Cause for populism?

This was a succinct, IMO, summary of the trend to populism thinking and voting world-wide but I wonder if it is accurate? Great minds here to consider and advise please. Anyone read this book?


Source: https://www.mauldineconomics.com/fro...eflection-week

"Fareed Zakaria writes [in the Washington Post] about Michael Lind’s book, The New Class War.

Explaining why so many people across the West have rejected the government establishment, Michael Lind writes, “The issue is not the issue. . .  The issue is power. Social power exists in three realms — government, the economy, and the culture. Each of these three realms of social power is the site of class conflict.” In all three, leaders tend to be urban, college-educated professionals, often with a postgraduate degree. That makes them quite distinct from much of the rest of the country. Only 36 percent of Americans have a bachelor’s degree, and only 13 percent have a master’s or more. And yet, the top echelons everywhere are filled with this “credentialed overclass.”

How does that relate to our current crisis? Fareed writes:

Imagine you are an American who works with his hands—a truck driver, a construction worker, an oil rig mechanic—and you have just lost your job because of the lockdowns, as have more than 36 million people. You turn on the television and hear medical experts, academics, technocrats, and journalists explain that we must keep the economy closed—in other words, keep you unemployed—because public health is important. All these people making the case have jobs, have maintained their standards of living and in fact are now in greater demand. They feel as though they are doing important work. You, on the other hand, have lost your job. You feel a sense of worthlessness, and you’re terrified about your family’s day-to-day survival. Is it so hard to understand why people like this might be skeptical of the experts?"

Working class people justifiably feel no one has their back--you know, social Darwinism and all that it entails. Europe does a much better job of supporting its citizens. https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronav...ab-11587547802

This crisis has made me more populist. Elites are deciding things such as I have to handle cash at work - they never touch the stuff - and complaining, "I lost both my nannies and my housekeeper" while they get to work from home and I can't. Safety is not taken seriously in my workplace. Two weeks after we reopened the doors the promised plexiglass barriers are still not installed and no date for when they will be, because that only imperils the frontline workers.

Outside work high risk people who are retired and could stay home go out for recreational shopping, restaurant meals, etc. If I can't control my risks and other people don't control theirs when they can, why even try? Last night I crossed a state border and got a haircut and a pair of good quality shoes I need to go on walks comfortably. I felt a lot safer than I do in my home state. Businesses were not crowded and credit cards were mandated, no cash allowed. What a concept!

I would add to the original point that the same workers who are now not working are part of the same large group of people who have seen plenty of friends and family members lose their jobs as factories have been moved overseas over the past 30-whatever years. These ‘experts’ have been harming them for decades.

Quote:

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Imagine you are an American who works with his hands—a truck driver, a construction worker, an oil rig mechanic—and you have just lost your job because of the lockdowns, as have more than 36 million people. You turn on the television and hear medical experts, academics, technocrats, and journalists explain that we must keep the economy closed—in other words, keep you unemployed—because public health is important. All these people making the case have jobs, have maintained their standards of living and in fact are now in greater demand. They feel as though they are doing important work. You, on the other hand, have lost your job. You feel a sense of worthlessness, and you’re terrified about your family’s day-to-day survival. Is it so hard to understand why people like this might be skeptical of the experts?"

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most other 1st world countries paid people to deal with this often through their jobs, paid people to furlough, there was no issue with overwhelmed unemployment systems etc. (they maybe also had plans for the pandemic). Does he talk about this. If not, and he's making bad public policy about skepticism of experts, well ok, this is scapegoating.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/o...ez-zucman.html