Per white, working-class men, part of the problem is that they hear Trump and co. saying, “We’ll bring back jobs,” and they hear liberals saying, “You already have too much white and male privilege, so don’t look to us for help.” So who you gonna vote for? I say this as one who believes that the core Democratic platform is much better for workers than that of the disingenuous Trump Republicans, but the Democratic PR has been hijacked, at least in part, by academic theorists with a message uniquely suited to alienate white working-class men and their families (whose interests should be with the Democratic Party).
shakemyheadhollow 
I think you are right. You might check Jonathan Haidt’s interpretation of this in “The Righteous Mind”.
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Thanks for the tip!
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I listened to his Ted talk. He seems like the kind of unifier we need! The measure of how divisive someone is nowadays isn’t how far left or right they are; it’s how “political” they are (Left and Right being equally guilty in proportion to their investment in politics). But I am a hopeful old hippie. There was a flash of light for about a minute, back when Jeffrey Shurtleff spoke at Woodstock of “a revolution with no enemies.” So it could happen again. All it takes is a countercultural groundswell (and by countercultural I mean willing to take on the academic liberal establishment as well as the conservative establishment) … and a few true leaders willing to transcend the whole political spectrum as we know it today.
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I agree. The white male privilege may be alive and well, but it doesn’t help to throw it in anyone’s face. There are more inclusive ways to address economic challenges that most white males will tolerate without a problem. The Republicans are great at dividing people and issues by offering false choices – it’s A or B with no room in between – you can have good schools or good roads but not both. Dems get sucked right into the divide by picking a side rather than looking for option C. *Sigh* Why is it so easy for the citizenry to see and not the politicians?
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So true. Liberal have always agreed that racial inequality needs to be addressed. It’s just in the past the plan was to work on it together across racial line, whereas the divisive “privilege” rhetoric of current liberals makes that less and less likely.
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Pingback: Identity Politics Explained | shakemyheadhollow
Exactly. You get more with honey and Democrats don’t know that.
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Thanks, Sustainable Jewel. I love it when people agree with me (and I with them) 🙂
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