[DanZ]

Drawing on five decades of statistics and research, Coming Apart demonstrates that a new upper class and a new lower class have diverged so far in core behaviors and values that they barely recognize their underlying American kinship—divergence that has nothing to do with income inequality and that has grown during good economic times and bad.

The top and bottom of white America increasingly live in different cultures, Murray argues, with the powerful upper class living in enclaves surrounded by their own kind, ignorant about life in mainstream America, and the lower class suffering from erosions of family and community life that strike at the heart of the pursuit of happiness. That divergence puts the success of the American project at risk.

Yes, In America this may be a new Phenomena

We did have some of this in the 1890-1920 era. Oil, Railroads

In the rest of the world outside of Europe this class bifurcation is pretty normal. Venezuela is just a more recent example where the bifurcation is causing revolution

Lenin took advantage of this same dynamic, Land owning royalty vs. the kulaks.

Most oh history is this 90% serfs,9% merchants,Laity, other professionals and 0.5 - 1% rulers.

[kabar]

In the rest of the world outside of Europe this class bifurcation is pretty normal.

First of all, it is happening now in Europe. The point that Murray is making, normal or not for the Third World, is that this is a mortal threat to our Republic and the vision of our Founders. As Murray points out, this is not a matter of class and income inequality, it is growing chasm in terms of culture and moral values.