The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson

The New Class War

In my article on “The Classes of Society” and my Chirp of, “09/12/20 A Blue America and A Red America”, I have outlined what I believe are the differences between modern American classes and between Blue and Red America. Since the time I wrote this Chirp, I have read a new book that delineates these differences in a novel manner. The New Class War: Saving Democracy from the Managerial Elite by Michael Lind is well worth your obtaining, reading, and pondering upon, as it provides a different perspective on the causes of the divisions in America. A brief summary of the book, from the dust jacket, is:

“In both Europe and North America, populist movements have shattered existing party systems and thrown governments into turmoil. The embattled establishment claims that these populist insurgencies seek to overthrow liberal democracy. The truth is no less alarming but is more complex: Western democracies are being torn apart by a new class war.

In this controversial and groundbreaking new analysis, Michael Lind, one of America’s leading thinkers, debunks the idea that the insurgencies are primarily the result of bigotry, traces how the breakdown of mid-century class compromises between business and labor led to the conflict, and reveals the real battle lines.

On one side is the managerial overclass—the university-credentialed elite that clusters in high-income hubs and dominates government, the economy and the culture. On the other side is the working class of the low-density heartlands—mostly, but not exclusively, native and white.

The two classes clash over immigration, trade, the environment, and social values, and the managerial class has had the upper hand. As a result of the half-century decline of the institutions that once empowered the working class, power has shifted to the institutions the overclass controls: corporations, executive and judicial branches, universities, and the media.

The class war can resolve in one of three ways:

• The triumph of the overclass, resulting in a high-tech caste system.
• The empowerment of populist, resulting in no constructive reforms
• A class compromise that provides the working class with real power

Lind argues that Western democracies must incorporate working-class majorities of all races, ethnicities, and creeds into decision making in politics, the economy, and culture. Only this class compromise can avert a never-ending cycle of clashes between oligarchs and populists and save democracy.”

It should be noted that Mr. Lind is no conservative as he has decidedly Liberal/Progressive viewpoints. However, these viewpoints do not interfere with the scholarship of this book. He provides the history and the dynamics of this new overclass and explains the beliefs and reasoning of the overclass while unmasking the faulty reasoning of the overclass.

Mr. Lind casts President Trump as a populist while bemoaning the lack of political leadership that reflects the real concerns and anxieties of the working-class. And while I would agree with him that Mr. Trump appears to be a populist, I believe that his actions have been of trying to solve the anxieties and concerns of the working-class. His disparagement of the swamp (i.e., the overclass), the mainstream media, and the cultural elite, along with his refusal to engage in politically correct thought and speech, as well as his actions of Federal deregulation, putting America first in trade deals, his not engaging in foreign wars, and his confrontations with American enemies (and sometimes friends) are all indicatory of his being for change beneficial to the working class. As such, he is realigning the Republican Party from some of its traditional ideas and values, as I have stated in my Chirp of “09/12/20 A Blue America and A Red America”, to a more working-class orientation. Therefore, President Trump may be the political leadership that Mr. Lind thinks is needed to correct the abuses of the overclass. Whether this is true or not, and if it can continue, may be indicated by the results of the 2020 Presidential election.

His thesis on The New Class War can be seen on the divisions in America as highlighted in the elections of 2020 and helps explain these divisions. His thesis dovetails with my article on “The Classes of Society” and my Chirp of, “09/12/20 A Blue America and A Red America” in that Blue America is very much the overclass, while his working-class is very much Red America.

While I tend to agree with his thesis of the overclass and the working-class, and the unmasking of their faulty reasoning, I tend to disagree with his solution to the problem. His solution is not very practicable and ignores several human and political dynamics. His solution in Chapter 8, “Countervailing Power; Toward a New Democratic Pluralism” exhibits a Cognitive Bias in favor of a Progressive approach to the solutions to these problems. A Progressive approach that favors more social organizations to form new working-class groups in the political, economic, and social arenas to counterbalance the overclass in the political, economic, and social arenas. There is no discussion in his book of a Conservative approach to reducing the scope and powers, and the corresponding reduction in numbers, of the overclass.

The problem of the human and political dynamics of his solution is that any grouping of working classes tends to place an overclass person in charge of their group. Whether this is by a working-class person rising to the position of the overclass of the group, or a current overclass person transitioning to an overclass of the working class group, you end up with an overclass person leading the working-class group. This approach increases the number and influence of the overclass. He also suggests that these new working-class groups be independent of the current political, economic, and cultural overclass groups. But such independence is not possible to obtain or retain, as a powerful person often aligns with other powerful persons to obtain and retain power. This new overclass leadership of the working-class groups will align with other overclass working-class groups' leadership, and may even align with the current overclass, to obtain and retain power and extend their influence. Consequently, over the passage of time, the same problems of an overclass will remain. He also does not account for politicians becoming involved in these working-class groups for the purposes of political gamesmanship and political power, which would compromise the independence of these working-class groups. This is currently apparent with the Labor Unions leadership aligning with the Democrat Party, many times with the opposition of, and detriment to, the Labor Unions membership.

The Conservative approach to the solution to this overclass problem is for less control and power of the overclass, which leads to more control and power for the working class. This would also lead to reducing the number of overclass in America. To accomplish this solution would require the following:

The governmental overclass should be reduced by less Federal, State, and Local government intervention into American lives. Restricting the Federal, State, and Local governments to enumerated powers, and providing only essential services to Americans, is the best means to achieve this goal. All non-essential services would be provided by the charitable actions of the American people. This would result in less overclass governmental members to manage the remaining governmental intervention in American society, and less power and control for the remaining governmental overclass members to weld over America. Current Civil Service laws would have to be modified or eliminated to accomplish this reduction. New Civil Service laws would need to be formulated that would allow for the layoff of Civil Service employees who exceed their authorities, or for the dismissing of governmental overclass members who are uncooperative or insubordinate to the direction of Executive officers. With modern transportation and telecommunications, it should be possible for and desirable to relocate governmental agencies to other geographical locations throughout America. This would integrate the overclass with the working-class and may lead to a better understanding of the working-class and temper the actions of the overclass.

The economic overclass that runs American businesses needs to be constricted by focusing their attention on America. If a business produces or manufactures a product that is sold in America, they must produce or manufacture at least a defined percentage of the merchandise sold in America. If they provide a service in America, the service people must be Americans or legal residents. While this will increase the costs of the product or service, it will also increase employment in America. And such increases in the cost of the product and services would not be as great as many Americans fear, as Mr. Lind has explained in his book. In addition, if they operate a business in America, then its management, operations, and finances must remain in America. And all businesses, in both their products and services, and their executives, managers, shareholders, and employees, must pay taxes to support the services and benefits of the American government.

Businesses should not intrude upon the privacy of its employees as well as other Americans, and they should not be able to limit the Freedoms and Liberties of Americans. The Free Speech rights of employees to do, say, or participate in any political or social activities should not be infringed, so long as the employee does not disparage their employer or commit any criminal act. Businesses should not require indoctrination in social justice issues but be limited to informing their employees on workplace laws and regulations. The only requirement that a business should place on its employees is that they treat other employees and customers in a polite and respectful manner, as I have stated in two of my “Pearls of Wisdom” of "Always Be Polite and Respectful" and "Do Not Swear". Any lack of respect, rude, or discourteous conduct should be treated on an individual level with the proper disciplinary action for the offense. When a business collects information about its employees or customers, they should not be allowed to sell, share, or disseminate such information with other persons or entities. Personal information belongs to the person, not to the business that collects the information and, therefore, personal information are not commodities that can be sold, traded, or bartered by a business. I suspect that the overclass will not be supportive of these limitations, as it limits their power and control of employees and Americans, but such limitations need to be implemented.

Big businesses are impacting the Freedoms and Liberties of Americans, as I have explained in my Chirp on “10/04/20 Big Business Social Advertising and Financial Support”, and my article, “Who Needs Government Suppression When You Have Big Tech Suppression?“. The overclass is supportive of big businesses becoming involved in political or social issues, as the overclass controls which viewpoint will be propagated. Such activities distort the political environment, and usually to the advantage of the overclass Progressive/Leftist viewpoints to the detriment of other viewpoints. As a result, ‘Big Brother’ has become ‘Big Tech Brother’, and the working-class believes that it has little voice on the issues and concerns which impact them.

The social overclass is a result of the improper education of Americans. An education that teaches Americans what to think, rather than how to think, as I have examined in my articles, “Indoctrination versus Education” and “Public Education”. This education also requires a proper education in the history of America, as I have Chirped on “09/27/20 Patriotic Education”. The problems of a College or University education such as high costs, impractical education, and indoctrination rather than education, lead the list of the issues and concerns of a College or University degree, as I have chirper on, “10/03/20 Colleges and Universities Problems”. These problems, as well as the lack of “Reasoning” skills and abilities of Formal and Informal Logic, Logical Fallacies, Cognitive Biases, and Common Sense, needs to be addressed in our educational system. A one-sided education produces a one-sided viewpoint, and in today’s education, that one-sidedness is of a Progressive and Leftist viewpoint, which is the reason for the like-mindedness of the social overclass, as well as the political and economic overclass in America.

The dependence on a College or University degree to become a member of the overclass needs to be reduced. Skills and abilities, intelligence, reasoning, experience, and hard work should be the requirement for overclass leadership, not just a College or University degree. Until we can educate Americans on more practical skills, and to think properly with “Reasoning”, and properly understand American history, this social overclass will be composed of like-minded individuals who are of one viewpoint, the Progressive/Leftist viewpoint, and they will attempt to obtain and retain power and influence to impose their viewpoints on all Americans.

Mr. Lind does not mention (except obliquely) the problems of “Cancel Culture” in America. Cancel Culture actions taken by some people, persons, or entities to hurt a person, harm their families, and ruin the finances of those that they disagree with. Practiced almost exclusively by the overclass (or would be overclass) against the working-class, these actions vary between impugning the honor and reputation of someone, the effectuation of loathing of a person, the actuating of fear of harm amongst those so targeted, and in some cases the actual physical harm or the destruction of property of their target(s). Cancel Culture also had the effect of intimidating Americans into not exercising their Free Speech rights for fear of being targeted by the Cancel Culture. These are detestable actions done by despicable persons. You have every Free Speech right to admonish a person, but you have no right to destroy a person. These actions are also contrary to our “Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All”, and demonstrate the vacuity of the morals and ethics of those that practice Cancel Culture. Consequently, Cancel Culture has become a tool of the overclass to obtain and retain their power and influence.

We need to reduce the power and influence of the overclass in America, as it is undemocratic and infringes upon and ignores the issues and concerns of working-class Americans. The Conservative approach to resolving this problem would require a major realignment in American society and governance and would be difficult to accomplish. But just because something is difficult to accomplish does not mean that it should not be attempted. If the goal of this change is worthy, then it is worthy of trying to accomplish the goal. As I believe that this realignment is worthy and needs to be accomplished, we should attempt to accomplish this goal. To not do so is to not resolve ‘The New Class War’, and to not resolve this problem may result in a working-class uprising against the overclass that would be harmful to all Americans.