ID Politics Has No “Class” Or Does It?

We’re told ‘The New Driving Force of Identity Politics Is Class, Not Race.” I’ve always suspected Karl Marx had a few good insights into how the world works, like how class status plays in human affairs. Take my 4-yr experience in uber diverse Evanston Illinois…

But first, consider the WSJ article suggesting “The nation is increasingly voting along class lines, not racial ones” like the Democratic Party has maintained ad nauseum. “That could upend how we’ve thought about politics for decades." No kidding. So are we to understand that the radical progressive left is finally regressing? Case in point for the new (or old) “class status” voting premise? Not so much about the politics, but very much about how people interact (or, maybe can or maybe should interact) in the real world. During the 1970s & while a young lawyer, you see, I lived in Evanston, Illinois, the home of Northwestern University & the infamous temperance movement way back when it ironically helped launch the career of nearby Chicago’s Al Capone. It was one of the greatest (& most peaceful) living experiences in my life.

As it happens, my rented apartment on the suburb’s far south side was about as diverse as you can get racially, i.e., 50% black & 50% white. Being South Side of Chicago raised, I was amazed at how quiet this neighborhood was, entirely safe to walk at night, to chat anytime with other residents regardless of race, color or creed. The secret sauce? It sure seemed like “class” to me. That’s because nearly everyone in the area was middle class. Many worked in some way tied to the university or government. Many were professionals or had good jobs in the trades. It didn’t hurt that along the nearby Lake Michigan shore were filthy rich mansion dwellers whom no one ever saw because (as the theory went) they either didn’t need to work or were transported to big shot jobs by some kind of secret beam. Bottom line: Everyone had a lot in common thanks to the class they sensed they belonged to. It was pleasant. They were relatively happy. I'll never forget.

Davd Soul