VDH ping ...
As the US becomes more like the USSR, where hard work mattered less than faction and connection, it’s not surprising that the morale of the white working class would drop. That would correlate with an increase in alcohol, drug, and caloric abuse.
Calling it “the middle class” is contrary to American
values: it is not a “class” because middle income folks
have the possibility of achieving higher income at any time.
( at least before big O’s tenure)