A Lumpenbourgeoisie

Scott Greer writes opinion at Highly Respected, today about the main group supporting Zohran Mamdani for NYC's mayor. He calls them the "lumpenbourgeoisie," which he defines thus. 

These are middle-class types who feel thwarted in some way. Some may have decent jobs, but still struggle to pay rent living in NYC or another big city. Others are NEETs (not in employment, education, or training) who live with their parents and have no job at all. They think they will not obtain the level of security as their parents, and they don’t see much of a path to advance. They may have a college degree, but it’s no ticket to the American dream.

We have overproduced college graduates, presuming there would always be a market for all of them. Our presumption was incorrect, and current developments in artificial intelligence (AI) will only make the situation worse.

Thousands major in the arts where there will be, at best, hundreds of jobs, and that only in a good year.  Tens of thousands more major in psychology, a field in which there are zero jobs for baccalaureate holders. Ditto sociology and anthropology. All are interesting, none have a bachelors career track.

Greer concludes:

The Left can count on the nothing to lose types to rally to its causes. Most lumpenbourgeoisie aren’t deranged enough to join Antifa. They’re simply young, middle-class Americans who feel the American dream is denied to them. If any kind of revolution happens in America, they will be its vanguard.

I may have unwittingly been a contributor to the overproduction of college grads, although when I retired most of my students got white collar jobs, many with good firms. Hat tip to Zero Hedge for the link.

Photo Alert

We've been here in WY maybe a month and a half and there have been deer in the back yard the whole time ... adult deer, that is. For some unknown reason, no fawns. 

A couple of days ago, a fawn finally appeared, with mama, of course. The other DrC has photos at her website, they're a bit blurry but still cute. She reports the little guy (or gal) has springs in it legs.

I suppose there is some deer hunting hereabouts but the real prize is an elk, there is serious meat in one of those. Elk don't hang out in the valley during the time we're here, when the snow melts they head for the hills ... literally. The deer seem to be here pretty much year round.

Later ... A day later another mama shows up, this one with twins. They're like twice as cute.

Musings

Today is the first day of the seventh month of 2025, we are halfway through this year. I am of two minds concerning it.

On the one hand, it has gone by quickly, seemingly as I get older time passes quicker. At my advanced age I likely don’t have decades of life left. 

On the other hand, with an activist President in office, there has been so much happening that it paradoxically feels like time as slowed down. Trump just packs a lot of action in every fortnight. 

As an avid news reader, I like a busy time as there is more to marvel at and ponder. One thing is for sure, I’m not bored. 

The Chinese supposedly considered the wish “May you live in interesting times” a curse. Maybe for some, but I love it a lot. 

Speaking of our President, his bombing Iran certainly added credibility to the threats he uses to juice his negotiating technique. When he says “get serious” those across the table had best listen up. Notice how nobody is saying TACO lately?

Harvard’s Offense

Writing for Power Line, Scott Johnson appends a copy of the government’s letter to Harvard in which it finds the university guilty of discrimination against Jewish students and Israelis. Here is a key paragraph from that letter.

Harvard’s inaction in the face of these civil rights violations is a clear example of the demographic hierarchy that has taken hold of the University. Equal defense of the law demands that all groups, regardless of race or national origin, are protected. Harvard’s commitment to racial hierarchies — where individuals are sorted and judged according to their membership in an oppressed group identity and not individual merit — has enabled anti-Semitism to fester on Harvard’s campus and has led a once great institution to humiliation, offering remedial math and forcing Jewish students to hide their identities and ancestral stories.

That is how to describe the woke/DEI obsession in goverment legalese.