The Imperial Middle: Why Americans Can't Think Straight About Class

Examines the concept of America as a classless society and reveals the social and political problems associated with the myth

In a ringing indictment, DeMott ( Surviving the Seventies ) attacks the myth that the U.S. is a classless society. Denying that class differences exist, that we all belong to the middle class, robs us of personal knowledge, whitewashes the prevalence of unearned advantages and perpetuates social wrongs, charges the author. He analyzes in detail the media's masking of class differences, with examples ranging from The Cosby Show to the "Baby M" surrogate mother case. He debunks the idea that schools are "fairness zones" free of unearned privilege, and dissects the "omni syndrome" (the myth that "each has access to all"), a syndrome supposedly shared by Peace Corps volunteers, aspiring rock singers and gentleman farmers. As an antidote to the presumption of classlessness, DeMott turns to the pretension-puncturing "talkback" of stand-up comics and actors. He calls for a reassessment of our laws and institutions to gauge the extent to which they foster class advantage or disadvantage.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Motivated by the juices of righteous anger, DeMott (humanities, Amherst Coll.) inveighs against the notion that American society is classless. Classlessness is a "lie" and a "myth" that has historically caused "fearful moral and social damage." With equal heat, he rips the middle class--the so-called "imperial middle"--as arrogant, condescending, demeaning, and fatuous. Ultimately, DeMott wants recognition and appreciation of class differences in all areas of society: economic, political, legal, intellectual, etc. An interesting work, but, like similiar ones, including Barbara Ehrenreich's Fear of Falling ( LJ 8/89), it tends to be reductive about this complex topic. Still, recommended for subject collections.
- Kenneth F. Kister, Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.