Note: Page numbers followed by t refer to tables.
abortion, 115
Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), 13, 100
African-Americans
discrimination against (see racism)
in presidential election of 2016, 110
as social conservatives, 111, 112
work ethic and family values of, 62
in working class (see black working class)
alienation, among white working class, 4, 129
“All in the Family” (television show), 2
ambit of responsibility, 68–69, 71, 130
American Federation of Teachers, 126
Ammerman, Colleen, 81
AMTEC (Automotive Technical Education Collaborative), 88
anger, in presidential election of 2016, 3, 6
Arizona State University (ASU), 86
aspiration, family values as, 40–41
ASU (Arizona State University), 86
authoritarian nationalism, 4
automation, 83
Automotive Technical Education Collaborative (AMTEC), 88
avant-garde, elite embrace of, 32, 110
Bettie, Julie, 60
bias. See also racism; sexism
tightrope, 79
liberals’ connection to, 111
moral traits valued by, 16–17, 18t, 111
on structural inequality, 23, 111
women in, 77
Blair-Loy, Mary, 37
blue-collar workers
permanent decline of jobs for, 44, 83
resentment of professionals among, 30
sexism among, 75
technical expertise of, 30
Boeing, 89
Bourdieu, Pierre, 43
breadwinners, men as, 76, 78, 80, 91, 92
capital, cultural, 28
caste system, college as perpetuating, 46–47
Center for Manufacturing Technology Excellence, 88
character, working-class emphasis on, 31, 33
charitable giving, 39
Chicago, Democratic convention of 1968 in, 123
shortage of options for, 15, 23, 75–76
by working-class vs. elite men, 80
children
born outside marriage, 41
cousins in social lives of, 40
of other families, working class caring for, 39
parenting approaches to, 53–57
civil liberties, 116
civil rights legislation, 122–123
class. See also elites; middle class; poor, the; working class
as cultural tradition, 12
definitions and use of terms for, 9–12
education as proxy for, 12, 43
shared language for, lack of, 11
class cluelessness
among politicians, 12, 73, 121–122
class comprehension gap, 4
class condescension, 6, 67, 130
class conflict
in abortion debate, 115
in working-class resentment of the poor, 13
class consciousness
history of, 2
self-employment as expression of, 26
class culture gap
class migrants’ experience of, 50–51
class migrants
on admiration of the rich, 26
ambivalence of, 33
college experience of, 47, 51–52, 111–112
family relationships of, 29, 36, 50–51, 111–112
on fears of Trump supporters, 65
class privilege
displays of, 31
and gender in hiring, 55
and racism, 63
climate change, 116
Clinton, Hillary
arguments against Trump, 77, 78–79
on “deplorables,” 68
educational level of supporters of, 12
Trump’s threats to jail, 106
white working class in coalition of, 125
and working-class women, 75, 77
coalitions
evolution of, 111–113, 122–125
family as metaphor for, 112–113, 131
interracial, 59–60, 71–72, 131
coffee, class structure of, 27
for class migrants, 47, 51–52, 111–112
debt in, 49
in definition of elites, 10
elite vs. working-class views on necessity of, 43–45, 86
jobs for class migrants, 45–46
and middle-skill jobs, 84
value of, to working class, 45–46, 49–50, 86
community, working-class ties to, 36, 38–40
community colleges, 88
condescension, class, 6, 67, 130
conservatives
and industrial policy, 84
negative attitudes toward government encouraged by, 100, 101
range of sexualities embraced by, 32–33
unions opposed by, 26
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 103, 105
Cooper, Marianne, 38
Cooperative Extension Service, 102
Corbett, Rachel, 44
corporations
on government regulation, 103–104
negative public opinion on, 102–103
cross-racial coalitions, 59–60, 71–72, 131
Crow, Michael, 86
cultural capital, 28
cultural traditions, class as, 12. See also folkways
cultural voting, 122
culture gap, class. See class culture gap
Dawkins, Richard, 28
debt, college, 49
democracy, political polarization as threat to, 3–4, 130
Democratic Party
African-Americans’ connection to, 111
class cluelessness in, 111, 121–122
cross-racial coalitions in, 59
evolution of coalition of, 122–125
policy recommendations for, 114–119
vs. Republican Party, connection with working class, 121–127
strategies for connecting with working class, 109–119
on trade policy, 114
Dempsey, Rachel, What Works for Women at Work, 79
dependability, as working-class value, 33
“deplorables,” 68
despair, among white working class, 4
dignity
of professional elite, 31
of working class, 5, 22, 91–92
disability benefits, 21–22, 98–99
discrimination. See racism; sexism
disruption, 20
divorce rates, 76
doctors
potential use of technology, 94
working-class resentment of, 25, 26
work devotion of, 37
domestic violence, 81
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), 104–105
economic justice, interracial coalition for, 60, 71–72, 131
economic stability, government role in, 101, 102
educational levels, 43–52. See also college education; high school education
in definition of elites, 10
in presidential election of 2016, 12
education-to-employment system, 86–88
EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit), 104–105
elderly, poverty rates among, 102
elections. See presidential election; primary elections of 2016
elites. See also professional elites; rich, the
approach to the poor vs. working class, 4, 5
class cluelessness among, rise of, 2–4, 130
on college, necessity of, 43–45, 86
definition and use of term, 10
family of (see families, elite)
folkways of, 12, 33–34, 36, 45
parenting approaches of, 54–57
racism among (see racism)
values of (see values)
women (see women, elite)
working-class resentment of, 25–34
Ely, Robin, 81
emergency medical technicians (EMTs), 80
EMTs (emergency medical technicians), 80
energy refugees, 103
entrepreneurial networks, 29
environmental policy, 116
equality
structural nature of inequality, 23, 111
ethics. See morality; values; work ethic
Europe, class culture gap in, 122
families, elite
nonfamily priorities in, 54
parenting approaches in, 54–57
and relocation for jobs, 36–37, 41
families, working-class
of class migrants, 29, 36, 50–51, 111–112
parenting approaches in, 53–57
in resistance to relocation, 36, 39–41
social lives built around, 40
family, as metaphor for coalitions, 112–113, 131
family values, of working class
in cultural voting, 122
meaning of, 31
and racism, 62
fears, of Trump supporters, 65–66
Federal Trade Commission, 101–102
feeling rules, 67
FiveThirtyEight (website), 11–12
folkways
definition of, 12
of white working class, 12, 70
food
Food and Drug Administration, 101
Forging Rivals (Schiller), 59
Frank, Thomas, What’s the Matter with Kansas, 124
Freedom Budget, 72
free trade, 114
Friel, Edward, Jr., 78
gender
in hiring decisions, 55
meaning in working-class context, 74, 77
gender bias, 79. See also sexism
gender equality
working-class men’s views on, 80–81
working-class women’s views on, 74, 76, 77
gender roles, shifting attitudes toward, 81
geographic mobility
Germany
blue-collar jobs in, 94
globalization, 83
Golden Triangle Link, 88
good men, 78
government, negative attitudes toward, 100–107
government benefits, 97–107. See also subsidies
gaps in public understanding of, 97–101
how to improve public understanding of, 101–107
working-class views on, 21–23, 100, 124
Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck), 2
hard-living families, 14, 17–19, 62, 63
hard work, value of, 17, 18t, 20, 66
Harris, Angela, 130
Head Start, 14
health care
helicopter parenting, 57
higher education. See college education
high school education
as indicator of Trump support, 12
vocational training in, 85
Hillbilly Elegy (Vance), 14, 17–21, 29, 45, 106
Hochschild, Arlie
on dinner parties, 28
on family ties, 40
on hostility to government, 101
on importance of jobs, 124
on regulatory capture, 103
on whites’ sense of loss, 67–70
on working-class women, 74, 75, 77–78
home health care aides, 93
home mortgage interest deduction, 100
home ownership, 102
honor. See social honor
Human Rights Campaign, 110
human rights issues, 113
identity
of professional elites, role of work in, 37–38
of working class, role of family in, 39–40, 75
identity politics, 6
immigrants
Latino views on undocumented, 110–111
in rural areas, 66
Trump’s rhetoric on, 64
white working-class views on, 66–67
implicit association test, 60–61, 117
income
of college graduates, 45, 49, 86
of high school graduates, 45, 49, 91
as measure of masculinity, 91
of the poor, 11
universal basic, 84
independence, of nonelite children, 56
inequality. See equality
Inglis, Robert, 100
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 87
international trade policy, 114
interracial coalitions, 59–60, 71–72, 131
irony, vs. sincerity, as class divide, 30
“It Gets Better” Project, 105
jobs. See also specific types
challenges and demands of working class, 14–15
vs. character, in working-class values, 31
elite devotion to, 37–38, 57, 77
future of working-class, 93–95
gender in hiring for, 55
in identity of professional elites, 37–38
questions about, as elite icebreaker, 31
race in hiring for, 61
for working-class college graduates, 45–46
justice, economic, interracial coalition for, 60, 71–72, 131
Justice Department, 117
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 60, 71–72
labor unions. See unions
Lamont, Michèle
on admiration of the rich, 26
on class migrants, 51
on values of immigrants, 66
on values of working class, 17, 17n, 19, 31, 111
Lareau, Annette
on family in social lives, 40
on resentment of professional elites, 25–26
Unequal Childhoods, 53
Lathan, Brenda, 88
Latinos
in presidential election of 2016, 110
lawyers
role of class in hiring of, 46, 55
role of gender in hiring of, 55
working-class resentment of, 25
learning disabilities, 48
Lee, Richard, 61
liberals
ambit of responsibility of, 69
on necessity of college, 84
patriotism among, 106
policy recommendations for, 114–119
strategies for connecting with working class, 109–119
on ubiquity of racism, 61
likeability, of women vs. men, 79
low-income families. See poor, the
manliness. See masculinity
manufacturing jobs
future of, 94
middle-level skills needed for, 84–85
children born outside of, 41
decline in, 41
“Married . . . With Children” (television show), 2
masculinity
among professional elites, 38
among working class, 80, 91–92
McCorkell, Lisa, 22
McGovern, George, 123
means-tested government benefits, 21–22
media market, class in segmentation of, 27
men. See also masculinity
as breadwinners, 76, 78, 80, 91, 92
child care participation by, 80
likeability as optional for, 79
real vs. good, 78
merit, 6
racism in assessments of, 61, 63
The Submerged State, 98
Microsoft, 94
middle class
definitions and use of term, 9–10
self-identification as, 9
subsidies for, 100
middle-skill jobs, 84
migrants, class. See class migrants
minimum wage, 127
minorities. See people of color; specific groups
misogyny, 131
Mississippi, Golden Triangle Link in, 88
MIT Task Force on Production in the Innovation Economy, 85
mobility, geographic
morality. See also values
black working class on, 16–17, 18t, 111
racism in assessments of, 61, 63
white working class on, 16–17, 18t, 111
mortgage interest deduction, 100
Muslim registry, 116
“Mythology of Trump’s Working Class Support, The” (Silver), 11
National Electrical Contractors Association, 87
National Institutes of Health, 102
nationalism, authoritarian, 4
National Science Foundation, 102
natural growth, ideology of, 53–54
networks. See also social networks
entrepreneurial, 29
New Deal, 122
New York Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, 93
norms
antiracism, 61
avant-garde, 32
sympathy, 67
novelty, elites’ embrace of, 27–28
nursing jobs, 93
Obama, Barack
approval ratings of, 64
and class culture gap, 121–122
educational level of supporters of, 12
stimulus program of, 98
student loans under, 105
trade policy of, 114
Obamacare (Affordable Care Act), 13, 100
online college classes, 86
parenting, 53–57. See also families
working-class approaches to, 53–57
Paul, Joel, 114
People for the American Way, 2
people of color. See also specific groups
discrimination against (see racism)
false choice between white working class and, 71, 109–110, 130–131
in presidential election of 2016, 110
Phillips, Frank, 114
pink-collar workers
women as, 74
plumbers, 95
PME (professional-managerial elite), 10. See also professional elites
polarization, political, 3–4, 130
policing
at Democratic convention of 1968, 123
political correctness, opposition to, 4, 64, 71, 78, 110, 129
political parties. See Democratic Party; Republican Party
politicians
class cluelessness among, 12, 73, 121–122
likeability of, 79
politics
poor, the
definition and use of term, 11
geographic mobility of, 37, 41
government benefits for, 21–23, 100, 101, 124
income of, 11
parenting approaches of, 53–54
“working class” as euphemism for, 11
working-class resentment of, 13–23
poverty rates
among elderly, 102
pregnancy
outside marriage, 41
teenage, 40
presidential election of 1968, 123
presidential election of 1972, 123
presidential election of 2008, 121
presidential election of 2012, 110
presidential election of 2016. See also Clinton, Hillary; Trump, Donald
African-American voters in, 110
anger of white working class in, 3, 6
educational level of voters in, 12
Latino voters in, 110
median income of voters in, 11
poor voters in, 11
working-class women voters in, 75, 77
primary elections of 2016
median income of voters in, 11
poor voters in, 11
professional elites
on college, necessity of, 43–45, 86
definition and use of term, 10
geographic mobility of, 36–38, 41
income of, 91
parenting approaches of, 54–57
social codes of, 45
stay-at-home motherhood among, 76–77
values of (see values)
work devotion among, 37–38, 57, 77
working-class resentment of, 25–34
professional-managerial elite (PME), definition and use of term, 10. See also professional elites
progressive coalition, 111–113. See also liberals
Protestant work ethic, 37
prove-it-again bias, 62, 71, 79
public housing subsidies, 100
public opinion
on government benefits, gaps in, 97–101
on government benefits, how to improve, 101–107
on role of government, 100–102
public safety, government role in, 101
in assessments of morality and merit, 61
class differences in expressions of, 61–63
elite displacement of blame for, 60–61, 63
in elite hiring decisions, 61
in elite wages-of-whiteness strategy, 59–60
explicit, 62
false choice between white working class and, 71, 130–131
among professional elites, 61–62, 63
in Trump’s rhetoric, 59–60, 63–64
whites’ sense of loss and, 67–70
working-class embrace of as a way of expressing class anger, 64
rape, in military, 119
real men, 78
redneck stereotypes, 52
regulation, government, 103–104
regulatory capture, 103
religion
work as, 38
working-class embrace of, reasons for, 20–21, 69
Republican Party
appeal to white working class, 124–125
class cluelessness in, 122
vs. Democratic Party, connection with working class, 121–127
on government role in poverty, 101
low-income supporters of, 11
resentment, working-class
of African-Americans, 67
responsibility
changes to ambit of, 68–69, 71, 130
as working-class value, 17, 18t, 19
rich, the
tax cuts for, 124
working-class admiration for, 26
Richards, Ben, 64
Rivera, Lauren, 46
rural areas
as education deserts, 48
health care in, 94
immigrants in, 66
traditional values in, 31
safety, government role in, 101–102
safety nets, social
of elites, 21
of working class, 20–21, 39–40
Schiller, Reuel, Forging Rivals, 59
Seattle, manufacturing in, 89
Section 8 public housing subsidies, 100
self-actualization, 18t, 30, 34, 115
self-discipline, 14, 16–17, 20
self-employment, 26
self-interest, of working-class women, 74
self-worth, merit vs. morality in, 16–17
service jobs, networked, 93–94
Sessions, Jeff, 110
settled-living families, 17–19, 62, 63
in blue-collar jobs, 75
elite displacement of blame for, 82
in elite jobs, 55
embrace of as a way of expressing class anger, 131
among working-class men, 78–82
sexual harassment, in blue-collar jobs, 75
sexualities, elite comfort with range of, 32–33
Sherman, Jennifer
on community ties, 39
on disability benefits, 98
on fears in rural areas, 66
on gender roles, 81
on government benefits, 22
on working-class moral values, 20, 31–32
Silver, Nate, 11
“Simpsons, The” (television show), 2–3
sincerity, vs. irony, as class divide, 30
slavery, responsibility for ending, 68–69
small businesses
government regulation of, 103
and immigration policy, 115
social class. See class
social codes, of professional elites, 45
social conservatives, African-Americans as, 111, 112
social equality, 4, 71–72, 130
social history curriculum, 106
social honor
elite vs. working-class approach to, 28, 33, 39–40, 77
social networks
social programs. See government benefits
social safety nets
of elites, 21
of working class, 20–21, 39–40
sophistication, elite displays of, 28–29
southern whites
stereotypes of, 52
spirituality, 27
Springsteen, Bruce, 3
stability, as working-class value, 20, 28, 33, 36–37, 80
Starbucks, 27
Steinbeck, John, Grapes of Wrath, 2
stereotypes
of southern whites, 52
of women, 79
stimulus program, 98
Stone, Pamela, 81
Strangers in Their Own Land (Hochschild), 28
structural inequality, 23, 111
Submerged State, The (Mettler), 98
subsidies
lack of public understanding of, 98
for middle class, 100
through tax expenditures, 100, 105
Supreme Court, U.S., on marriage equality, 32–33
sympathy, norms of, 67
Tablet Pilot, 93
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), 22, 23, 98, 105
Task Force on Production in the Innovation Economy, MIT, 85
taxes
on the rich, cuts to, 124
social programs funded by, 13
subsidies through deductions and exemptions in, 100, 105
in trade policy, 114
taxi drivers vs. Uber drivers in San Francisco, 125
teachers
Trump support among, 126
working-class resentment of, 25–26
Tea Party
government benefits opposed by, 21
hostility to government in, 101
on importance of jobs, 124
on regulatory capture, 103
women in, 74
technology, in future of working-class jobs, 93–94
teenage pregnancy, 40
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), 22, 23, 98, 105
tightrope bias, 79
Tilcsik, András, 46
trade policy, 114
traditional values, 18t. See also family values
gender in, 80
of immigrants, 66
meaning of, 31
role in in working-class resentment of elites, 31–33
“trailer trash,” 52
Trump, Donald
Clinton’s arguments against, 77, 78–79
educational level of supporters of, 12
on jailing Clinton, 106
median income of supporters of, 11
and police violence, 118
racism among supporters of, 63–65
racist rhetoric of, 59–60, 63–64
sexism among supporters of, 78–82
union members’ support for, 126–127
working-class women supporting, 75, 77
truths, elite vs. working-class, 12, 34, 130
Uber drivers vs. taxi drivers in San Francisco, 125
Unequal Childhoods (Lareau), 53
unions
decline of political impact of, 126–127
in education-to-employment system, 87
working-class distrust of, 2, 26, 124
universal basic income, 84
values. See also family values; traditional values
of immigrants, 66
values, of elites
list of common, 18t
merit vs. morality as, 16–17, 63
range of sexualities in, 32–33
values, of working class, 16–20
morality vs. merit as, 16–17, 63
in resentment of elites, 31–33
in resentment of the poor, 16–20
shared by blacks and whites, 16–17, 18t, 111
shared by immigrants, 66
values voters, Latinos as, 110–111
Vance, J. D., Hillbilly Elegy, 14, 17–21, 29, 45, 106
violence
domestic, 81
vocational training, 85
wages. See income
wages-of-whiteness strategy, 59–60
wealthy elites
tax cuts for, 124
working-class admiration for, 26
welfare system
cheating in, 21
under Bill Clinton, 23
vs. disability, government spending on, 98
What’s the Matter with Kansas (Frank), 124
What Works for Women at Work (Williams and Dempsey), 79
white privilege, in white working class, 70
admiration of the rich among, 26
Democratic vs. Republican connection with, 121–127
mobility of (see geographic mobility)
moral traits valued by, 16–17, 18t, 111 (see also values)
parenting approaches of, 53–57
poverty among, 3
racism among (see racism)
resentment of the poor among, 13–23
resentment of professionals among, 25–34
sexism among (see sexism)
strategies for liberal connecting with, 109–119
women
discrimination against (see sexism)
false choice between white working class and, 71, 131
likeability as requirement for, 79
women, elite
abortion views among, 115
glass ceiling facing, 73–74, 77
parenting approaches of, 55–56
stay-at-home motherhood among, 76–77
abortion views among, 115
family in identity of, 75
on gender equality, 74, 76, 77
part- vs. full-time work by, 16
in pink-collar jobs, 74
stay-at-home motherhood as ideal of, 16, 74–77
work. See jobs; specific types
work ethic
of African-Americans, 62
of professional elites, 20, 37–38
working class. See also black working class; blue-collar workers; white working class
definition and use of term, 10–11
elite approach to the poor vs., 4, 5
as middle class, 10
mobility of (see geographic mobility)
parenting approaches of, 53–57
racism among (see racism)
resentment of the poor among, 13–23
resentment of professionals among, 25–34
sexism among (see sexism)