How the woke transmit wealth and inequality

In al-Gharbi's take, what heightened 1960s US protests wasn't so much Vietnam War itself, or civil-rights. Only when college-enrolment ceased to afford draft-deferral did middle-class kids "radicalise".

The author deploys stats tables plus 100 pages of notes and references.

Evidencing America's latest Awokening, post 2011, he cites exploding numbers of BA holders, suddenly rising media coverage of prejudice and discrimination, heightened white-liberal advocacy around race and ethnicity.

Here's what's really driven the discontent: nearly half of upper-middle-class children born in the 1980s failed to replicate their class position by age 30.

Seeds for yet another Awokening exist. But (Table 2.1) most US job-growth through 2030 is lower-paid service occupations not plum college-track jobs. Implying tougher competition, over slimmer pickings.

Symbolic capitalists are "always" left of Americans generally. Awokenings intensify that.

The "social justice sinecures" in US universities and government don't equalise society. Decreasing socioeconomic equality has attended increasing gender equality.

Symbolic domination

As America angsts over the 1%, the 20% "opportunity hoard" to protect and bequeath their symbolic (and financial) capital.

At Table 3.3, which excludes government, America's production economy is still a big GDP value-add (44%) compared with the knowledge or "symbolic" economy (42%).

Yet symbolic-economy firms "largely own the rest of the economy and often dictate how it operates".

Their obliging professionals "set the pace…exerting immense influence over the shape, character, and trajectory of society". They can outsource mundane requirements like victuals – even sexual services – to disposable labour like minorities and migrants.

The academic (professoriate) class is "very different" to most Americans. Journalism, as in Australia, gets written "by and for the affluent".