Highlights From The Comments On Class
Read the original on Astral Codex Ten →
Follows up on
↳ A Modest Proposal For Republicans: Use The Word "Class" — Essay · Feb 2021
↳ Book Review: Fussell On Class — Book review · Feb 2021
Summary
Rich companion to the Fussell-on-Class review. Real upper-class readers validate/complicate Fussell; the flower-class explanation (annuals vs perennials); the recurring 'why don't the uncool kids just declare themselves cool' puzzle; the Eastern-European intelligentsia perspective; the Simpsons-as-realistic-working-class debate; the Hawley/Republican-class-signaling thread; and Scott's coalition-theory analysis (Reagan & Democratic coalitions = the powerful keep power + the powerless get culture-war concessions).
Why this score
Quality 69 · Strong. Top of the companion band: genuinely substantive (the cool-kids puzzle + the coalition-building analysis are real Scott content), held below the 76 parent (ACX-068).
Claude’s paradigm shift 48 · Moderate. Notable: the powerful-keep-power/powerless-get-culture-war coalition framing.
Real-world impact 1 · Negligible. Within-discourse companion; negligible material reach. =1.