I’ve written before about how the media has bizarrely insisted on asking us during this recession to cry for rich people who became slightly less rich, when millions of working people suffered much worse. But the stories just keep on coming!
Thankfully, David Sirota is knocking them down as quickly as they pop up — and reminding readers of the real truth of the economy:
No matter how blatant the empirical data are, now matter how much taxpayer cash is shoveled to Wall Street millionaires, no matter how many polls show the public doesn’t buy it, the national media will never, ever stop telling us that millionaires are persecuted. Why? My guess is visceral class solidarity. It’s the only force powerful enough to explain the meme’s persistence, and it makes sense: New York and D.C. journalists, most of whom are part of the ruling class, cannot bear to tell any other story than the sob story for the supposedly persecuted millionaire.
One recent example he points to is especially egregious — the Washington Post’s three-page (!) story from last Sunday of a Mastercard vice-president with a 4,000 square foot house who’s “Squeaking by on $300,000”:
“Morning,” says Laura Steins, 47, wearing a dark Armani suit and take-charge heels. Her blue eyes are lustrous and her skin is golden, and even with wet hair and no makeup, she radiates confidence.
But she’s months overdue for a visit to her colorist, a telltale sign of economic distress for a woman such as Steins…
“At my birthday party, every single girl had a phone,” says Katie Steins, making the case that an enV2 phone with matching cover is just standard in her crowd…
As tight as money is, she has decided that living in a 4,000-square-foot house on three acres is the practical thing to do. “A), I couldn’t sell the house right now,” she says, citing the slow real estate market. “B), this is where my kids go to school. And C), it’s where my job is.”…
Whatever fantasies the underclass may have of the good life — of small dogs in purses and Dolce and Gabbana — are not on display here. The rugs are worn. Milk is spilled. A Marmaduke of a beast named Tyson hovers at the table ready to snuffle up pork tenderloin from the plate of a distracted child. “Tyson!” says Steins.
Yes! Poor Laura Steins! She’s overdue to see her colorist! She can’t afford to buy her 10-year-old daughter a trendy new gadget! The article says she spends up to $10,000 a month on household help, but that’s still not enough to get her spilled milk wiped up instantly!
The indignity must be nearly too much for the poor woman to bear.
Meanwhile, after splashing Ms. Stein’s horror story across three pages, complete with an explanation of why she couldn’t just do the obvious thing — ditch the mansion (at a loss, probably, but them’s the breaks) and start living within her means — they report today on page A22 what the recession has done to the housing situation of the other 99%:
The proportion of homeowners delinquent on their mortgage or in foreclosure rose to its highest levels in at least four decades, according to industry data released Thursday, despite extensive government efforts to help borrowers and signs that the economy is starting to heal.
The problem has shifted from the subprime loans that helped spark the foreclosure crisis to borrowers driven into delinquency by unemployment, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, which issued the survey. The recession’s impact on the market could send foreclosure rates up through the end of next year, said Jay Brinkmann, the group’s chief economist.
“It is unlikely we will see meaningful reductions in the foreclosure and delinquency rates until the employment situation improves,” he said.
Those homeowners are probably having to force their kids to settle for a lot more than just last year’s cellphone. But while the privations of Laura Steins’ kids get the Post’s full attention, the privations of all those other kids — and their parents — are just another statistic.
Comments (1)
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Thanks, Jason.
Their hearts bleed for the rich, but turn cold at the day to deprivations working people endure.
Posted by TomP on August 21, 2009 at 3:31 PM
Posted on August 21, 2009 at 3:31 PM