I don't think that's the claim at all; Rather that there is a common but unrealistic, if not downright dishonest, narrative about opportunity and working class

I don't think that's the claim at all; Rather that there is a common but unrealistic, if not downright dishonest, narrative about opportunity and working class jobs and it is doing a disservice to people. It's also plausibly a tool for people in other economic sectors to pretend any problems these people have are "their own fault". I think that thesis is pretty defensible. Clearly a liberal arts, or for that matter professional, degree isn't for everyone. On the other hand, pretending that some sort of idealized working class living exists in the US today for anyone who just wants it enough and will work hard is disingenuous at best. There has been a lot of cynically dishonest political rhetoric around these topics in recent decades.