class
Troubling the social order (John 13:1-17, 31b-35)
Jesus seems to encourage a kind of musical chairs, no one staying put for very long.
Strategic racism benefits only the wealthiest and most powerful
“If racism is a class weapon, then ending racism is in the self-interest of nearly every American.”
Amy Frykholm interviews Ian Haney López
Am I middle class? I don't feel rich.
The recent conversation around University of Michigan student Jesse Klein’s column on being middle class has been fascinating. Klein’s family makes $250k a year and lives in a $2 million house. But it’s not an enormo-house, because that’s $2 million in Silicon Valley.
What does "middle class" mean?
Dionne Searcey and Robert Gebeloff do a nice job crunching some numbers on what sorts of people are part of the middle class, and how they’re doing (the short version: not great). This caveat of theirs, however, is an important one.
Sad rich-but-not-superrich people in the WSJ
This graphic from the Wall Street Journal is amazing.
The article does point out that tax increases coming out of the fiscal-cliff deal will affect all workers—because of the end of the payroll tax holiday—not just those whose taxes on wage income and investments are going up. But the graphic sticks with the six-figure folks, all drawn to look rather put upon.
Defining the middle: The rhetoric and reality of class
What does "middle class" mean if it somehow applies to most of the country? And if we are all middle class now, what are the implications?
More on the middle class and framing
I posted recently about how the rhetorical category “the middle class” seems to keep growing (even as the actual middle class is shrinking). Then I read Jon Ronson’s article in this month’s GQ. Ronson profiles six people—actually, five individuals and one family—who represent different spots on the U.S. income scale, giving a glimpse of “how to live on $____ a week.”
It’s a solid premise, and Ronson approaches his subjects with empathy and a dose of righteous indignation. But I was startled by his methodology.
Populism's bad guys
Drew Westen is right: Obama would do well to name the villains in the economic story he tells the American people. But the villains aren't individuals; they're powers and principalities.