Good article

by Domer99, John Wesley Powell's Expedition Island, Thursday, November 01, 2018, 08:22 (2708 days ago) @ ReginaldVelJohnson

Describes my hometown and upbringing perfectly. In fact, if I didn't know any better I'd have thought domer.mq was a relative of mine.

I certainly struggle with this issue. I hear Greg's point. I was one of those people growing up, eschewing those more fortunate who I perceived as flaunting their wealth. I called them "yuppies" and had a great disdain for them hoping never to become "them." But really, I had no reason to despise them other than I saw them as having more than me and that was reason enough for me to believe they looked down on me whether they actually did or not.

But my parents (especially my teacher mom) wasn't going to allow me to get sucked into the small town mindset that I'd eventually find a job at the mine where my dad worked. And you could see this conundrum brewing, a job that could once be had with no high school education was now going to someone that had a college degree. Not that it was required but that the mines could be more selective. But many people in my hometown simply expected to have these jobs available to them. It was almost an entitlement.

Fast forward 20-30 years later, and I don't think much has changed. There is now a bigger platform to air these grievances and maybe that allows the resentment to build and explode like we've seen over the last few years.

But to Greg's bigger point, I think everyone needs to strive for empathy. I really do. But having been on both sides of this debate, I know the frustrated blue collared miners need to do so too.

Saw something on twitter saying the "folks making $700 an hour are convincing the folks making $25 an hour that the folks making $7 an hour are the problem." So true.