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时间:2019-09-21
《Foster JB - Aspects of Class in the United States - An Introduction》由会员上传分享,免费在线阅读,更多相关内容在教育资源-天天文库。
1、AspectsofClassintheUnitedStatesAnIntroductionJOHNBELLAMYFOSTERIfclasswariscontinualincapitalistsociety,thereisnodoubtthatinrecentdecadesintheUnitedStatesithastakenamuchmorevirulentform.InaspeechdeliveredatNewYorkUniversityin2004BillMoyerspointedoutthat,Clas
2、swarwasdeclaredagenerationagoinapowerfulpaperbackpolemicbyWilliamSimon,whowassoontobeSecretaryoftheTreasury.Hecalledonthefinancialandbusinessclass,ineffect,totakebackthepowerandprivilegestheyhadlostinthedepressionandthenewdeal.Theygotthemessage,andsoontheyb
3、eganastealthyclasswaragainsttherestofthesocietyandtheprinciplesofourdemocracy.Theysetouttotrashthesocialcontract,tocuttheirworkforcesandwages,toscourtheglobeinsearchofcheaplabor,andtoshredthesocialsafetynetthatwassupposedtoprotectpeoplefromhardshipsbeyondth
4、eircontrol.BusinessWeekputitbluntlyatthetime[initsOctober12,1974issue]:“Somepeoplewillobviouslyhavetodowithless....itwillbeabitterpillformanyAmericanstoswallowtheideaofdoingwithlesssothatbigbusinesscanhavemore.”1Theeffectsofthisrelentlessoffensivebytheveste
5、dinterestsagainsttherestofthesocietyareincreasinglyevident.In2005theNewYorkTimesandtheWallStreetJournaleachpublishedaseriesofarticlesfo-cusingonclassintheUnitedStates.Thisrareopenacknowledgementoftheimportanceofclassbytheelitemediacanbeattributedinparttorap
6、idincreasesinincomeandwealthinequalityinU.S.societyoverthelastcoupleofdecades—coupledwiththedramaticeffectsoftheBushtaxcutsthathaveprimarilybenefitedthewealthy.Butitalsogrewoutofahostofnewstatisticalstudiesthathavedemonstratedthatinter-generationalclassmobi
7、lityintheUnitedStatesisfarbelowwhatwaspreviouslysupposed,andthattheUnitedStatesisamoreclass-boundsocietythanitsmajorWesternEuropeancounterparts,withtheexcep-tionofBritain.InthewordsofTheWallStreetJournal(May13,2005):AlthoughAmericansstillthinkoftheirlandasa
8、placeofexceptionalopportunity—incontrasttoclass-boundEurope—theevidencesuggests12MONTHLYREVIEW/JULY-AUGUST2006otherwise.Andscholarshave,overthepastdecade,cometoseeAmericaasalessmobilesocietythantheyonc
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