General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Guardian nails it: White working class votes for white supremacists. Period. [View all]haele
(15,697 posts)Americans have a more narrow class identity than most other nations, based on our work (or lack of) rather than actual culture. An American sees their personal value in their job and in their ability to own something, rather than in their personal nature or talents.
Most Americans, especially White "as almost middle class" are pretty comfortable - even when they complain - with their local class hierarchy and find "fairness" in that hierarchy when they measure their self worth and assess themselves against other groups in their general class.
Americans in general don't tend to care about "those others" that live "over yonder", Americans tend to be uncurious and selfish, they know very little about the culture or lives of "the others" other than what the media shows them,, and they resent having to change their personal activities and preferences to level a playing field and share opportunities with strangers who might have a better way of doing a job they consider theirs by right.
Especially sharing with those they self-justify looking down on.
There's always a provincial prejudice. The difference between the outright bigot and a person who prefers certain cultures over others is in the strength they cling to their comfortable, childish hierarchies and the almost paralyzing fear of stepping outside of expectations and being required to either compete (without shortcuts or cheating) or cooperate for resources.
And yes, I'm American.
But I have few problems metaphorically looking in my ethical mirror and seeing what my actions say about me. I
'm still broadly curious in my old age and don't shy away from problems that don't immediately affect me even as I watch many of my fellow Americans turn away from a variety of options and hunker down/double down on "This is the way it's supposed to be" results based attitudes whenever their lives start becoming difficult or complex.
And in my experience, if someone doesn't want to admit they have to grow up and stop expecting people to smooth out the road in front of them, they are going to cling to their personal childish and selfish attitudes even harder.