It is generally accepted that globalization and technological changes are primarily responsible for rising inequality and stagnant wages for workers in this country. It occurred to me yesterday, however, that the impact of computers has actually been more pervasive than that, and from a political perspective, has been even more toxic.
The increasing use of computers in manufacturing has changed the nature of work that has traditionally been done by strong, skilled men. What computers do, essentially, is devalue both physical strength and the kind of craftsmanship and expertise that results from years of experience. That means the job you had twenty years ago can be done today by a technician or even by (banish the thought!) women. That in turn results in a loss of status and self-esteem. Your wife may well earn more now than you do.
What do you do if you’re a man in this position? You find someone to blame; complaining about computers obviously isn’t very emotionally satisfying. Illegal immigrants! Foreigners! Feminazis! Minorities! They’re all picking your pocket and taking cuts in line! Something has to be done!
And so you wind up driving a big black pickup truck with a Trump sticker and a Confederate flag and spewing black smoke in the face of everyone else on the road. You still have your testosterone and your swagger. It’s all that’s left to you.