You know, I’ve got to be honest with you about something. I’ve heard enough complaining from white men this year to last me a lifetime.
Donald Trump and, perhaps more poignantly, Steve Bannon, have managed to validate and otherwise legitimize what is perhaps one of the most illegitimate grievances ever put forth in the history of civilized society: the idea that white males in America are getting the short end of the stick.
That is so patently absurd that it eludes all attempts to lampoon it. The entire history of this country is built on overt white privilege and various manifestations of misogyny.
Given that, you’d think it would take a hell of a lot in terms of shifting dynamics for white males to start complaining. But apparently that’s not the case because if we’ve learned anything in 2017, it’s that all it takes is one racist, misogynistic President lending credence to the myth of white male dispossession to get old white men riled up at the prospect of social mobility for anyone who is i) not white, ii) a women or “worse” iii) a woman who isn’t white.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but the myth of white male dispossession is just about the most far-fetched narrative imaginable. But then again, so is “President Donald Trump”, so I guess one absurd narrative begets another.
Anyway, on Monday we brought you the latest post from Notes From Disgraceland entitled “Rage Capital Is Ready For Picking: Identity Crises And Four Modes Of Misogyny,” and we wanted to follow that up on Tuesday with the following brief excerpt from a Wells Fargo note and the graph that accompanies it. We’ll present these without further comment because everything said above should suffice when it comes to editorializing:
Girl With the Draggin’ W-2
Women still earn just 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. While this frequently cited figure is accurate, it is somewhat blunt in its measurement. Career choice and hours worked explain some, but not all of the difference. In our special report earlier this year that explored the gender gap, we found that even among full-time working men and women in the same fields, men earn more in nearly every occupation category. Closing the gender pay gap is a way for businesses to boost profits and tap a deeper pool of talent. For the larger economy, narrowing the pay gap could draw more women into the workforce and increase labor force participation, an oft-cited factor in explaining below-trend GDP growth.
