[lbo-talk] "Creative Class War"

[Doug Henwood]

alex lantsberg wrote:

>http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0401.florida.html
>
>Creative Class War
>How the GOP's anti-elitism could ruin America's economy
>
>By Richard Florida
>
>-------------------------
>
>i know that doug (and others from both the left and right) don't have much
>use for florida's brand of analysis but i'm not entirely certain that he's
>entirely off the mark.

I think he generally overestimates the economic influence of the 
"creative class," but more broadly, I think the provincialism, 
paranoia, and general cretinousness of the Bush regime is very 
damaging, even in the bourgeois sense. Meanness and stupidity are 
going to make it more and more difficult to reproduce the labor force.

When I was coming back from London, I was sickened by the Homeland 
Security signs, notifying foreigners they had to be photographed and 
fingerprinted. I sailed through immigration & customs; the 
non-citizens had to cope with what looked like a 30-minute line. One 
of the more admirable things about the U.S. has been its relative 
openness to foreigners (yes, I know there's lots of hypocrisy here, 
but still, it sure beats a lot of other attitudes). The Bushies have 
pretty much strangled that, and I can't imagine it becoming a serious 
political issue right now.

Doug