Social democracies fail working class
Social democracy has been the de facto form of government in the United States since the Great Depression and was adopted in virtually all of the developed world following World War II. This form of government focuses on promoting social justice through government intervention while maintaining a capitalist mixed economy. Many Americans have a hard time acknowledging this because they are terrified of the word “socialism.” Yet the fact of the matter is that every Democratic and Republican administration in the past century has expanded the country’s safety net and advocated for social reforms.
In recent years, social democracies have mainly focused on protecting underrepresented minorities, women, immigrants, the poor and the LGBT community. At the same time, technological advancements and automation have destroyed many well-paying jobs traditionally held by bluecollar workers.
The defenders of social democracy, who claim to fight for giving everybody an equal chance to succeed, have done very little to step in and protect this specific sector of the working class. This has created a high level of economic anxiety for this socioeconomic group, which was financially stable and successful a few decades ago. As they see their American dream fail year after year, they feel left out to dry by a system no longer working for them. Elected officials, especially those from the left, are trying to fix the problem by making two- and four-year colleges more accessible to young people and by adding more computer science and technical education to high school curriculum. These solutions do not really accommodate the needs of most middle-aged, blue-collar workers who have families to support and can’t go back to school without an equivalent income while they complete their education.
Blue-collar workers are in denial that the true reason for their collapse is that technology has made their skills unmarketable. They are choosing to put the blame of their downfall on high taxes, regulations, globalization and immigrants taking their jobs.
Since no one wants to feel obsolete, it is understandable why they would see the world that way. These forgotten workers have grown angry at their governments and have turned to far right movements. Such nationalist movements are promising them easy, unrealistic solutions to very complicated issues. Sadly, workers are believing them out of desperation and fear for their future and the future of their children. Blue-collar workers are proud people who do not want anything handed to them for free by the government. All they want is the right to work and earn a comfortable wage. Their elected officials have ignored their needs, goals and aspirations for years.
The blue-collar workers’ backlash to social democracy is being felt all over the industrialized world. In Britain, Brexiters appealed to the working class by blaming their economic disadvantages on the EU regulations. All over Europe, far right groups have made significant gains at all levels of government by gaining blue-collar votes.
Here in the United States, many unionized workers have turned their backs on the Democratic Party and have embraced Donald Trump. It is a shame that workers feel better represented by a multimillionaire whose private jet has gold-plated fixtures in the bathroom than by the party that is supposed to represent workers’ rights.
To save themselves from far-right authoritarian forms of government, social democracies will need to find new and creative ways to extend their social justice protections to the working class. They need to hold corporations who eliminate jobs due to automation accountable for the future of the employees whose jobs are being terminated. They need to ensure that workers who fall behind due to the rapidly moving technological advances are given the training necessary to succeed in this new economy. Workers need to feel that their representatives are working as hard on their behalf as they are for all those other underrepresented groups who also need protection.