White Working Class is Alienated & Pessimistic

[DixieDestroyer]

...And for damn good reason(s)....

Why the white working class is alienated, pessimistic

By National Journal national Journal â€" Tue May 31, 10:17 am ET

By Ronald Brownstein
National Journal

Almost no one noticed, but around George W. Bush's reelection in 2004, the nation crossed a demographic milestone.

From Revolutionary days through 2004, a majority of Americans fit two criteria. They were white. And they concluded their education before obtaining a four-year college degree. In the American mosaic, that vast white working class was the largest piece, from the yeoman farmer to the welder on the assembly line. Even as late as the 1990 census, whites without a college degree represented more than three-fifths of adults.

But as the country grew more diverse and better educated, the white working-class share of the adult population slipped to just under 50 percent in the Census Bureau's 2005 American Community Survey. That number has since fallen below 48 percent.

The demographic eclipse of the white working class is likely an irreversible trend as the United States reconfigures itself yet again as a "world nation" reinvigorated by rising education levels and kaleidoscopic diversity. That emerging America will create opportunities (such as the links that our new immigrants will provide to emerging markets around the globe) and face challenges (including improving high school and college graduation rates for the minority young people who will provide tomorrow's workforce).
[ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ]

Still, amid all of this change, whites without a four-year college degree remain the largest demographic bloc in the workforce. College-educated whites make up about one-fifth of the adult population, while minorities account for a little under one-third. The picture is changing, but whites who have not completed college remain the backbone of many, if not most, communities and workplaces across the country.

They are also, polls consistently tell us, the most pessimistic and alienated group in American society.

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The latest measure of this discontent came in a thoughtful national survey on economic opportunity released last week by the Pew Charitable Trusts' Economic Mobility Project. If numbers could scream, they would probably sound like the poll's results among working-class whites.

One question asked respondents whether they expected to be better off economically in 10 years than they are today. Two-thirds of blacks and Hispanics said yes, as did 55 percent of college-educated whites; just 44 percent of noncollege whites agreed. Asked if they were better off than their parents were at the same age, about three-fifths of college-educated whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics said they were. But blue-collar whites divided narrowly, with 52 percent saying yes and a head-turning 43 percent saying no. (The survey, conducted from March 24 through 29, surveyed 2,000 adults and has a margin of error of ±3.4 percent.)

What makes these results especially striking is that minorities were as likely as blue-collar whites to report that they have been hurt by the recession. The actual unemployment rate is considerably higher among blacks and Hispanics than among blue-collar whites, much less college-educated whites.

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Yet, minorities were more optimistic about the next generation than either group of whites, the survey found. In the most telling result, 63 percent of African-Americans and 54 percent of Hispanics said they expected their children to exceed their standard of living. Even college-educated whites are less optimistic (only about two-fifths agree). But the noncollege whites are the gloomiest: Just one-third of them think their kids will live better than they do; an equal number think their children won't even match their living standard. No other group is nearly that negative.

This worry is hardly irrational. As Massachusetts Institute of Technology economists Frank Levy and Tom Kochan report in a new paper, the average high-school-educated, middle-aged man earns almost 10 percent less than his counterpart did in 1980. Minorities haven't been exempt from that trend: In fact, high-school-educated minority men have experienced even slower wage growth than their white counterparts over the past two decades, calculates Larry Mishel, president of the liberal Economic Policy Institute.

But for minorities, that squeeze has been partially offset by the sense that possibilities closed to their parents are becoming available to them as discrimination wanes. "The distinction is, these blue-collar whites see opportunities for people like them shrinking, whereas the African-Americans [and Hispanics] feel there are a set of long-term opportunities that are opening to them that were previously closed on the basis of race or ethnicity," said Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster who helped conduct the Pew survey.

By contrast, although it is difficult to precisely quantify, the sense of being eclipsed demographically is almost certainly compounding the white working class's fear of losing ground economically. That huge bloc of Americans increasingly feels itself left behindâ€"and lacks faith that either government or business cares much about its plight. Under these pressures, noncollege whites are now experiencing rates of out-of-wedlock birth and single parenthood approaching the levels that triggered worries about the black family a generation ago. Alarm bells should be ringing now about the social and economic trends in the battered white working class and the piercing cry of distress rising from this latest survey.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_exclusive/20110531/pl_yblog_exclusive/why-the-white-working-class-is-alienated-pessimistic

 

[celticdb15]

At 19 I feel the same way. Both my parents are high school graduates but chose to join the working force instead of the college route. They have been able to carve out a good life(financially) through good hard honest work. I have one year done of college but I have my doubts that I will be able to finish my studies b\call whites do not have an unlimited cash flow! <div></div><div></div>Will I have the same opportunities as whites in years past? I've been applying for jobs throughout this whole winter and have gotten one lousy interview. I feel it is a death sentence every time I check "white male" on the application. I feel employers often push my application aside in favor of a black or mexican. I have a summer job lined up, finally. I realize the direction America is heading in.As a white man I don't like it and I try to make sure I do everything in my power to let other whites know that "everything is not alright." Yeah my view is pessimistic b\c no one gives a rats ass about the silent majority!
Edited by: celticdb15

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I definitely sense growing alienation, pessimism, and dissatisfaction among college age Whites. It is hard to be optimistic considering the way things are going.

 

[Bronk]

I have seen the alienation and pessimism of whites since the 1970s when the United States entered into its own "Weimar period."

Previously, the white working class was told that hard work and following the rules opened the path to opportunity. Then the rules changed and "affirmative action" (which is really just patronage exchanged for votes and unrelated to ability), feminism, environmentalism, inflation, and managed decline cut into white workers like a hot knife through butter. Dope was in and beer was out, patriotism was a joke, marriage was a trap and all the old American heroes were just fascist finks. Globalization and unrelenting immigration roared through like a tornado in the 1980s.

My father was educated in the USAF and did not go to college until his mid-thirties when supervisory positions appeared on the horizon if he could land an associate's degree. Many times when I went into the kitchen for breakfast, I found my dad asleep at the table with his school books. He'd wake up, shower and shave and head to work.

 

[foobar75]

Take a look at the unemployment rate amongst the 18-24 demographic, or even the 21-30 group. The young people (of all races, but particularly white males) have some very dim prospects for the future. This is true not only in the US, but Europe as well. We're talking 40-50% unemployment. These people have gone to college, took out huge amounts of student loans, and obtained, for the most part, useless degrees. Seriously, what does one expect to do with a degree in English, journalism, or South American studies?

If these young people rise up and demand change, things could get interesting. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that's going to happen, at least not in the US. Most of these folks have already given up, moving back with their parents, and working dead-end jobs to live day-by-day. Until the sheeple in this country wake up and realize what the international banking cartel is doing to America and how white people are being marginalized every step of the way, I'm afraid things will only get worse.
Edited by: foobar75

 

[Don Wassall]

Americans will be the last to rebel, if ever. As a group they're too ignorant, too programmed, too apathetic, too demoralized, too zombiefied. Europeans, Arabs and Central and South Americans are all stirring against the globalists, but in the U.S. we have the Tea Party, which has been effortlessly emasculated by the GOP and which didn't have strong working class appeal anyway, and the Ron Paul Revolution, which is mainly a middle to upper middle class phenomenon, which refuses to acknowledge this country's intractable racial problems.

The U.S. is factionalized ethnically, religiously and ideologically to an extreme degree. The internet is a wonderful educational tool but the amount of White Americans who pursue the kind of knowledge we do here at CF is still woefully small.

 

[foobar75]

This is 100% accurate. When you look at the uprisings in the Middle East and (soon) coming to Europe, it's worth noting that there's a certain element of unity and awareness, which is completely absent here in America.

You can't possibly expect the blacks and hispanics to ally together with Whites and rise up against the PTB. Blacks/hispanics already hate each other, and together they hate Whites. Whites, of course, are completely apathetic as you say, with a total lack of racial and cultural awareness, too afraid to rock the boat and be called racist, and too brainwashed to possibly come together in order to defend their heritage and way of life.

I'm a big fan of Gerald Celente. In one of his recent interviews, he expressed his extreme disappointment at the lack of action here in America and the American people, relative to what's going on in the rest of the world. He, too, has little hope that people here will wake-up and demand any sort of change. As long as the welfare checks and food stamps keep coming, the sheeple are fed, and have their next season of American Idol and DWTS to look forward to, nothing will happen while the country slowly turns into a third world cesspool right before our eyes.

 

[Westside]

"Onto each man's property a hamlet. To the uninvited, you cross at your own peril. I know my limitations, but manipulating a firearm is not one."

 

[Westside]

Just checked Drudge and the stories of negros causing hate and discontent is growing. Funny, the new code word for blacks or negros is "urban". F'ing MSM can not call a spade a spade. Here in Los Angeles, newspapers like the LA Times and Daily News wonder why alot of people don't buy them anymore.

 

[Highlander]

I was going to post this story here too yesterday, am glad Dixie did.
When I read it yesterday on Yahoo, I also checked out a lot of the
comments and there were a lot of angry Whites responding and it wasn't
just "blue collar" folks. Many were "White collar" workers, especially
IT professionals. When Obama was campaigning in New York in 2008, he
looked at and then pointed at an Indian (from India) man and said "You
are the future.". I guess that makes me the past.



Blacks vote in a block, and Hispanics mostly do now too, but, like Don
said, Whites are so disjointed and have become so deracinated over the
past 40 years that it appears unlikely that anything will change. Yes,
more Whites are waking up, which is a good thing. Whether enough
will wake up, in time, is the question. My recommendation is for
Whites to "Starve the Beast". Don't buy anything from large
Corporations, if possible. There are amazing deals for clothes and
other goods at thrift stores now, with so many people hawking their
wares. Go to a farmers market for food, if possible, or grow your own.
Buy goods at a small store "mom and pop" operation run by Whites.
American Corporations and their Government lackeys hate us, don't feed them. This goes for Entertainment too, including movies, television, and music. Let them starve.



celticdb15, you may want to consider moving to Asia. There are many
more opportunities there for White males than there is here and it is a
much more male-friendly environment. There was a story on The Spearhead
last year that dealt with a White male college professor that couldn't
find a job at a University here in America because of the feminist and
"diversity" entrenchment, so he found a job at a University somewhere in
Asia where he was welcomed with open arms. Just something you may want
to look into.



Westside, they've used "urban" as a description for blacks for quite a
while now. I think "youths" is more recent, although getting old too.
I'm sure they'll come up with a new euphemism soon enough as more people
start seeing through both of these.

 

[jaxvid]

Americans will be the last to rebel, if ever.  As a group they're too ignorant, too programmed, too apathetic, too demoralized, too zombiefied.  Europeans, Arabs and Central and South Americans are all stirring against the globalists,

I agree with that assesment however in all fairness white americans also have a greater net worth. Revolutions don't generally happen amongst people with jobs and money in the bank and a full stomach. Riots in Europe, at least the 'white' rioters are union workers that protest loss of govt favoritism, just like the 'rioters' in Wisconsin.

Arabs and south americans are often hungry and poor, typical of people who riot. Like it or not the american system has provided a lot of comfort to a lot of people, even the very poor, to prevent those types of social outbursts. Perhaps if the day comes when guys like us dont have jobs and cant feed our families we will stop typing angry messages on the internet and go out and raise some hell too.

 

[celticdb15]

Americans will be the last to rebel, if ever. As a group they're too ignorant, too programmed, too apathetic, too demoralized, too zombiefied. Europeans, Arabs and Central and South Americans are all stirring against the globalists,

I agree with that assesment however in all fairness white americans also have a greater net worth. Revolutions don't generally happen amongst people with jobs and money in the bank and a full stomach. Riots in Europe, at least the 'white' rioters are union workers that protest loss of govt favoritism, just like the 'rioters' in Wisconsin.



Arabs and south americans are often hungry and poor, typical of people who riot. Like it or not the american system has provided a lot of comfort to a lot of people, even the very poor, to prevent those types of social outbursts. Perhaps if the day comes when guys like us dont have jobs and cant feed our families we will stop typing angry messages on the internet and go out and raise some hell too.

<div></div><div>Couldn't agree more, the day may be coming soon. And Highlander I don't think I could ever move to an Asiatic country. The language and culture differences would be to much for me. I would prefer a country like Ireland, Scotland, or Australia, but that is unlikely. I'm here to stick it out in the country I was born in and the country my ancestorrs have been in since the 1860's!</div>

 

[Highlander]

This excerpt from the article echoes what Don has mentioned at least once here at CF:

"Under these pressures, noncollege whites are now experiencing rates of
out-of-wedlock birth and single parenthood approaching the levels that
triggered worries about the black family a generation ago. Alarm bells
should be ringing now about the social and economic trends in the
battered white working class and the piercing cry of distress rising
from this latest survey."

 

[Liverlips]

"Under these pressures, noncollege whites are now experiencing rates of out-of-wedlock birth and single parenthood approaching the levels that triggered worries about the black family a generation ago..."

Yet, strangely enough, we are not rioting and killing people of other races and demanding special preferences and trillions of taxpayer dollars for special "programs."

Only one race does that.

 

[jaxvid]

It's good when the MSM mentions whites as a class of people and not in a explicitly negative manner. But this paragraph is straight out of the playbook and sickening in it's outrageous misinterpertation of the whole situation:

The demographic eclipse of the white working class is likely an irreversible trend as the United States reconfigures itself {should say: as the american elite class in cahoots with globalist and jewish banking interests-elects a new people} yet again as a "world nation" {world nation is a privelege only to be bestowed upon any currently white nations} reinvigorated by rising education levels and kaleidoscopic diversity {i.e brown skin invaders, freeloaders, and criminals}. That emerging America will create opportunities (such as the links that our new immigrants will provide to emerging markets around the globe {"links"= sending money home to meheeco so that every member of the family can come and live on the white mans dime}) and face challenges (including improving high school and college graduation rates for the minority young people who will provide tomorrow's workforce){which as we know is impossible as it has never been done anywhere on the planet in any era of mankind}.

 

[space hillbilly]

Americans will be the last to rebel, if ever. As a group they're too ignorant, too programmed, too apathetic, too demoralized, too zombiefied. Europeans, Arabs and Central and South Americans are all stirring against the globalists,

I agree with that assesment however in all fairness white americans also have a greater net worth. Revolutions don't generally happen amongst people with jobs and money in the bank and a full stomach. Riots in Europe, at least the 'white' rioters are union workers that protest loss of govt favoritism, just like the 'rioters' in Wisconsin.

Arabs and south americans are often hungry and poor, typical of people who riot. Like it or not the american system has provided a lot of comfort to a lot of people, even the very poor, to prevent those types of social outbursts. Perhaps if the day comes when guys like us dont have jobs and cant feed our families we will stop typing angry messages on the internet and go out and raise some hell too.

Right, really IMO, food stamps and welfare are population control tools.
As it is, with most people if they can get a hotdog and a 6-pack their happy..

 

[Bart]

Previously, the white working class was told that hard work and following the rules opened the path to opportunity. Then the rules changed and "affirmative action" (which is really just patronage exchanged for votes and unrelated to ability), feminism, environmentalism, inflation, and managed decline cut into white workers like a hot knife through butter.

This thread is excellent.

The rules have been changed all right!

We are beginning to wake up from our slumber, but I hope it's not too late.

The non-Whites have the numbers in many large cities to force our spineless politicians to do their bidding.

In a few years they will be able to defeat us at the ballot box on every vital issue.

Won't be too long until we are left without any representation at all.

If we think we are being bled dry now ... just wait.

 

[Wolfman82]

The cowards of the 60s should have stood up to all the nonsense that was going on back then. Equal rights, womens lib, and all that crap. Since they didnt I believe its too late now. The people that were grown adults back then threw there children, and grandchildren to the wolves in the name of equal rights. Now the govt is too powerfull to do anything about.

 

[Leonardfan]

The cowards of the 60s were the reason all that stuff exists now, it was that generation that once it got into power pushed the leftist agenda onto America. We are just reaping the "benefits".

It does seem that alot of white americans are finally taking the blinders off and connecting the dots.
I have one friend I grew up with, we are both very like minded and caught onto this since we were teenagers (we are late 20s now) and it just blows our minds how many white people are just clueless.

 

[j41181]

The future of America will be divided into 2 classes....

The investment class, and the food stamp class.

Most of our politicians know exactly why our jobs and our economy has tanked. Most of our politicians know how to fix it. Most of our
politicians are beholding to special interests. Most of our politicians will do nothing to change the situation.

The country is not more educated. Yes, more people have been given a paper certificate at the expense of the tax payer, but standards have plummeted to make it seem like we're actually making progress. If we're so much more educated, why do we still fall for political propaganda, and why are formerly third world countries catching up or starting to surpass us? This article is really a piece of work. We are feeling alienated because the whole country has gone crazy, and we're being dragged along for the ride.

 

[The Hock]

I was having lunch at work a while back with three other people, two women and a man, all of us white and out of earshot of anyone. Somehow the subject turned to the racial situation, and I was surprised at the anger and resentment over how badly things are going for whites the other three were willing to express. The talk got the point where I was the one who got uncomfortable and changed the subject (one of the women is a suspected rat and likes to play both sides of whatever to her advantage).

Still, I heard enough to tell me there's a groundswell of awakening minds that's definitely out there.

Edited by: The Hock

 

[Tom Iron]

The Hock,

Yes, when the s*it hits the fan in this country, the minorities are going to find a White American they never knew existed. Then they're going to run for cover. There was a story about a Texas Ranger who responded to a mexican riot in a town down near the Rio Grande. Once the mexicans heard a lone Texas Ranger had arrived, that was the end of the riot. That's how scared they were of Anglos. They still are, but for now, we haven't shown ourselves. But I assure you, the minorities will force us to come to the fore, and when we do, they'll rue that day.

Tom Iron...

 

[The Hock]

Yeah, Tom Iron, it will probably come down to when we have no choice. We'll have to start defending ourselves sooner or later. Right now it seems like we've become the kid on the playground who gets bullied by everyone.

I don't think we'll always be so easy to push around.

 

[Highlander]

Just over a month ago, 0bama was left for dead, politically-speaking. His numbers were in the toilet and he was going to get rolled by whoever opposed him. Then he played his trump card on the Stupid Party and Zombie-citizens, by feeding the ten-year-old rotted corpse of the World's #1 bogeyman to sea creatures (allegedly) and now he looks to be shoe-in.

His approval ratings jumped 20+%, most likely from neocons (White, male, Independents and Republicans...pro-War, pro-Zionist), since 91% of blacks already supported him and Hispanics not really caring and the real leftists abandoning him even more after that.

So, once again, Whites are their own worst enemy and will probably help give him a second term where they will continued to get screwed over because they get such a hard-on for such things as this. These kind of Whites are the same part of the populace that is most likely the hardest of the hardcare DWFs.

 

[Bronk]

I'd like to believe whites will stand up at some point, but I don't see it. Whites are victims of their own successes. They strove to build a prosperous society that turned them decadent and weak. Upper class whites hate lower class whites and gather with other upper class types in gated communities that remind me of the walled compounds of the oligarchs in Mexico and Latin America.

I'd love to see my old Redneck buddies form up with some of my current suburban neighbors to REALLY oppose some of what goes. But that would take a radical shift in the thinking of many of these people who are so tied to the GOP that they can't see two feet in front of their faces.Edited by: Bronk