But I still think that in the absence of any
> alternative political presence in this country, many, if not most, Americans
> are left with a neurotic fear/disgust/etc. of/at those at the bottom of
> the heap.
There is yet another arena where those at the bottom of the economic ladder are held in disgust - that is spiritual disgust. I was listening to KPFK radio which is a Pacifica station in LA (supposedly representative of the left) last night and the guest (I don't remember her name) was a new age preacher who is expousing an old Protestant idea wrapped in new clothing that financial poverty is the result of spiritual poverty. She says that if we follow spiritual law we will "have" as much as we want, which obviously is a put down of the have-nots, ie it is YOUR OWN fault, your spiritual inferiority, if you are of the unmonied class. She went on (and on) suggesting ways to correct the spiritual inadequacies - like throwing away clothes that look worn, and always paying for a purchase with dollar bills instead of change. When asked what did she do with her spare change then, she answered "I throw it in the street". Whew! enough.
Maybe this New Age thing is still largely a west coast/Taos New Mexico phenomenon, but the gatherings, which used to be pricey enough to be affordable only by the middle class, are spreading to working class people who in these days of isolation find some sense of community at places like AGAPE and the Church of the Religious Science. A large part of what they are looking for is financial prosperity. They seem to believe that they can all become Bill Gates, if only they had the spiritual key!
Marta Russell