A New Divide?

There have always been divisions in American life, whether it be between rich and poor, or black and white (or other ethnic divisions), but David Brooks, in his NYTimes column this morning suggests that the primary division in our society currently, is a division of demography. He makes this point in the context of the Democratic party, but there is nothing in his thesis which limits it to political analysis or even limits it to a Democratic issue. He suggests that:

Fifty-five years ago, 80 percent of American television viewers, young and old, tuned in to see Milton Berle on Tuesday nights. Tens of millions, rich and poor, worked together at Elks Lodges and Rotary Clubs. Millions more, rural and urban, read general-interest magazines like Look and Life. In those days, the owner of the local bank lived in the same town as the grocery clerk, and their boys might play on the same basketball team. Only 7 percent of adult Americans had a college degree.

But that’s all changed. In the decades since, some social divides, mostly involving ethnicity, have narrowed. But others, mostly involving education, have widened. Today there is a mass educated class. The college educated and non-college educated are likely to live in different towns. They have radically different divorce rates and starkly different ways of raising their children. The non-college educated not only earn less, they smoke more, grow more obese and die sooner.

Retailers, home builders and TV executives identify and reinforce these lifestyle clusters. There are more niche offerings and fewer common experiences.
The ensuing segmentation has reshaped politics.

I think that Brooks makes an excellent, sociological point here; one that we can watch being played out in the Democratic primary (and to some extent we saw it play out in the Republican party as well.) It really is worth a read.