The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth…

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So, there’s a new book out. Written from the Conservative point of view. “Coming Apart” by Charles Murray.  He asserts that we are dividing into a two-caste society.  (I don’t disagree- it’s between the rich and not-rich, the educated and the dropout, and still between the White and the non-White.   This latter is critical, since it seems that Murray chose his data for the White class.)

He discusses the difference between the educated upper tribe (about 20% of the US) and the lowest tribe (30% of the US).  And, ascribes this difference to the fact that less than 7% of upper tribe are born out of wedlock, while 45% of the lower tribe denizens were.  And, virtually 100% of the upper tribe is working, while the lower tribe have folks not even looking for work.  But, as a clear and blaring example of this frivolity of this analysis- do you consider Mitt Romney to be working?  Or, is he just collecting coupons- you know, that dreaded “carried interest” that affords him a 15% tax rate, instead of the non-loophole choice of 39%.

And, if we bring in the political parties… (Oh, come on, it’s a fun day- let’s do it.)  The Republicans would have us believe that decadent folks like me want to corrupt you- good Americans, who love G0d, country, and tradition.  (The problem is that I do love G0d and county and abhor the traditions where they use them to divide us, to oppress Blacks, and to manipulate the tax system to favor the rich.)  The Democrats vilify the financial elite, who are more than the dreaded 1%, but the top 5%- which includes almost every Democratic politician in office- in other words, themselves.

You see, America is now the place where wealth and social class is inherited.  (What- you though that only India had “Untouchables”?)  Unless the family gets divorced.  You remember my discussion of the Pew Report in October.  The study discussed that men and women who failed to complete college were bound to be downwardly mobile.  (By   the way, what will Santorum do with these facts???)  And, being married helps to avoid the worst economic changes.  Which also explains the current demographic- the Great Recession and the rapid devaluing of home prices that has rendered most unhappy couples unable to divorce- since they lack the means to hire an attorney and the finances to withstand the divorce.

By the way, the lower 30% of White folks  between the ages of 30 and 49 have seen their marriage rate drop from 70% to 49%.  While the marriage rate has held steady in that same period (since 1984) at around 84%.  And, as discussed above, the failure of the marriage (or not becoming married) is among the largest discriminator between upper and lower echelons.

And, Murray omits other very important facts.  Let’s start with the change in teenage pregnancy.  Since 1990, the numbers have dropped- a lot.  Now, don’t get excited, yet.  The number can drop due to the practice of abstinence, the use of contraceptives, the use of abortion, or a drop in frequency.  (I know it only takes one time to get pregnant, but even the mathematically challenged understand that the more one participates, the greater the chances.).    And, the numbers say— it’s the use of contraceptives and the decrease in frequency.  Abstinence has not increased (the survey says) and neither has abortion.   So, it means those out of wedlock figures are going to change dramatically.  (Unless, of course, the Republicans do, indeed, manage to remove contraception from among our choices.)

And, more and more women (not children) are now electing to have a child- even if they have not found (or are not looking) for that special someone. Of course, if the Conservatives persist in outlawing marriage among gay couples, there will be a new cause to “out of wedlock” births- as they adopt or conceive children via artificial means.  (I am not including the other Conservative push to outlaw the adoption of children by gay couples.)

The data seems to indicate that communities are a vital part of this issue.   The only way social disorganization can be reversed is with capital- both financial and social.  Because folks need both need social context and financial wherewithall to enable responsibility.

Instead of reading Murray’s tome, maybe you should check out this older book- “When Work Disappears:  The New World of the Urban Poor” by William J. Wilson.  Wilson predicted the social disruption that would occur due to the lack of blue collar jobs in urban areas; then it was the Blacks, now it’s for the working class Whites.

So, when all is said and done, we are left with another bit of confusion between causation and correlation.  The changes in the working class- Black and White- is the consequence of the sharply rising divide between the rich and the poor, not its cause.

Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

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20 thoughts on “The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth…”

  1. I don’t even know what to say here, Roy. Other than I would love to have been born in this white upper-class people seem to think all white people exist in. Excellent post with a lot of things to think about!

  2. I worked at a Prep school in NYC for five years. All the kids came from very wealthy, if not well known-wealthy, families. They had an extremely progressive and rich education/curriculum. A lot of them were snotty, stupid kids…but, they were being bred for the upper tiers. They all went onto college (the few who didn’t went on “trips” to do who knows what before they came back to go to school) and all the schools were the top Ivy League schools.

    So…were these kids all born smarter/more intelligent/more inquisitive/more “ruthless”? Nah…

    We have shit for brains in the NYC school system simply because they create the lower class, foster it and nurture the non-thinkers. Some who are brilliant will work themselves out of it. Others won’t get the chance.
    Stuart Nager recently posted..The Chosen Along The Road

  3. Wow, great social comment Roy. I won’t bother with this book after your review, but the Wilson books sounds interesting.

    The social divide is also growing here in Australia and it is a worrying trend, although I’m not sure what the answer is. The two major political parties here haven’t much to differentiate them. They grow closer together as the social divide grows larger.

    Madonna
    Madonna recently posted..Glass Half Empty

    1. I have noticed that the parties in the US- and Britain, and Australia, and pretty much everywhere are now beholden to the corporate interests, Madonna. They may claim differently but those dollars they provide are influencing their choices. Notice that in the US, BOTH parties are now clamoring for a reduction in corporate tax rates. And, both parties are asking for PAC money.

      Thanks for the comments, Madonna.

  4. Your writing makes one think. I see the classes of people changing the minority is becoming the majority. The oppressed are becoming the oppressors. All is changing and learning to live with the change is important for all people.
    Shawn recently posted..Secrets to a Happy Marriage

    1. Oh, that the oppressed would have the capability, Shawn. If that were true, the data would not demonstrate that the rich have been getting richer at the expense of the poorer for more than a quarter century now. But, we do need to learn to live with change- and effect change for the better.

  5. I wonder why this book was actually published? What was the agenda behind it. Over 20 years ago, we knew that 10% of the population were needed to meet the primary needs of all people. We then had 60% of the population employed to control, entertain, train and entertain the population And we had 20% too old or too young to work. Leaving the last 10% unemployed or underemployed. So tell me Roy, why is it the menial jobs that no one wants to do. I met a Philipino cleaner the other day with a Bachelors degree in Computer science. My taxi driver last week held a Masters degree in chemistry. My friend holds a PHD in chemistry and runs a chocolate business. Is education the answer? I think too often books like this one can be very dangerous because they show such a narrow picture.
    Roberta recently posted..Test and Measure for Success

    1. This book was written to change the discussion from the 1% to try to show that it’s the fault of the 99% that they are not on top. Of course, his argument is diametrically opposed to that espoused by Rick Santorum… Which leads to another blog post I have in my queue…

      (Did it sound circular, Roberta? That’s the kind of logic that seems to be spewing from this branch of ‘thought’ nowadays…)

      Roy

        1. Roberta:
          It is convenient for those in the upper ranks to blame the lower echelon for their plight. Hence, books like Murray’s….
          I agree with you- but wish for a virtual billy club on occasion to knock some sense (or reality) into certain folks….

  6. A great follow up read might be The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. He talks about how our culture and other factors go into our ultimate success. The culture of the lower class dictates that parents don’t do a lot to raise their children where as the culture of the upper class is very involved in their child rearing and encourage their children to ask questions, think about various situations, etc… Quite fascinating.
    Nicole Bandes recently posted..The Benefit to Procrastinating

    1. I am not sure I buy that thesis, Nicole. My parents were probably lower middle class (primarily because they owned a home) when I was little. Many of my friends had both parents working- and that was in the 50’s- because it was necessary to help their kids get the best chances.
      I understand the exhaustion that pervades in families when every purchase is a mountain to climb and the time home from work is not one wants to spend coaching children- but it’s done. And, those children so afforded that “extra”, benefit extraordinarily.

      roy

  7. The changes in the working class–Black and White–is the consequence of the sharply rising divide between the rich and the poor, not it’s cause.

    Do you mean that the changes are the result of the divide. The changes haven’t caused the divide?

    Where do all the middle working class people who have suddenly lost their jobs, homes and lifestyles fit in these two remarks?
    Ann recently posted..The Five Part Skeleton of a Business Blog

    1. Ann:
      America is beginning to own up to its own social/class warfare. Where the rich insure they stay that way at the expense of the poor. That is not the myth of capitalism- where the business owner becomes wealthy and shares some with his employees. That myth was shattered when we saw companies “reward” their CEO’s with pay ranging from 50 to 250 times the average pay rate at the firm- and the profits of the firm were not material to that benefit. When Hedge Fund managers were rewarded with wealth to swindle millions out of their money.
      The other issue is the damage that divorce does to the middle class. it is an unintended circumstance that resulted from our choice to end marriages much easier than previous generations. Children from divorced families are routinely subjected to downward migration.
      These are the issues that need to be addressed. But, given the proclivities of our government- for which both parties seem to be beholden to corporate coffers and wishes- that is not likely to occur soon.

      Roy

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