> BTW, does anyone know what the "We are the 53% refers to? It's a
> tumbler site with people countering the 99% with their own claims
> about how they worked their ass off and are doing OK, and if not, then
> they don't whine about it.
The "53%" refers to the percentage of households who pay federal income tax (assuming the figure is correct, and it sounds right). The Right is obsessed with the fact that so many people pay zero federal income tax, even though most of those people pay lots of other federal, state and local taxes. It was dreamed up by Erick Erikson of RedState.com.
> I'm curious about how dynamics like this may have played out during
> the Depression. Anyone know?
Yes, it was exactly the same. If you're interested, check out Katherine Newman's book "Who Cares? Public Ambivalence and Government Activism from the New Deal to the Second Gilded Age," which has lots of material, including letters to the president from ordinary citizens that sound exactly like these 53% people.
SA