There are many underlying reasons for the ongoing deterioration of the fortunes of the "underclass" but one aspect that doesn't get enough acknowledgement is cu

There are many underlying reasons for the ongoing deterioration of the fortunes of the "underclass" but one aspect that doesn't get enough acknowledgement is cultural change. In the 19th century society had extreme class divisions and it was a common sentiment among the upper classes that the lower classes were fundamentally (even perhaps genetically) inferior and deserved to be relegated to poverty. In the 20th century some of that changed a bit but then boomeranged back to an even more aggressively classist sentiment which started growing sometime around the 1980s and is now practically ubiquitous. That being something along the lines of "all is fair in love, war, and capitalism", the idea that the economy is a game and any behavior whatsoever is acceptable (within the law, -ish) so long as it follows from the foundational axioms of personal selfishness and greed it is seen as desirable behavior. Since the rich and powerful have all the wealth and the power this unequal situation tends to further amplify itself given such a values system. Even more disturbing is that this values change has seem to be paired with an aggressive demonization of and heartlessness towards the poor and infirm, even compared to 19th century norms. Today it's very common to hate the poor, the homeless, and the disabled as well as those injured by institutional iniquities and injustices. If anyone gets ground in the gears of capitalism, well, they probably deserved it. Also, why should we help the homeless and the poor when their lives are full of so many problems and they are so dirty and disgusting? That values system filters up all the way into the workforce. The worker is seen as justifiably powerless, a pawn or a cog, and if they are taken advantage of, well, they had the "choice" to not be taken advantage of, right? It's more than a little disturbing and disheartening that we've somehow managed to end up here.