4 ms·

Now those of us with postgraduate degrees and who are in the elite of the Democratic Party live in our own Versailles, and we don’t know any working-class peopl

by remir 7y ago

Now those of us with postgraduate degrees and who are in the elite of the Democratic Party live in our own Versailles, and we don’t know any working-class people either—except perhaps the name of a barista at Starbucks or the woman who comes by at night to clean the office. I think this is one thing churches did really well; people from all social spheres coming together to serve their God. It didn't matter what job or status you had. Everybody was equal. I'm sure the same could be achieved today without the religious aspect as well. There's plenty of volunteering opportunities, for example. Being part of a amateur sports team can bring people from all classes together.

burlesona 7y ago
The churches that still exist often still do work this way, and there are still a lot of them, even in places like SF. They are shrinking, though.
InitialLastName 7y ago
Right, except that we've rebuilt a world where working-class people don't have time for leisure activities like amateur athletics and volunteerism due to the second full-time job they need to pay the rent.
- benrbray 7y ago
  Not to mention we've built great walls separating rich and poor in the form of highways, so the classes never share common ground, literally.
marcosdumay 7y ago
A long time ago churches did work that way. But during the last ~2 centuries, people of different classes would go into different churches nearer the place they live.
- organsnyder 7y ago
  Some churches are better than that at others, and I suspect this has always been the case (unless you go all the way back to churches in Paul's day or something like that). My church, which is home to a number of college professors, lawyers, and other overly-educated people, is soon to be celebrating a member receiving her high school diploma; she returned to school to finish it (she's in her mid-20s and has two kids) and is just taking initial steps to enter the workforce and try to get away from depending on public assistance.

by remir 7y ago

burlesona 7y ago

The churches that still exist often still do work this way, and there are still a lot of them, even in places like SF. They are shrinking, though.

InitialLastName 7y ago

Right, except that we've rebuilt a world where working-class people don't have time for leisure activities like amateur athletics and volunteerism due to the second full-time job they need to pay the rent.

benrbray 7y ago
Not to mention we've built great walls separating rich and poor in the form of highways, so the classes never share common ground, literally.

marcosdumay 7y ago

A long time ago churches did work that way. But during the last ~2 centuries, people of different classes would go into different churches nearer the place they live.

organsnyder 7y ago
Some churches are better than that at others, and I suspect this has always been the case (unless you go all the way back to churches in Paul's day or something like that). My church, which is home to a number of college professors, lawyers, and other overly-educated people, is soon to be celebrating a member receiving her high school diploma; she returned to school to finish it (she's in her mid-20s and has two kids) and is just taking initial steps to enter the workforce and try to get away from depending on public assistance.