs and patterns of critical failure of major systems that are supposed to work but actually no longer function.
OP here. I don't understand what isn't mapped. It looks to me like we are pretty well aligned. What am I missing? We "lousy Boomers" were the first generation being trained to hide under our desks in elementary school in case of nuclear war (as if that would matter in the least), so the 5 minutes till death thing did not begin with Gen X. We also saw the entire system a failing, even to the point of wondering if we'd have a second civil war (sound familiar?), *between generational members of the same family*. We had a civil rights movement that is the foundation of the racial and LGBTQ civil rights movement of today. We had a Women's Movement, that is the foundation of today's MeToo. We had an ecology movement that foresaw climate change when it was not yet so terribly urgent. I read your second to last paragraph as the next level more detailed than some of my own comments. So, I am missing what it is that isn't mapped.
You're right I don't know how to re-edit (here - new to this interface) when I say Boomer - I really mean born 1930, 1940, 1950, ...
The American experience (at least what I was able to glean) from your post and Robert's recounting of the post war 'Optimism" was really different in Europe.
The USA was not physically invaded and bombed / raised to the ground - so you have post war prosperity and productivity mostly intact - while the Germans, French , Dutch , Italians, Spanish, etc. were pretty much sweeping up the rubble for at least 20 years, whilst Poland and Czechoslovakia were absorbed into the umbrella of Eastern Block countries...
Apart from maybe a brief period during the 'Swinging sixties" for most European and including inhabitants of the UK the 1940, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s were a pretty depressing affair.
So most people I know from that "Experience" really were not told to expect anything positive from the "Future" - Naïve or otherwise.
My father having lived through bombing of Hamburg, later moved the East then to have Russians living in his home for number of years - the escape to the West and then to New York - then shorty after be droughted into the Korean War... in different capacities and the later worked for NASA.
So it's WWII - Russian Occupation, Korean War ---> Extreme Cold war "Ballistic / nuclear" machinations... and beyond so me and brother were very much taught to think for ourselves and really never expect anything good out of life other than what you immediately have or can enjoy with friends and family.
I think we should leave the younger generations to think for themselves. There is not a quiet "revolution" that we more 'Oldies" can coopt. It's more a passive reaction to system wide failures.
I do agree that racism is the biggest core problem in the USA and the USA needs to own it's history.
To me it feels like the Make America Great "enthusiasts" are trying to drag the USA into the 1950s, ~ while we are trying to square with problems of the 2030s,
Consequently that transition feels like the 1970s right now / Carter Administration, and maybe if we sort out wealth redistribution then a new period of prosperity may emerge 15 years from now. [Sort of like the prosperity of the 1980s to 1990s - but without Regan or hopefully without Pompeo running in 2024.
As far as I can tell, we cannot edit here, which is regrettable. My usual technique is to re-read before posting, hit Post, then re-read and find errors! :-) Then quickly delete and repost with corrections, hoping not to lose any Likes or replies in that window. Then re-reading, finding errors again, and surrendering :-)
Yes, the 40s and 50s were not the 60s and 70s, and devastated Europe had an entirely different recovery period to that of the US's post-war boom.
@Bennett Barouch ~ "Ditto" I'm terrible that way actually being ADD and dyslexic - read - re-read edit, clean up. I was married to a rather sociopathic editor where any papers publications etc. of a technical nature (in my case) would turn into a near literal blood bath (lol).
So I'm trying to "Loosen" up a bit and go for more immediacy. But usually the core point is it the end - whereas that need to go up-front.
+ take scalpel to things and attempt to be brutally concise.
So BACK on topic.
I re-listened to "Bob's" conjecture here in the audio, and I have to say that a lot of what he posits seem at closer examination - kinda messed up (in half measure) although always very well intended ~ almost as test or challenge.
I live in a very poor US state and I am basically seeing failures that result from lack of core resources as "We" (where I am based ) are at the thinnest end of the wedge.
I chuckle a little bit at what Bob / RR says about "Economists are baffled";
When I lived in DC it seemed the higher up an economist was the more baffled they were, as if the most senior economists' day job(s) was to BE extremely baffled. A friend of mine would show me slightly dusty volumes they were working from for the core mathematics and modelling engines they were trying to develop using linear regressions, least squares adjustments and pages of (mathematical) partial derivatives and Fourier analysis ~ All things closer to physics than "Kitchen sink" real world home-drama of the consequences of a current 'Economic climate". These on going analyses with very long arcs seemed rather nebulous and in large measure un-actionable.
So what I'm seeing "Boots on the ground" bears no relation to the statistical aggregation that Robert alludes to.
^^^ (Key point here ;-) . )
So what I'm seeing is that people are leaving certain companies (pre-emptively) 'cuz the ship is going down.
What I'm seeing is business owner's that are more mindful of the need to stay in business HAVE been laying people off and tightening their respective belts.
What I'm seeing is a literal decimation of the workforce (in some instances) layoff 10% and make the remaining 90% work at 135% capacity. ~ Hence burnout and work vs reward equation being stretched beyond the point of breaking.
What I'm seeing are people that have been pressured to leave their jobs (by various nefarious means) rather than be explicitly fired.
What I have seen are manifest failures in home ownership and attempts at accumulation of wealth leading to massive debt failures where people have to sell their homes, and move in with their parents bringing their young children with them. In many cases the benevolent 'richer" uncle having to bail out several family members from being on the streets/ destitute.
What I have seen is a basic human responses to pressure of FIGHT or FLIGHT, and more importantly (in this case) FREEZE -
[I believe it's the human freeze response that RR mistakenly hopes is showing the tantalizing promise of nascent but substantive revolution towards a near European style Social Democratic system - with American "Characteristics" :-). ]
A lot of (younger) people that may be being perceived as "Re-evaluating" - reading a penguin published moldy copy of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in their parent's basement - do so as they have no other choice. They are not part of some unwitting emergent phenomenon of mild 'Revolution" - 'Peeps" are being physically, mentally and financially precipitated into situations of marked passivity due to lack of resources that would normally be FREE to the citizenry of most European and Scandinavian countries.
I could also tell you some stories from where I live that are absolutely harrowing and would break your heart ~ purely from lack of state resources.
SO :-) [in vague conclusion ] I would STRONGLY :-) question the metrics and statistics that Robert Reich is working from and off, and maybe (time willing and diligence) go back to the original sources he alludes to, to see or determine how that data is collected, filtered and compiled 'cuz it bears almost no resemblance to what I'm actually seeing in the state I live in and similarly with other extended family members that live in other US states .
I can't defend Mr Reich's positions because, well, he knows what he is talking about and I am just a guy with some opinions. I have two things to say about your characterization of people being forced to re-evaluate, rather than it being some self-directed search for meaning.
First, I want to say that I have been lucky enough to spend almost my entire life in middle-class circumstances, so just as I am not qualified to second-guess Mr Reich's commentary, I am not qualified to second-guess your commentary. I see that you speak from experience I do not share, and you do so credibly. What you say makes sense to me.
Second, I didn't hear Mr Reich's recording as saying that some philosophical awakening was afoot. Rather that the very real problems you are citing are the very real reasons people are fed up. "Re-evaluation" may be nothing more philosophical than being fed up instead of continuing to go along for the punishing ride, being unwilling to politely go on with things as they have been.
Bottom line: there is a shift in consciousness in America — we don’t want to live in an economy, we want to live in a society. After generations of exhaustion from too much work, too little compensation, and feeling indentured to jobs just to obtain health insurance, Americans took time during the pandemic to rest and come to their senses. There’s a greater awareness that employment in mixed economies in Europe is founded on a true valuing of citizens, of community, of shared lives. The deep diseased greed of the corporate beast in America gave birth to the ultimate gangster supremacist in Donald Trump, who exemplifies the worst of America in all ways. Americans are awakening to the opportunity to fulfill the destiny that our founding fathers and mothers projected into the future. All we need be is worthy of taking up their vision and bringing it to fruition.
Exactly. We don't want to live in a economy, we want to live in a Society. That sentiment should be sped far and wide. The President should be shouting that for the People. We need to make that our Motto.
When I was a kid (boomer here) I was brainwashed into the "any job is better than no job" doctrine. My mom, a single mother, drilled into me that when work wants you to do a task, regardless of how distasteful, you just buck up and do it, no complaints (they might fire you). I killed myself for over 35 years in a mind-numbing career. "Do What you Love and the Money Will Follow" didn't happen for boomers, it happened for our kids. And those kids, now adults, parented their kids into the notion that putting up with crap for work needed to be questioned.
The idea of questioning is a new thing. It's the same thing behind Me Too and Black Lives Matter.
And thank goodness for this. I hope to heck that this is real social change.
Having been out of the active/ traditional workforce since 2013 in order to pursue my third career as a writer, I cannot render any observations from the 2021 trenches, so to speak. However, I find myself both fascinated and pleased with what I've seen in the pandemic-driven labor market despite the fact that labor shortages have contributed to supply chain issues affecting all of us.
Why should men and women break their backs (and/or their brains) in jobs that are slowly killing them? Employers have had the upper hand for a long time, in many cases treating their employees like disposable machines. Wealth has been rising in the upper echelons of corporations for years while the rank-and-file have been been given mere crumbs and told (directly or indirectly) to live with it or go elsewhere.
Now it's becoming a seller's market in many industries and these wealthy companies are finding they have to pony up some of their hoarded wealth to acquire or retain talent. I said good on those employees who've decided to pursue their bliss, either in new jobs, new industries, or early retirement. Eventually (maybe?) employers will catch on that they can't keep treating their employees like so much slave labor.
Much of the cost of todays products is transportation. Since the start of the pandemic, Oil prices have doubled. Everything, from ships that bring our stuff from China, to trucks that bring our stuff from the ports, all cost more to the shipping industry and those prices are reflected in todays retail prices. When they say "Free Shipping", that just means they raised the price of what you are buying to pay for that shipping.
Prof. Reich, I love you and your work due to the ocean-deep love you have for humanity.
One of the root causes of misery, animosity, corruption, wars, etc. is human greed, which can be shown to be *increasing* if sufficient metrics are analyzed over the past 100 years. But why is that so? Why is it on the rise?
IMO, greed (or wants) increases as people are bombarded with ads for things that are not really necessary for *real* human happiness, which is ultimately what every human on the planet is after. It also increases as we see peers, neighbors, relatives, ... acquire newer, more expensive, fancier things, (phones, cars, home improvements, gadgets, ...), so the younger people particularly then strive to do the same. A cycle and culture of consumerism has thus grown over the last 'n' decades and has become the defacto source of perceived happiness.
So, what is happening for whatever reasons, has the potential to break this cycle, which would give capitalism, unending growth, even climate change a much needed break. It might allow millions to see that life can be beautiful without a ton of materialism, and may usher a bright future for humanity. Though, people must be able to see alternate ways of living to lower costs and consumption, otherwise they might go back to the old lifestyles.
I closed my invention and small business in N. CA in 2005 moving to less expensive but equally beautiful living in the Himalayas. The things I have been able to do and explore in this time, and enjoy life to its fullest (not meaning just travel but working for social causes like you) would never have been possible had I continued to chase money.
You don't have to be in your 80s or 90s to come to the realization that life is preciously short, and that if you don't do what you want to do now, you may never. I do believe people have more choices than they're allowed to admit. Capitalism (and all the marketing and advertising that go with it) is based on acquisitiveness -- the doctrine of "more." But that doctrine is no longer working for many people, partly because, as you point out, the structure of our economy has shifted in favor of the privileged and powerful and away from the middle class, so that it's impossible for many to acquire "more" of anything, let alone keep what they had. And partly because that doctrine leaches out of our lives all other values such as family, community, friendship, loyalty, and spiritual fulfillment -- and millions are beginning to notice.
Since - intentionally or unintentionally - you seemingly "suggest" it, the thought crosses my mind: by default, do Americans end up valuing capitalism more highly than democracy amidst the constant harangue of all the commercial brainwash? The Soviets just plastered pictures of their leaders and slogans everywhere. I'll not even bother getting into Pravda & Isvestya - type - news outlets. Capitalism is not democratic any more than communism was, where It shifts a seemingly totalitarian control to the private sector, where the money we spend becomes a surrogate for voting. I know that's a bit over the top, but I'm hoping the point I'm trying to get at comes across.
Americans, Russians, former Soviets, Indians, Chinese, Afghans, N. Koreans... humans everywhere, intrinsically seem to want happiness (deep lasting joy, tranquility as opposed to short-lived excitement), an essential prerequisite of which *is* freedom / democracy.
Capitalism is only *perceived* to be able to provide the capital needed to survive and thrive in today’s societies. Thus, IMO, it would be hard to argue that anyone anywhere would value capitalism over democracy – what good is money without the freedom to be able to use it to live one’s choice of life?
The erosion of democracy is happening for numerous other reasons that are systemic, one of which you allude to (excessive capital, and thus power, going into private hands to distort democracy.) To me, it appears like societies at large get literally *trapped* in their own inherited legislations, popular worldviews and economic systems (and capitalism is one of them).
As a legislative example – IMO, an overwhelming majority of Americans (including many Republicans) would want freedom from the daily gun violence in the U.S. but the overhyped Second Amendment, seen as essential to reining state power – an archaic argument anyways, is statistically and systemically hard to overturn (due to the way constitutional amendments are supposed to work), even if we were to scream to let states legislate their own local gun laws that would allow everyone, including pro-gun folks, greater choices and peace.
Capitalism is another such archaic system that we’re all trapped in. No?
The pandemic has helped to reveal the rotten core of American Political Economy. A nation built on genocide, slavery, theft and rapacious ecosystem exploitation cannot stand. As the edifice crumbles under its own weight and we realize the path we are on leads to catastrophe, it is a hopeful sign that people are turning away from the thin gruel we've been offered for generations. Some, sadly, have turned to fascism, thinking that the solution is to double down on the dysfunctional framework that got us here. I recently had the honor of sitting in on conversations with a group of First Peoples who are returning to their pre-colonial lifeways in growing numbers, and restoring the ecological integrity of their place-based economies. This gives me hope. The US has a narrow window of time to change the road it is on. Meanwhile, the Biden administration approves the Formasa Plastics project expansion in Louisiana, and approves pipelines running through wild rice communities, while continuing to arm the world and support violence across the globe.....As Dorothy warned long ago, the sand in the hourglass is almost gone......
This short podcast proves that it was a good decision to join your substack newsletter, Mr. Reich. Thank you for thus thouhht-provoking start of the weekend.
I hope that the reluctance of many Americans to return to work as itwas before the pandemic is - as you suggest - the beginning of profound social change.
I come from The Netherlands, so I have been spoiled with all these amazing programs like health care for all, unemployment benefits, parental leave, a good pension, etc. Now that I have lived in the US for the last decade or so, I have noticed how stressful the system here is for ordinary Americans. Here, there is always something to worry about. Nobody ever gets any piece of mind, everything is a struggle.
I think it is high time that the state (the federal government, I mean) invests in the people and the common good. As a European, I do not share the distrust of big government that is so rampant here. I believe in paying taxes and actually getting a lot for it in return. I believe in a peaceful, non-armed, well-educated citizenry with equal opportunities for all, enforced and facilitated by the government.
I hope the pressure that these people aply by refusing to go back to work builds up and forces some real and tangible changes.
I used to go to Eindhoven for work - love the Netherlands - a land where everyone speaks five languages, probably due to their history of global trading - after all, who was going to learn Dutch a few centuries ago?
Interesting comment about taxes. I think one thing many readers on site fail to acknowledge is the fact that the middle class in America pays far less taxes than Europeans (or Canadians for that matter). The US currently has the most progressive tax system of all OECD countries, and yet somehow, there is a feeling the top 1% do not pay their fair share. To be sure, stories like Bezos not paying any income tax a few years ago is certainly incendiary, but not typical.
I'm a baby boomer who was disillusioned years ago when companies started layoffs to help their profits. I was laid off from 4 different companies. Then pensions disappeared to help company profits. Everything I was told and believed in when I was young died many years ago when corporations started to care only about profits and their stock prices. Since then, I've just tried to survive and I'm still working to get by. At least I didn't go in debt for college.
So, I agree with the comments made here but my "great re-evaluation" happened a long time ago. Now many more are waking up to reality. I hope the important changes everyone mentioned will come to pass. I doubt I will see it in my lifetime.
Thank you Robert for taking the time to more accurately describe what people are thinking today.
my late husband followed the "advice" to work hard and you will be rewarded. He joined the army out of high school at the height of the Vietnam war, he went to a trade school. He worked so hard and instead of a decent retirement he had one year and died and I was left with less because the SS program gave me his amount but took mine away. (we shared his small pension and our 2 SS checks). We did everything right yet his well paying job in the 90s went away and by the time he retired, 20 yrs later he still had not made up for the lost pay. Our house is falling down around our ears, SS is is less than it should be. The only reason there is a tiny pension is he managed to get a job in a union shop for the last 15 yrs of his work life. The thing that really gets me is that people who are better off and younger say we did things wrong and should have "planned" better. Well life happens and when you are barely making ends meet and illness takes over...plans go out the window! Not one of us planned to be laid off every 6 months for years. Life cannot be planned which is why I am glad to see that many are seizing their lives back from the corporate mind sets.
The wealth gap is approximately what it was in France 1789. The only reasons the disenfranchised haven’t rolled out Madame Guillotine are because of TV and professional sports, and cheap beer. It’s similar to the ancient Roman society where dictators kept an angry populace at bay with gladiatorial games. I think Americans are particularly demoralized by the likes of Joe Mancin selling out the BBB plan because of his personal coal interests. Or Sinema with her pharmaceutical interests.
When I heard that people wouldn't be able to buy what they normally buy for the holidays, I thought that maybe people would learn to do without--without the glitz and toys we've been programmed to buy. As hard as times are, especially for those of us at the lower end of the economic scale, it has been an opportunity to evaluate how we live. We no longer choose to be cash cows for the one percent of the one percent. We are considering what we really value. Why should any of us care about the Kardashians or the Royals? Let them live their lives and let us value our own lives. We are not machines; we are a remarkable species on this planet that can do so much to make life livable and enjoyable for all. The one who dies with the most toys, the most money, is not the winner. Everyone who enjoys their life, who loves, who creates, who spreads joy is the winner. It does not require obscene wealth.
We changed xmas this year and every year we have left. We gave just one gift to each family member and now will take a family vacation in January every year. Young people that are trading 'things' for 'experiences' have it right.
I’m a freelance court reporter in Philadelphia, PA and was able to continue working when the pandemic hit. There were a few weeks of uncertain pivoting and ironing out the kinks, but after a couple months I got into the groove of doing everything from home. Is it sometimes a huge pain in the ass? Yes. Do I also realize how much easier it made my life overall? 100%. No more uncomfortable work pants and suit jackets, no more rushing out the door with 30 pounds of equipment to lug through the hot sun or ice-coated streets, no more parking garages, no more finding my way to obscure locations, no more being on the road. I much prefer being at home with all my creature comforts, and who wouldn’t?
Now, I know my situation might be a bit different because I work for myself and can choose my own schedule (which I am very grateful for). I’m not sure if I’ll even *have* to go back to in-person work regularly after this. Fingers crossed.
But despite the overall ease of working from home, I have been taking on a lot less work recently. Most days, I find myself fatigued at the mere thought of work. It’s not only the reality-check of a worldwide pandemic I’m reckoning with, but the four long, hellish years between 2016 and 2020 also. I feel like it’s all beginning to catch up with me. I am under 40 and consider myself a strong and resilient person, but there comes a time when even the best-built car needs a tune-up.
I think the average, middle-class, sensible American is simply beyond exhausted and has been for some time, and I think it’s important at this juncture for us to ration our collective energies carefully. There is a lot of non-occupational work to be done in this country, and we need the majority to be up for it. The fact that so many are at their wits’ end is troubling, but it also whispers hope that things might finally begin to start slowly changing for the better. We have to rely on that optimism and not get downtrodden by crappy employers or the seemingly monolithic, systemic nature of this entire quandary.
Working together and coming together, as we’re doing right here in this discussion, is what we need to do now. I consider all of you, and all likeminded people, my new coworkers. Let’s keep this up. Let’s keep the hive mind alive, the energy high, and the momentum rolling.✊🏼 I’m proud of us.
Many think that their work-contribution to society is not significant or appreciated. They are treated as disposable and easily replaceable by their employer. The phrases from popular songs, “I ain’t gonna do your dirty work no more”, and , “I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more”, come to mind. Once we have enough to get by, our freedom is more important than having more (unnecessary) stuff.
People are willing to dedicate themselves to a worthy cause; they are not willing to be disrespected and disregarded.
The pandemic gave people a legitimate fear of dying because of the behavior exhibited by republicans (almost exclusively). Workers making $9/hr have been assaulted by mask holes just for asking them to comply with safety regulations. . There’s a point for people where, it just isn’t worth it anymore.
People are seeing what is really important and that it is ok to expect a living wage and safe environment.
There is a social revolution picking up steam. The republican party is fascist and authoritarian. Yet, we’ve seen a couple republican groups come out against the rt wing funded Retrumpliscums. Lincoln Project and Republican Accountability Project are 2 that come to mind. It’s a good sign. That is being combined with fury on social networks at lack of immediate action against Trump and those at the top inciting deadly attempted coup. We are fed up and the rumbling is certainly being monitored. Good. There are far more of us and they know this. Only Trump’s tight clan thinks the world is cheering him on.
The money is clearly there to give Americans a better life. Fighting the obvious media lies is the biggest challenge but we’ve had enough.
yes to all of this. I keep picturing the meme with the leadership of a few on an outcropping on a mountain and the masses who are holding it in place. The cryptic message is that "you have held the power all this time". If nothing else the good that may have come from the pandemic and the evil of the former administration is that we have seen our shackles and found we hold the keys.
First off, thank you Mr. Reich for starting this forum. If you decided not to post daily, I would miss it.
Also to the responders, it's heartening to see evidence of lucid thoughts expressed with logic and syntax. Those last two are becoming so rare as to qualify as a super-power.
As to the issue, it's wonderful, isn't it? The average person has had time to self-reflect. Life is short and your feet are not as fully planted on this side of the grave as you assumed.
The average has been forced for decades to make due with an income that's mathematically impossible to do it with. This in the face of the wealthy, however you want to define that, legally indemnified from paying taxes, sometimes getting a rebate.
The laundry list of complaints is a long one but you know what it is.
Maybe I'm wrong, and usually am, but I'm getting a whiff of Feudalism in the air. In fact, it's a bit worse than that. At least in feudalism, the Lord would have to pay for your clothing, tools and housing. Currently, that's your problem.
I'll end with a George Carlin quote, because his words are very quotable.
"It's called The American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it."
Well said as always! I concur wholeheartedly. Another tangential notion that may warrant further exploration is the rise in multigenerational households and the financial backstop it provides, allowing one the opportunity to pursue better opportunities, even if briefly unemployed. As young families leaned heavily on grandparents for childcare during the pandemic, perhaps the allure of multigenerational households has increased, thereby affording individuals more financial freedom to insist on better pay and better working conditions.
I really do think this has something to do with people's decision to stay out of the "slaver" market. A grandparent, probably with social security income, moving into the home of one of his/her children and contributing help, day-care help, and money to the multigenerational household can make that decision even easier.
That’s a good point. People are simplifying life. I did recently with a big move and down-sizing out of the family home. It’s actually a step in the right direction. So many people are reducing waste and making personal changes. But fighting propaganda is extremely difficult and holds us back from progress we so desperately need.
what I am doing. hoping my married adult son and his wife will join me, my younger son who wants to write for a living is in board. I sell here and buy outright in a different state with lower prices. I intend to use my one asset to build generational wealth and not just benefit me by being mortgage free.
I dearly hope we ARE in a social revolution. For the last fifty years the workers of America have suffered with low wages, increasingly low benefits and now in many cases, none. Republican run states have been particularly cruel, declining to even help their working poor with assistance for medical or other issues. In my own case, and I am not on the bottom, I worked very very hard on my own to try to move toward better paying work, took myself to college, and later got a masters degree and psychotherapy license Well for my decision to be a public servant, social worker being over worked with over 30 very seriously mentally ill children and families at a time, and on the brink of diabetes from stress and long work hours, no overtime pay, no pay for extra time starting up new programs and driving all over to home visits, I had to get out or my health was collapsing. I tried to do private practice with a psychiatrist only to have half my income taken for the privilege of getting an office to add to his $500. I now am 70 with the burden of a student loan to be paid off at age 80 not eligible for forgiveness. The cards became increasingly stacked against those on the bottom trying to move up. The fact that the trend for workers over this time has been to pay the supervisor class much more and give them more benefits at the cost of the lower end of the working folk has destroyed the American dream for many. There is little compassion for those at the bottom and often, contempt. As those eating out at expensive restaurants four days a week toss change to those serving them, we need to remember that Ronald Reagan and the Republicans instituted the tax on tips, the taxes on Social Security for seniors who often have only that as a 'pension' and enacted corporate and business tax loopholes and benefits ad nauseum. At some point people ask themselves, is this worth it? Is it worth my working myself to death when I will NEVER reap the benefit of my labor because it is valued so little? At some point, you have say enough...if I return to work, I will pay much higher loan payments, cancelling any benefit, along with higher taxes. The cost of living has gone way up and the wages have been kept low. People have given up a lot of family life for working in jobs that just don't give them much. I shudder when I think that women have to leave little infants to go back to work when they should be able to have time for bonding - France gives two years for families to bond because they know the benefit of good emotional bonding and brain development in infants. We have shattered our connections so much in this country in the pressure of having to survive in a class ridden, racist, and misogynistic environment. We are so behind other developed countries. I am now lower middle class, no chance to get to middle middle, and if nothing changes, moving toward lower class in my old age. We are faced now with possibly moving to find an affordable area. How many boomers are there like me? How many younger workers are just fed up with bad working conditions such as the insane meat industry, agriculture, and service work that grind people into numb slave labor? I hope they do speak out and we have more strikes, and can restore some of the balance in working that once was a goal in our country. Too much greed at the top, too little compassion and fairness. Who was it that said a fair day's wage for a fair day's work? Ain't happening here. Maybe the crisis of Covid will bring more equity, and as we also have to address climate change...newer cleaner industries, enlightened farming and animal husbandry, it's a dream. Wish it could come true.
Thank you for writing your story. It resembles my own in its essentials but, well, we're also two different people. I was educated to be a university professor and for two short years in my work life, I fulfilled that dream. I got a non-tenure track at a top university and made the most of my opportunity, of course with the hope I could win a tenure-track appointment. Didn't happen. I convinced myself that I could carry on and write and publish my way into an appointment but all I ended up doing was publish and perish, the perish-part being the many years I spent in retail in which I was always one of the dispensable, threatened, undervalued people who made up the real workers and ended up discarded if they did not serve. (The ones who stuck around were the do-nothing managers and the ceos, one of whom garnered $54 million for his last year of full-time "service".) It is my hope that those in government start paying attention to the people who got them there and doing their jobs, the most important of which is serving the needs and wants of the people who try to live in this country. What we need are people who are committed to the Constitution, the rule of law, the values and norms of the country, and the health, safety, and security of all people in the country. We do not need law makers who view their own private wealth and power and interests as paramount and the concerns of the voters as way, way down the list. My family was never much more than lower-middle class but we never gave up our hope for better days in the future. That's basically what I have left, that and the hope that the politicians in power will not increase the burdens that I bear as a member of the lower class.
I have been thinking thoughts similar to those you gave, Mr Reich. I think *and I hope* that we are seeing a (probably small yet significant) social revolution. Our collective un-unionized "strike" for better pay and working conditions *might* make an impression.
In any case, the combination of the political disaster that is America today, the long-duration failure of the economy to serve working people while opulent excess thrives, the rise in awareness of the continued institutional entrenchment of racism, the unwillingness of the American government to unequivocally acknowledge and take action on climate change, the continuing intransigence of Sinema and Manchin at a critical historic juncture that for them still fails to rise above personal position via campaign financing, the demonstration by the pandemic of many jobs being performable without commuting, and the general, negative mental health impact of the pandemic have all combined to awaken many people from the semi-somnambulistic state in which most of us pass most of our lives.
Digression: I want to say that, as a social phenomenon with the prospect of effecting durable change, this began with Bernie Sanders. Despite the failure of his campaign in the most obvious sense, he opened up the national conversation in an unprecedented way for people to stop pretending everything is pretty much okay so don't rock the boat. I hope that history gives him the credit in hindsight that he deserves for this.
In a word, many at the same time now see the state of our society as broken. It's not just millennials who are in a malaise of "why bother participating" when jobs stink, wages stink, the planet is being destroyed, ... Having come of age with the hippies, I have to compare then with now. We were profoundly disillusioned and angry that the world was not the wonderful place our post-WWII parents said it was - to the point that our own government was actively torturing and killing us by way of the War in Vietnam. But -- however naive we may have been -- we had hope. We believed it was within our power to change things, if only we stayed vocally and persuasively true to our values. Today's young adults and adolescents don't have that, and it's easy to see why.
Lacking that, there will be a social change. What we have before us is the opportunity to make it a good one, or let it default to being a catastrophically bad one. Will we go beyond the Civil Rights and Women's and ecology movements of the 60s to materially advance that work, or will we invite the Trumpsters of the world to take over completely and destroy everything? They are eager and active in doing so. Will we strip tax laws down to the point that people can actually understand them, and resume taxation of those who benefit most from capitalism, or further entrench our recent return to Industrial Revolution's robber baron realities? We seem unlikely to produce changes that do more than somewhat mollify the mobs back into obeisance.
I believe that the (damnably slow) arc of history is toward better conditions for larger portions of the population, but we seem to be going through a powerful backslide. What we don't accomplish in the next few years will work against us for *at least* decades to come. I am not confident of our success in the near term. If I were near the beginning or middle of my career instead of recently retired, I would be very despondent. As father to four adult children, I am sorry they have to live in the world as it is today, and worried for how things will play out over the rest of their lives.
Agree. My greatest fear is that so many become so disillusioned that they drop out of politics and other forms of social activism, opening the way for Trump or a Trump-like figure (backed by big money) to take over and destroy our democracy. (But this only on my bad days!)
The Virginia gubernatorial election coming up in a few weeks will tell us whether Democrats and independents have grown too disillusioned to come out to the polls. I am encouraged by the increasing involvement of the former guy in this election, because nothing and no one drives Dems to the polls like Donald Trump.
In a contrarian opinion you might share, Porter, I actually hope Trump will stay visible and engaged until 2024 and then run again and win the RNC nomination. I think defeating him will be much more likely than defeating someone who gets to appear to be bringing sanity and decorum back to the "real" GOP, only to be a sneakier, slightly subtler than Trump version of the same shit the real GOP has stood for increasingly since Reagan.
I fully understand your opinion. But I still "throw up a little bit in my mouth" when Little Donnie speaks.
Agreed!
Total agreement with that, Bennett.
Hope Trump wins the GOP because when he loses Americans won't have to pay millions for another fabricated lie
That's the hope I have. There is a reason for the record voter turnout in 2020. I have no doubts that if Trump runs again in 2024 that many if not most of the same voters will be at the polls. I'm optimistic there'll be even more. I'd like to see 90,000,000 votes this time!
"My greatest fear is that so many become so disillusioned that they drop out of politics and other forms of social activism..."
We went further than that and left the country entirely. I'm afraid, Professor, that the canoe is over the falls now. Pretty soon it won't matter where you sat or how hard you paddled.
Ditto. I put an equator between me and the insanity now overtaking America.
The disillusionment of politics and social activism on both the right and left side is that they saw nothing get done in government. That is why Bernie and Trump becomes appealing. The hope is that something might get done with a more extreme character. But people forget the more extreme the character, the more extreme the response will be. That is what happened to Trump. That is what probably would have happened to Bernie. But the end result would be disillusionment because nothing would have gotten better for the average citizen. And now with a corporate moderate like President Biden, nothing still can't get done because of corporate sell outs like Sinema and Manchin. And once again feeding disillusionment. The question real is who benefits from all this disillusionment, because it is probably them who are funding the disillusionment.
I have had a few bad days like that
I like Sanders but he is so far left. Just like any far person running, chances are low of winning. We need the middle and left leaning to win.
Then you know nothing of what he's talking about. We need Sanders to swing us back towards the middle. Everything is too far right now.
Dear Audrey, with respect using labels to define the complexity of policies that Bernie sanders supports is unhelpful. But define which of his policies you find "So far left" and then we can debate it.
Bernie's support was huge during the 2016 Democratic primary. Only intervention by Debbie Wasserman Shultz at the DNC kept him from winning the primary. He awakened a deep growing feeling among us 99% that surely will grow.
I am very glad that you recognize the importance of Senator Bernie Sanders in all this. There are some of us who were and still keen on Sanders and regretted that he--and he alone--had a clear and very public plan and agenda and stuck to it. (There are also those who will acknowledge that nothing that Bernie Sanders ever did--nothing his fellow Democratic Socialists/Progressives/Lefties ever proposed constituted an attacks on the US Constitution or the rule of law. Bernie took the Constitution as a given but he wanted to use his knowledge and experience to help ordinary working people.) of course, I voted for Biden when the time came for that but I feared that Biden was willing to compromise, to sell out the American Progressives, to cut deals which would weaken a program designed to right yours of wrongs done to far too many of us. (So far, Biden is turning out as I feared--and that was conciliatory to the political opposition rather than committed to the well--being of the people of the United States. That is, I'm none to pleased with the outcome of the 2020 election but I accept it as what had to be if the US was to continue at all. That is a far cry from what Sanders offered and had offered through his own service to the country.) I have read that Sanders will have a lasting impact, he will be the major figure for this time, he will be our own FDR...and I only hope he can use his skill and connection to the rest of us to see some small victories in the fight to undo the Constitution and what we stand (or stood) for.
Bernie really resonates with the Roosevelts (great comparison) - See Ken Burns movie "The Roosevelts" saying both Teddy (although he was a war monger) & FDR were both anti-corporate & point out the preamble to the Constitution (or Bill of Rights) says that government's main purpose is to promote the "happiness" (welfare) of the common person. Specifically both said corporations can represent themselves so don't need any help from government. But thanks to Regean and the metasticized GOP we now have the Federal government mostly helping corporations and the establishment politicians both D & R giving only mouth service to the common person during the elections to harvest our votes. Only Bernie ever calls out "establishment" politicians as corporate politicians. Establishment politicians feed the military industrial complex with forever wars like Ike said, and only Bernie ever calls this out.
If we get out of the current era somewhat intact, it will do to Bernie Sanders, not to Joe Biden. Those who fear what Bernie proposes have failed to recognize that many European countries have operated on mixed societies built on healthy social welfare programs, private enterprise, and a growing concern for international environmental crises. Currently, the United States is ominously run by huge multi-national corporations and individuals without a shred of concern for broadly-based welfare and well-being. Bernie is like a beacon, a point of light, and a firm supporter of the rule of law. I had the unique privilege of meeting Bernie at a rally prior to the primary...I was already deeply in his corner but, from the rally on, I never wavered in my support. I only wish that his message had managed to drown out those who never knew or listened to what he was telling us. Instead, we elected an expedient--a necessary conciliator--but that election does not serve our needs as Bernie proposed and as he continues to lead from the Senate. With Joe, we might salvage what's left of our country'' Bernie proposed something better than that.
I voted Biden because there was no other option. I'd have voted Sanders.
I recently read part of an article that stated that Bernie Sanders had written and published a piece in a West Virginia newspaper concerning the voting record and activities of Joe Manchin, the Senator from W VA. West Virginia would be prime recipient of Infrastructure funds since the state is on the poor side and in need of what the Federal Government has proposed...W VA would be given a large boost and the funds would help the state turn away from obsolete industries that are harmful to the environment and not at all helpful to the state's future. It's really a question as to who Joe Manchin represents: 1--himself, his investments, and the wealthy fossil fuel industries that have dominated in the past and want to continue doing so, or 2--the ordinary working people who face increasing poverty and risks to their own health and safety. Of course, Sanders approach did not win favor with the tycoons running the state and dependent on Manchin for their well-being. My question is: why didn't Joe Biden think of that? Why isn't Joe going directly to the citizens of W VA who need a bit more help to turn the corner and re-invent themselves, by which we all gain a better life? Yes, I would have voted for Sanders in a flash as he has some ideas on how to activate ordinary people and encourage them to demand better responses from their own elected officials.
I agree. Bernie should've had the nomination, not Joe Biden.
There's a reason why Democratic Socialists/Progressives like myself doesn't like Biden, because he's another center-right, neoliberal politician just like Obama. We just only voted for Biden to get rid of Trump as he's too toxic.
Only progressives/Socialists like Sanders cares about our rights & this country, as they work hard to unlike moderate, center-right, neoliberal politician s that only cares about money while pleasing corporate donors.
I have to admit that I'm having a hard time mapping the coordinates of OP here (very nicely set out) and having a hard time getting Robert R's thesis in the audio (segment) to fit and map to my own experiences as a Gen X-er growing up in the UK and Europe and the son of a man that was borne 1930 in Germany - but later served in the US airforce (during the Korean war) and later during Cold War (full swing) as NASA.
I live in the USA now - dual citizen and have lived and worked in Europe in the past and I have to say Europe was mostly 75% destroyed after WWII and later when Europe got back on it's feet in large part through judicious and measured consequences of the Marshall Plan;
only to get us to a situation where any one of us could be vaporized through nuclear War (primarily with the Russians) until the wall 'Came down" . I personally lived only 4 miles away from NATO Head Quarters (HMS Warrior) - NW outskirts of London.
... So to be blunt 'We" esp. Gen X ers knew that the two preceding generations had 'Eff-ed up pretty spectacularly to get to the point where at any moment we would be given a 5 minute warning to figure out what to do in your literal 5 minutes of life or whether you really wanted to live in a post apocolyptic (sp) "Britain" or where-ever.
Consequently a counter culture developed with an emphasis on rejecting everything that has gone before. Kinda now you'd say "Boomer" versus "Gen-X".
What I see now and have experienced and also with extended family in the USA, are people and systems that are FAILING. People are Burnt out at all levels. Adults with families have had to move back in with their parents - so three generation crammed in cheek by jowl. And folks in some situations (of my own personal experience) have had to basically form impromptu and informal co-operatives where a group of individuals may be trading a variety of services and materials with each other where money / $ does not change hands. Almost a barter economy... Which is exactly what happened after WWII in Germany and especially Soviet Occupied East - Germany.
These are not "Metrics" of a quiet (reflective) revolution, these are the signs and patterns of critical failure of major systems that are supposed to work but actually no longer function.
[Unedited].
OP here. I don't understand what isn't mapped. It looks to me like we are pretty well aligned. What am I missing? We "lousy Boomers" were the first generation being trained to hide under our desks in elementary school in case of nuclear war (as if that would matter in the least), so the 5 minutes till death thing did not begin with Gen X. We also saw the entire system a failing, even to the point of wondering if we'd have a second civil war (sound familiar?), *between generational members of the same family*. We had a civil rights movement that is the foundation of the racial and LGBTQ civil rights movement of today. We had a Women's Movement, that is the foundation of today's MeToo. We had an ecology movement that foresaw climate change when it was not yet so terribly urgent. I read your second to last paragraph as the next level more detailed than some of my own comments. So, I am missing what it is that isn't mapped.
You're right I don't know how to re-edit (here - new to this interface) when I say Boomer - I really mean born 1930, 1940, 1950, ...
The American experience (at least what I was able to glean) from your post and Robert's recounting of the post war 'Optimism" was really different in Europe.
The USA was not physically invaded and bombed / raised to the ground - so you have post war prosperity and productivity mostly intact - while the Germans, French , Dutch , Italians, Spanish, etc. were pretty much sweeping up the rubble for at least 20 years, whilst Poland and Czechoslovakia were absorbed into the umbrella of Eastern Block countries...
Apart from maybe a brief period during the 'Swinging sixties" for most European and including inhabitants of the UK the 1940, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s were a pretty depressing affair.
So most people I know from that "Experience" really were not told to expect anything positive from the "Future" - Naïve or otherwise.
My father having lived through bombing of Hamburg, later moved the East then to have Russians living in his home for number of years - the escape to the West and then to New York - then shorty after be droughted into the Korean War... in different capacities and the later worked for NASA.
So it's WWII - Russian Occupation, Korean War ---> Extreme Cold war "Ballistic / nuclear" machinations... and beyond so me and brother were very much taught to think for ourselves and really never expect anything good out of life other than what you immediately have or can enjoy with friends and family.
I think we should leave the younger generations to think for themselves. There is not a quiet "revolution" that we more 'Oldies" can coopt. It's more a passive reaction to system wide failures.
I do agree that racism is the biggest core problem in the USA and the USA needs to own it's history.
To me it feels like the Make America Great "enthusiasts" are trying to drag the USA into the 1950s, ~ while we are trying to square with problems of the 2030s,
Consequently that transition feels like the 1970s right now / Carter Administration, and maybe if we sort out wealth redistribution then a new period of prosperity may emerge 15 years from now. [Sort of like the prosperity of the 1980s to 1990s - but without Regan or hopefully without Pompeo running in 2024.
As far as I can tell, we cannot edit here, which is regrettable. My usual technique is to re-read before posting, hit Post, then re-read and find errors! :-) Then quickly delete and repost with corrections, hoping not to lose any Likes or replies in that window. Then re-reading, finding errors again, and surrendering :-)
Yes, the 40s and 50s were not the 60s and 70s, and devastated Europe had an entirely different recovery period to that of the US's post-war boom.
@Bennett Barouch ~ "Ditto" I'm terrible that way actually being ADD and dyslexic - read - re-read edit, clean up. I was married to a rather sociopathic editor where any papers publications etc. of a technical nature (in my case) would turn into a near literal blood bath (lol).
So I'm trying to "Loosen" up a bit and go for more immediacy. But usually the core point is it the end - whereas that need to go up-front.
+ take scalpel to things and attempt to be brutally concise.
So BACK on topic.
I re-listened to "Bob's" conjecture here in the audio, and I have to say that a lot of what he posits seem at closer examination - kinda messed up (in half measure) although always very well intended ~ almost as test or challenge.
I live in a very poor US state and I am basically seeing failures that result from lack of core resources as "We" (where I am based ) are at the thinnest end of the wedge.
I chuckle a little bit at what Bob / RR says about "Economists are baffled";
When I lived in DC it seemed the higher up an economist was the more baffled they were, as if the most senior economists' day job(s) was to BE extremely baffled. A friend of mine would show me slightly dusty volumes they were working from for the core mathematics and modelling engines they were trying to develop using linear regressions, least squares adjustments and pages of (mathematical) partial derivatives and Fourier analysis ~ All things closer to physics than "Kitchen sink" real world home-drama of the consequences of a current 'Economic climate". These on going analyses with very long arcs seemed rather nebulous and in large measure un-actionable.
So what I'm seeing "Boots on the ground" bears no relation to the statistical aggregation that Robert alludes to.
^^^ (Key point here ;-) . )
So what I'm seeing is that people are leaving certain companies (pre-emptively) 'cuz the ship is going down.
What I'm seeing is business owner's that are more mindful of the need to stay in business HAVE been laying people off and tightening their respective belts.
What I'm seeing is a literal decimation of the workforce (in some instances) layoff 10% and make the remaining 90% work at 135% capacity. ~ Hence burnout and work vs reward equation being stretched beyond the point of breaking.
What I'm seeing are people that have been pressured to leave their jobs (by various nefarious means) rather than be explicitly fired.
What I have seen are manifest failures in home ownership and attempts at accumulation of wealth leading to massive debt failures where people have to sell their homes, and move in with their parents bringing their young children with them. In many cases the benevolent 'richer" uncle having to bail out several family members from being on the streets/ destitute.
What I have seen is a basic human responses to pressure of FIGHT or FLIGHT, and more importantly (in this case) FREEZE -
[I believe it's the human freeze response that RR mistakenly hopes is showing the tantalizing promise of nascent but substantive revolution towards a near European style Social Democratic system - with American "Characteristics" :-). ]
A lot of (younger) people that may be being perceived as "Re-evaluating" - reading a penguin published moldy copy of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in their parent's basement - do so as they have no other choice. They are not part of some unwitting emergent phenomenon of mild 'Revolution" - 'Peeps" are being physically, mentally and financially precipitated into situations of marked passivity due to lack of resources that would normally be FREE to the citizenry of most European and Scandinavian countries.
I could also tell you some stories from where I live that are absolutely harrowing and would break your heart ~ purely from lack of state resources.
SO :-) [in vague conclusion ] I would STRONGLY :-) question the metrics and statistics that Robert Reich is working from and off, and maybe (time willing and diligence) go back to the original sources he alludes to, to see or determine how that data is collected, filtered and compiled 'cuz it bears almost no resemblance to what I'm actually seeing in the state I live in and similarly with other extended family members that live in other US states .
I can't defend Mr Reich's positions because, well, he knows what he is talking about and I am just a guy with some opinions. I have two things to say about your characterization of people being forced to re-evaluate, rather than it being some self-directed search for meaning.
First, I want to say that I have been lucky enough to spend almost my entire life in middle-class circumstances, so just as I am not qualified to second-guess Mr Reich's commentary, I am not qualified to second-guess your commentary. I see that you speak from experience I do not share, and you do so credibly. What you say makes sense to me.
Second, I didn't hear Mr Reich's recording as saying that some philosophical awakening was afoot. Rather that the very real problems you are citing are the very real reasons people are fed up. "Re-evaluation" may be nothing more philosophical than being fed up instead of continuing to go along for the punishing ride, being unwilling to politely go on with things as they have been.
Bottom line: there is a shift in consciousness in America — we don’t want to live in an economy, we want to live in a society. After generations of exhaustion from too much work, too little compensation, and feeling indentured to jobs just to obtain health insurance, Americans took time during the pandemic to rest and come to their senses. There’s a greater awareness that employment in mixed economies in Europe is founded on a true valuing of citizens, of community, of shared lives. The deep diseased greed of the corporate beast in America gave birth to the ultimate gangster supremacist in Donald Trump, who exemplifies the worst of America in all ways. Americans are awakening to the opportunity to fulfill the destiny that our founding fathers and mothers projected into the future. All we need be is worthy of taking up their vision and bringing it to fruition.
— Patricia Geary
Yes
Well thought out!
Kathleen Peterson
Exactly. We don't want to live in a economy, we want to live in a Society. That sentiment should be sped far and wide. The President should be shouting that for the People. We need to make that our Motto.
When I was a kid (boomer here) I was brainwashed into the "any job is better than no job" doctrine. My mom, a single mother, drilled into me that when work wants you to do a task, regardless of how distasteful, you just buck up and do it, no complaints (they might fire you). I killed myself for over 35 years in a mind-numbing career. "Do What you Love and the Money Will Follow" didn't happen for boomers, it happened for our kids. And those kids, now adults, parented their kids into the notion that putting up with crap for work needed to be questioned.
The idea of questioning is a new thing. It's the same thing behind Me Too and Black Lives Matter.
And thank goodness for this. I hope to heck that this is real social change.
Totally agree.
Having been out of the active/ traditional workforce since 2013 in order to pursue my third career as a writer, I cannot render any observations from the 2021 trenches, so to speak. However, I find myself both fascinated and pleased with what I've seen in the pandemic-driven labor market despite the fact that labor shortages have contributed to supply chain issues affecting all of us.
Why should men and women break their backs (and/or their brains) in jobs that are slowly killing them? Employers have had the upper hand for a long time, in many cases treating their employees like disposable machines. Wealth has been rising in the upper echelons of corporations for years while the rank-and-file have been been given mere crumbs and told (directly or indirectly) to live with it or go elsewhere.
Now it's becoming a seller's market in many industries and these wealthy companies are finding they have to pony up some of their hoarded wealth to acquire or retain talent. I said good on those employees who've decided to pursue their bliss, either in new jobs, new industries, or early retirement. Eventually (maybe?) employers will catch on that they can't keep treating their employees like so much slave labor.
Right brother, right on!
Boy, have you hit the nail on the head. I absolutely agree with you, Michael.
Unfortunately, big business is now gouging us with price increases. It's not ALL supply chain issues
Much of the cost of todays products is transportation. Since the start of the pandemic, Oil prices have doubled. Everything, from ships that bring our stuff from China, to trucks that bring our stuff from the ports, all cost more to the shipping industry and those prices are reflected in todays retail prices. When they say "Free Shipping", that just means they raised the price of what you are buying to pay for that shipping.
Prof. Reich, I love you and your work due to the ocean-deep love you have for humanity.
One of the root causes of misery, animosity, corruption, wars, etc. is human greed, which can be shown to be *increasing* if sufficient metrics are analyzed over the past 100 years. But why is that so? Why is it on the rise?
IMO, greed (or wants) increases as people are bombarded with ads for things that are not really necessary for *real* human happiness, which is ultimately what every human on the planet is after. It also increases as we see peers, neighbors, relatives, ... acquire newer, more expensive, fancier things, (phones, cars, home improvements, gadgets, ...), so the younger people particularly then strive to do the same. A cycle and culture of consumerism has thus grown over the last 'n' decades and has become the defacto source of perceived happiness.
So, what is happening for whatever reasons, has the potential to break this cycle, which would give capitalism, unending growth, even climate change a much needed break. It might allow millions to see that life can be beautiful without a ton of materialism, and may usher a bright future for humanity. Though, people must be able to see alternate ways of living to lower costs and consumption, otherwise they might go back to the old lifestyles.
I closed my invention and small business in N. CA in 2005 moving to less expensive but equally beautiful living in the Himalayas. The things I have been able to do and explore in this time, and enjoy life to its fullest (not meaning just travel but working for social causes like you) would never have been possible had I continued to chase money.
You don't have to be in your 80s or 90s to come to the realization that life is preciously short, and that if you don't do what you want to do now, you may never. I do believe people have more choices than they're allowed to admit. Capitalism (and all the marketing and advertising that go with it) is based on acquisitiveness -- the doctrine of "more." But that doctrine is no longer working for many people, partly because, as you point out, the structure of our economy has shifted in favor of the privileged and powerful and away from the middle class, so that it's impossible for many to acquire "more" of anything, let alone keep what they had. And partly because that doctrine leaches out of our lives all other values such as family, community, friendship, loyalty, and spiritual fulfillment -- and millions are beginning to notice.
Since - intentionally or unintentionally - you seemingly "suggest" it, the thought crosses my mind: by default, do Americans end up valuing capitalism more highly than democracy amidst the constant harangue of all the commercial brainwash? The Soviets just plastered pictures of their leaders and slogans everywhere. I'll not even bother getting into Pravda & Isvestya - type - news outlets. Capitalism is not democratic any more than communism was, where It shifts a seemingly totalitarian control to the private sector, where the money we spend becomes a surrogate for voting. I know that's a bit over the top, but I'm hoping the point I'm trying to get at comes across.
Americans, Russians, former Soviets, Indians, Chinese, Afghans, N. Koreans... humans everywhere, intrinsically seem to want happiness (deep lasting joy, tranquility as opposed to short-lived excitement), an essential prerequisite of which *is* freedom / democracy.
Capitalism is only *perceived* to be able to provide the capital needed to survive and thrive in today’s societies. Thus, IMO, it would be hard to argue that anyone anywhere would value capitalism over democracy – what good is money without the freedom to be able to use it to live one’s choice of life?
The erosion of democracy is happening for numerous other reasons that are systemic, one of which you allude to (excessive capital, and thus power, going into private hands to distort democracy.) To me, it appears like societies at large get literally *trapped* in their own inherited legislations, popular worldviews and economic systems (and capitalism is one of them).
As a legislative example – IMO, an overwhelming majority of Americans (including many Republicans) would want freedom from the daily gun violence in the U.S. but the overhyped Second Amendment, seen as essential to reining state power – an archaic argument anyways, is statistically and systemically hard to overturn (due to the way constitutional amendments are supposed to work), even if we were to scream to let states legislate their own local gun laws that would allow everyone, including pro-gun folks, greater choices and peace.
Capitalism is another such archaic system that we’re all trapped in. No?
The pandemic has helped to reveal the rotten core of American Political Economy. A nation built on genocide, slavery, theft and rapacious ecosystem exploitation cannot stand. As the edifice crumbles under its own weight and we realize the path we are on leads to catastrophe, it is a hopeful sign that people are turning away from the thin gruel we've been offered for generations. Some, sadly, have turned to fascism, thinking that the solution is to double down on the dysfunctional framework that got us here. I recently had the honor of sitting in on conversations with a group of First Peoples who are returning to their pre-colonial lifeways in growing numbers, and restoring the ecological integrity of their place-based economies. This gives me hope. The US has a narrow window of time to change the road it is on. Meanwhile, the Biden administration approves the Formasa Plastics project expansion in Louisiana, and approves pipelines running through wild rice communities, while continuing to arm the world and support violence across the globe.....As Dorothy warned long ago, the sand in the hourglass is almost gone......
This short podcast proves that it was a good decision to join your substack newsletter, Mr. Reich. Thank you for thus thouhht-provoking start of the weekend.
I hope that the reluctance of many Americans to return to work as itwas before the pandemic is - as you suggest - the beginning of profound social change.
I come from The Netherlands, so I have been spoiled with all these amazing programs like health care for all, unemployment benefits, parental leave, a good pension, etc. Now that I have lived in the US for the last decade or so, I have noticed how stressful the system here is for ordinary Americans. Here, there is always something to worry about. Nobody ever gets any piece of mind, everything is a struggle.
I think it is high time that the state (the federal government, I mean) invests in the people and the common good. As a European, I do not share the distrust of big government that is so rampant here. I believe in paying taxes and actually getting a lot for it in return. I believe in a peaceful, non-armed, well-educated citizenry with equal opportunities for all, enforced and facilitated by the government.
I hope the pressure that these people aply by refusing to go back to work builds up and forces some real and tangible changes.
What brought you to this country? Seriously, why did you leave the Netherlands? After all, you had all "these amazing programs?"
I fell in love with an American.
I used to go to Eindhoven for work - love the Netherlands - a land where everyone speaks five languages, probably due to their history of global trading - after all, who was going to learn Dutch a few centuries ago?
Interesting comment about taxes. I think one thing many readers on site fail to acknowledge is the fact that the middle class in America pays far less taxes than Europeans (or Canadians for that matter). The US currently has the most progressive tax system of all OECD countries, and yet somehow, there is a feeling the top 1% do not pay their fair share. To be sure, stories like Bezos not paying any income tax a few years ago is certainly incendiary, but not typical.
Requiem For The American Dream
I'm a baby boomer who was disillusioned years ago when companies started layoffs to help their profits. I was laid off from 4 different companies. Then pensions disappeared to help company profits. Everything I was told and believed in when I was young died many years ago when corporations started to care only about profits and their stock prices. Since then, I've just tried to survive and I'm still working to get by. At least I didn't go in debt for college.
So, I agree with the comments made here but my "great re-evaluation" happened a long time ago. Now many more are waking up to reality. I hope the important changes everyone mentioned will come to pass. I doubt I will see it in my lifetime.
Thank you Robert for taking the time to more accurately describe what people are thinking today.
my late husband followed the "advice" to work hard and you will be rewarded. He joined the army out of high school at the height of the Vietnam war, he went to a trade school. He worked so hard and instead of a decent retirement he had one year and died and I was left with less because the SS program gave me his amount but took mine away. (we shared his small pension and our 2 SS checks). We did everything right yet his well paying job in the 90s went away and by the time he retired, 20 yrs later he still had not made up for the lost pay. Our house is falling down around our ears, SS is is less than it should be. The only reason there is a tiny pension is he managed to get a job in a union shop for the last 15 yrs of his work life. The thing that really gets me is that people who are better off and younger say we did things wrong and should have "planned" better. Well life happens and when you are barely making ends meet and illness takes over...plans go out the window! Not one of us planned to be laid off every 6 months for years. Life cannot be planned which is why I am glad to see that many are seizing their lives back from the corporate mind sets.
The wealth gap is approximately what it was in France 1789. The only reasons the disenfranchised haven’t rolled out Madame Guillotine are because of TV and professional sports, and cheap beer. It’s similar to the ancient Roman society where dictators kept an angry populace at bay with gladiatorial games. I think Americans are particularly demoralized by the likes of Joe Mancin selling out the BBB plan because of his personal coal interests. Or Sinema with her pharmaceutical interests.
When I heard that people wouldn't be able to buy what they normally buy for the holidays, I thought that maybe people would learn to do without--without the glitz and toys we've been programmed to buy. As hard as times are, especially for those of us at the lower end of the economic scale, it has been an opportunity to evaluate how we live. We no longer choose to be cash cows for the one percent of the one percent. We are considering what we really value. Why should any of us care about the Kardashians or the Royals? Let them live their lives and let us value our own lives. We are not machines; we are a remarkable species on this planet that can do so much to make life livable and enjoyable for all. The one who dies with the most toys, the most money, is not the winner. Everyone who enjoys their life, who loves, who creates, who spreads joy is the winner. It does not require obscene wealth.
We changed xmas this year and every year we have left. We gave just one gift to each family member and now will take a family vacation in January every year. Young people that are trading 'things' for 'experiences' have it right.
I’m a freelance court reporter in Philadelphia, PA and was able to continue working when the pandemic hit. There were a few weeks of uncertain pivoting and ironing out the kinks, but after a couple months I got into the groove of doing everything from home. Is it sometimes a huge pain in the ass? Yes. Do I also realize how much easier it made my life overall? 100%. No more uncomfortable work pants and suit jackets, no more rushing out the door with 30 pounds of equipment to lug through the hot sun or ice-coated streets, no more parking garages, no more finding my way to obscure locations, no more being on the road. I much prefer being at home with all my creature comforts, and who wouldn’t?
Now, I know my situation might be a bit different because I work for myself and can choose my own schedule (which I am very grateful for). I’m not sure if I’ll even *have* to go back to in-person work regularly after this. Fingers crossed.
But despite the overall ease of working from home, I have been taking on a lot less work recently. Most days, I find myself fatigued at the mere thought of work. It’s not only the reality-check of a worldwide pandemic I’m reckoning with, but the four long, hellish years between 2016 and 2020 also. I feel like it’s all beginning to catch up with me. I am under 40 and consider myself a strong and resilient person, but there comes a time when even the best-built car needs a tune-up.
I think the average, middle-class, sensible American is simply beyond exhausted and has been for some time, and I think it’s important at this juncture for us to ration our collective energies carefully. There is a lot of non-occupational work to be done in this country, and we need the majority to be up for it. The fact that so many are at their wits’ end is troubling, but it also whispers hope that things might finally begin to start slowly changing for the better. We have to rely on that optimism and not get downtrodden by crappy employers or the seemingly monolithic, systemic nature of this entire quandary.
Working together and coming together, as we’re doing right here in this discussion, is what we need to do now. I consider all of you, and all likeminded people, my new coworkers. Let’s keep this up. Let’s keep the hive mind alive, the energy high, and the momentum rolling.✊🏼 I’m proud of us.
Many think that their work-contribution to society is not significant or appreciated. They are treated as disposable and easily replaceable by their employer. The phrases from popular songs, “I ain’t gonna do your dirty work no more”, and , “I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more”, come to mind. Once we have enough to get by, our freedom is more important than having more (unnecessary) stuff.
People are willing to dedicate themselves to a worthy cause; they are not willing to be disrespected and disregarded.
Don't forget the song, 'Take This Job and Shove It"
I don’t like the implication of that phrase regarding a legitimate body part. Let’s be kind to each other.
The pandemic gave people a legitimate fear of dying because of the behavior exhibited by republicans (almost exclusively). Workers making $9/hr have been assaulted by mask holes just for asking them to comply with safety regulations. . There’s a point for people where, it just isn’t worth it anymore.
People are seeing what is really important and that it is ok to expect a living wage and safe environment.
There is a social revolution picking up steam. The republican party is fascist and authoritarian. Yet, we’ve seen a couple republican groups come out against the rt wing funded Retrumpliscums. Lincoln Project and Republican Accountability Project are 2 that come to mind. It’s a good sign. That is being combined with fury on social networks at lack of immediate action against Trump and those at the top inciting deadly attempted coup. We are fed up and the rumbling is certainly being monitored. Good. There are far more of us and they know this. Only Trump’s tight clan thinks the world is cheering him on.
The money is clearly there to give Americans a better life. Fighting the obvious media lies is the biggest challenge but we’ve had enough.
yes to all of this. I keep picturing the meme with the leadership of a few on an outcropping on a mountain and the masses who are holding it in place. The cryptic message is that "you have held the power all this time". If nothing else the good that may have come from the pandemic and the evil of the former administration is that we have seen our shackles and found we hold the keys.
Kay, you are gonna want to hear this or read it: The untapped force of "Everybody-all-at Once https://www.nottwoispeace.org/excerpt-everybody-all-at-once/
First off, thank you Mr. Reich for starting this forum. If you decided not to post daily, I would miss it.
Also to the responders, it's heartening to see evidence of lucid thoughts expressed with logic and syntax. Those last two are becoming so rare as to qualify as a super-power.
As to the issue, it's wonderful, isn't it? The average person has had time to self-reflect. Life is short and your feet are not as fully planted on this side of the grave as you assumed.
The average has been forced for decades to make due with an income that's mathematically impossible to do it with. This in the face of the wealthy, however you want to define that, legally indemnified from paying taxes, sometimes getting a rebate.
The laundry list of complaints is a long one but you know what it is.
Maybe I'm wrong, and usually am, but I'm getting a whiff of Feudalism in the air. In fact, it's a bit worse than that. At least in feudalism, the Lord would have to pay for your clothing, tools and housing. Currently, that's your problem.
I'll end with a George Carlin quote, because his words are very quotable.
"It's called The American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it."
Loved the quote, had never heard it, that’s why I love reading these comments!!!
check out the whole routine. Carlin was way ahead of his time....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-54c0IdxZWc
Well said as always! I concur wholeheartedly. Another tangential notion that may warrant further exploration is the rise in multigenerational households and the financial backstop it provides, allowing one the opportunity to pursue better opportunities, even if briefly unemployed. As young families leaned heavily on grandparents for childcare during the pandemic, perhaps the allure of multigenerational households has increased, thereby affording individuals more financial freedom to insist on better pay and better working conditions.
I really do think this has something to do with people's decision to stay out of the "slaver" market. A grandparent, probably with social security income, moving into the home of one of his/her children and contributing help, day-care help, and money to the multigenerational household can make that decision even easier.
That’s a good point. People are simplifying life. I did recently with a big move and down-sizing out of the family home. It’s actually a step in the right direction. So many people are reducing waste and making personal changes. But fighting propaganda is extremely difficult and holds us back from progress we so desperately need.
what I am doing. hoping my married adult son and his wife will join me, my younger son who wants to write for a living is in board. I sell here and buy outright in a different state with lower prices. I intend to use my one asset to build generational wealth and not just benefit me by being mortgage free.
I dearly hope we ARE in a social revolution. For the last fifty years the workers of America have suffered with low wages, increasingly low benefits and now in many cases, none. Republican run states have been particularly cruel, declining to even help their working poor with assistance for medical or other issues. In my own case, and I am not on the bottom, I worked very very hard on my own to try to move toward better paying work, took myself to college, and later got a masters degree and psychotherapy license Well for my decision to be a public servant, social worker being over worked with over 30 very seriously mentally ill children and families at a time, and on the brink of diabetes from stress and long work hours, no overtime pay, no pay for extra time starting up new programs and driving all over to home visits, I had to get out or my health was collapsing. I tried to do private practice with a psychiatrist only to have half my income taken for the privilege of getting an office to add to his $500. I now am 70 with the burden of a student loan to be paid off at age 80 not eligible for forgiveness. The cards became increasingly stacked against those on the bottom trying to move up. The fact that the trend for workers over this time has been to pay the supervisor class much more and give them more benefits at the cost of the lower end of the working folk has destroyed the American dream for many. There is little compassion for those at the bottom and often, contempt. As those eating out at expensive restaurants four days a week toss change to those serving them, we need to remember that Ronald Reagan and the Republicans instituted the tax on tips, the taxes on Social Security for seniors who often have only that as a 'pension' and enacted corporate and business tax loopholes and benefits ad nauseum. At some point people ask themselves, is this worth it? Is it worth my working myself to death when I will NEVER reap the benefit of my labor because it is valued so little? At some point, you have say enough...if I return to work, I will pay much higher loan payments, cancelling any benefit, along with higher taxes. The cost of living has gone way up and the wages have been kept low. People have given up a lot of family life for working in jobs that just don't give them much. I shudder when I think that women have to leave little infants to go back to work when they should be able to have time for bonding - France gives two years for families to bond because they know the benefit of good emotional bonding and brain development in infants. We have shattered our connections so much in this country in the pressure of having to survive in a class ridden, racist, and misogynistic environment. We are so behind other developed countries. I am now lower middle class, no chance to get to middle middle, and if nothing changes, moving toward lower class in my old age. We are faced now with possibly moving to find an affordable area. How many boomers are there like me? How many younger workers are just fed up with bad working conditions such as the insane meat industry, agriculture, and service work that grind people into numb slave labor? I hope they do speak out and we have more strikes, and can restore some of the balance in working that once was a goal in our country. Too much greed at the top, too little compassion and fairness. Who was it that said a fair day's wage for a fair day's work? Ain't happening here. Maybe the crisis of Covid will bring more equity, and as we also have to address climate change...newer cleaner industries, enlightened farming and animal husbandry, it's a dream. Wish it could come true.
Thank you for writing your story. It resembles my own in its essentials but, well, we're also two different people. I was educated to be a university professor and for two short years in my work life, I fulfilled that dream. I got a non-tenure track at a top university and made the most of my opportunity, of course with the hope I could win a tenure-track appointment. Didn't happen. I convinced myself that I could carry on and write and publish my way into an appointment but all I ended up doing was publish and perish, the perish-part being the many years I spent in retail in which I was always one of the dispensable, threatened, undervalued people who made up the real workers and ended up discarded if they did not serve. (The ones who stuck around were the do-nothing managers and the ceos, one of whom garnered $54 million for his last year of full-time "service".) It is my hope that those in government start paying attention to the people who got them there and doing their jobs, the most important of which is serving the needs and wants of the people who try to live in this country. What we need are people who are committed to the Constitution, the rule of law, the values and norms of the country, and the health, safety, and security of all people in the country. We do not need law makers who view their own private wealth and power and interests as paramount and the concerns of the voters as way, way down the list. My family was never much more than lower-middle class but we never gave up our hope for better days in the future. That's basically what I have left, that and the hope that the politicians in power will not increase the burdens that I bear as a member of the lower class.