Not too long ago, class consciousness didn’t exist in America. We were a nation preoccupied with the notion that anyone could join the ranks of the wealthy if they simply worked hard enough. Sure, every once in a while someone would point out the growing chasm between the wealthy and everyone else, but they were quickly branded as hippies engaging in the subversive act of class warfare. But our reluctance to discuss class seems to be fading. A recent Pew poll finds that Americans are much more inclined to perceive class conflict than they were even two years ago. The Occupy Wall Street movement can probably take a lot of credit for bringing attention to the issue and shifting public sentiment. As tempting as it is to make fun of the drum circles and human megaphones, the OWS movement produced “We Are the 99%”, one of the most effective and viral political slogans of the last decade.
This may be the first modern presidential campaign in which class conflict will be openly discussed and debated. I’d like to think that all the trivial obsessions that dominated previous elections–gay marriage, military service, birth certificates–will be drowned out by the public demand to focus on the economic agendas of each candidate. That may be wishing for the moon, but it’s hard not to look at the Pew numbers and be filled with a reasonable hope that we’re finally ready to be treated as grown-ups by our political elites.
Thanks to the always invaluable MetaFilter for the tip.
