Class Warfare? Tensions At 20 Year High

Young, old? Black, white? Foreign, native? Religious, secular?

Those are all traditional sources of societal conflict. Some have been bitter, even violent. But none are as strong as the current antipathy between rich and poor in America according to recent studies.

And what was going on in 1992, the last time these tensions were this high? The end of the 12 year Reagan-Bush reign which resulted in the election of Bill Clinton.

The historical reference may be significant for the perspective it provides on current dislocations. While rich-poor is the leading source of frustration, tensions are up across all of the traditional fault lines. The Great Post WWII Rebalancing has caught up with America. Our historical commercial competitors have been fully restored and new ones have emerged. US hegemony is deteriorating. As a result, family incomes are down and a sense of economic and political unfairness pervades society.

These sorts of trends have been cyclical throughout US history. But so have the tensions that accompany them. The debate about public policy responses is unresolved, contributing to the malaise and the tension. Experience suggests fortunes may shift again, but the lack of confidence in a just set of solutions is worrisome. JL

Dan Kadlec reports in Time:

Tensions in the U.S. between rich and poor are at a 20-year high, according to a new study from Pew Research. This conflict now tops the discord between blacks and whites, young and old, and immigrants and the native-born.

In the survey, 66% said they believe there is “strong conflict” between rich and poor—a huge jump from 47% who felt that way in 2009. This catapults class warfare ahead of conflict between immigrants and the native-born, which had previously been the area registering the most conflict.
Many credit the Occupy Wall Street movement, which put a spotlight on income inequality with protests in the fall. Meanwhile, recent census data underscore the divide. For example, the share of U.S. wealth held by the top 10% of the population has jumped to 56% from 49% in 2005.

Young adults, Democrats and blacks remain the most likely as in previous years to cite strong conflict between rich and poor. But in the last two years, three swing groups—whites, middle-income Americans and political independents—registered some of the biggest increases in those holding this view.

Clearly, something is going on. But the focus on class may miss an important point: tensions are up pretty much across the board, and that probably has less to do with bank account envy than the general feeling that life is really hard right now. Unemployment remains high. Wages have stalled. The stock market has gone nowhere and a generation now faces the prospect of retiring with insufficient resources or working longer than they had planned. People are just plain grouchy.

Those saying there is strong conflict between young and old, for example, rose to 34% from 25%. That makes sense. Young and old have been thrown together like rarely before in recent decades. They are competing for the same jobs. Adult kids who can’t find work are returning home; retirees running out of money are moving in with their kids.

Those identifying strong conflict between immigrants and native-born Americans rose to 62% from 55%. Again, in a tough economy these groups are battling for some of the same jobs as well as for funding for various government support services. Interestingly, those saying there is strong racial conflict remained about the same (38% vs. 39%). Call that the good news. Maybe there is some sense that we’re all in this together.