top of page
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn Social Icon
  • Facebook Social Icon

BOOK: The New Class War (Michael Lind)

  • Writer: Michael Wrede
    Michael Wrede
  • Jun 18, 2020
  • 2 min read

I finished this book 6/4/2020 and found the book after reading a WSJ essay from Michael Lind.


The New Class War offers a thought-provoking explanation of the mechanics in American politics and life. The class war is a struggle between the managerial elite, those who have benefited from increased globalization, and the working-class who have been disproportionately affected by globalization. The technocratic neoliberal revolution from above has provoked a populist backlash around the world and here with the rise of Donald Trump. The book explains that the pluralist societies of the early 19th century with a large 7 like Unions, religious societies playing a larger role in bargaining for the working-class. While the populists may be racists and ignorant, the ideas they represent are valid and legitimate. The working-class population that voted for Trump was called racists and xenophobics in the most recent election by Hillary Clinton, but this fails to recognize the issues that this majority group is facing in America. Global labor arbitrage, regulatory arbitrage, and immigration have all negatively affected this group and left them feeling voiceless. I think about my mom's hometown of Buffalo which we visit every year. You can see that industry was booming there at one point, but no longer. Those factories are now abandoned with broken windows, likely never to be fixed. Those jobs that made the economy and the workers in Buffalo prosper were likely sent to China, Vietnam, or India where cheap labor can cut costs. Michael Lind argues for democratic pluralism that gives a consistent voice to workers instead of rejecting their claims. Lind tells us to see Trump's election as a symptom of the current political state, the technocratic neoliberalism as the problem, and democratic pluralism as the cure. The power must be checked is the main argument.



"Only power restrains power" - James Burnham


"A single office building in Grand Cayman, named Ugland House, is the registered legal address of 18,577 companies" (Talks to the effect of global labor arbitrage on the working class)


"Between 1999 and 2009 US multinational corporations cut 846,000 workers in the US while adding 2.9 million workers abroad" (The profits of this managerial elites depend on the poor abroad)


"There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making the war, and we're winning" - Warren Buffett


"Where populists have succeeded in Western countries, they have done so because they have opportunistically championed legitimate positions that are shared by many voters" (Speaks to underlying issues that populism demagogues represent)


"The more they are denounced, the more plausible is their claim that, despite their celebrity or riches, they too are outsiders despised by the insiders" (Explains the populist appeal of Trump)


"When a society is trapped in a vicious circle in which selfish oligarchs alternate with populist hucksters, economic growth and the rule of law are all likely to be casualties" (An important warning, about the current moment and making changes)













Comentarios


SIGN UP AND STAY UPDATED!

Thanks for submitting!

  • Grey Twitter Icon
  • Grey LinkedIn Icon
  • Grey Facebook Icon

© 2023 by Talking Business.  Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page