What happened
A recent report from the Pew Research Center found that 60% of Americans identify as working class, including half of college graduates and half of upper-income Americans. This shift in perception has led to a redefinition of what it means to be working class, with the modern socialist left embracing a broader economic definition that includes highly educated individuals with limited financial resources.
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, has campaigned on a platform of representing working people and addressing corporate power and economic inequality. However, critics argue that the credentialed left, which includes El-Sayed and other highly educated individuals, has co-opted the working-class identity without truly understanding or representing the interests of blue-collar Americans.
According to a membership survey by the Democratic Socialists of America, 80% of members aged 25 and older have bachelor's degrees, while 45% report household incomes below $60,000. This has led to the emergence of a new proletariat, dubbed the
