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Title: One Nation, After All : What Americans Really Think About God, Country, Family, Racism, Welfare, Immigration, Homosexuality, Work, The Right, The Left and Each Other by Alan Wolfe ISBN: 0-14-027572-X Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: March, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 2.75 (8 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: First-rate Observations of American Values
Comment: Wolfe's study is the largest survey of American political and moral beliefs ever made. Calling it the "Middle Class Morality Project," Wolfe surveyed and interviewed two hundred middle-class people in 8 different suburbs from across the nation. His goal was to find out what they really believe about such "hot-topic" issues as: prayer in schools, homosexual unions, immigration, welfare, abortion, and flag-burning.
We all know how much political and media "spin" accompanies such issues. In the conservatives' version, America is engaged in a "kulturkampf" (culture war) between sensible Norman Rockwell-esque folk and an enclave of "new-class" libertines who control Hollywood, the Ivy League schools, and the news media. The left-wing responds by conjuring up a heartland full of racists, misogynists, and religious maniacs.
Wolfe, however, is among the first to really study empirically what Americans actually think. His results are surprising and reassuring.
A testimony to the sincerity of this book are the recomendations on its back cover. There's blurbs from deceased Sen. Paul Wellstone (one the Hill's most notorious leftists), Bill Bennet (right-wing crusader for moral virtue), and E.J. Dionne (the Washington Post's center-left Catholic columnist). In a word: Left, Right, and Center can all appreciate what Wolfe's got to say
Wolfe's middle-class America is characterized by "quiet faith" and "modest virtues." It endorses immigration, but opposes bilingualism in schools (even integrated Latinos oppose it). This middle-class does not so much foment against welfare as it values a work-ethic. Whatever animus middle-class whites have towards the African American poor, for example, does not include black families who own homes, work regularly, and commit to stable family life. In other words, class--and not race--is the crucial factor. And Wolfe's interviewees draw sharp lines between the deserving and undeserving poor (between the homeless schizophrenic and the back alley drug dealer).
By and large, respondents were open to social work and "soft" interventions by government. Many interviewees, including self-described "conservatives" support more government-provided health care. But most repondents also support strict policing, including widespread enthusiasm for the death penalty.
Liberals will be happy to know that those surveyed overwhelmingly support women working outside the home. They also oppose male chauvanism. Also, while many reported high levels of patriotism, most opposed a constitutional amendment to outlaw flag-buring. While hesitant to criticize divorcees, they worry about the fragility of family life and the complex cultural challenges their children face.
Some critics of the study (even, to some extent, its author) have been saddened by how middling the results are. Yet middling is just what America needs. Instead of the gadflys and trouble-makers who make the news, most Americans desperately want an end to boat-rocking. Michael Newdow, the California activist who opposes "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is an ideal example of the sorts of people most of those surveyed oppose. Yet the same goes for Republican intellectual's so-called culture wars. Middle-class Americans are instead notably tolerant and disinclined to involve themselves in such partisan controversies. Suburbanites across the nation are wary of both right-wing preachers and bleeding-heart liberals.
In essence, middle-class Americans are pluralist nationalists who feel (somewhat naively, perhaps) that we all share bedrock cultural characteristics. They want leaders who can unite Americans and not divide them. Let's hope their wish comes true.
ONE LAST NOTE: Other reviewers of this book have really done it a disservice. Ignore the one- and two-star reviewers complaining about Wolfe's writing style. This book's intended audience are people who are fairly smart (but not rocket-scientists) familiar with basic kinds of polling techniques. Such people will find its writing clear and straight-forward. It is an invaluable resource for people interested in politics or demographics.
Rating: 2
Summary: Couldn't finish the book...
Comment: When I arrived in the United States, I thought this book could help me to understand better Americans' opinions. Although I'm a good reader and I have been studying sociology in college, I couldn't finish the book! I found it very slow. Besides, conclusions are rarely clear. I understand that it's very hard to give a clear image of a heterogeneous country, but if you go so much into details it might become misleading!
Rating: 4
Summary: Thorough insight into middle class america
Comment: I had to read this book for my introductory Sociology class, and did so purely out of requirement. However, what I found was that I actually liked the book. It was excellently written and the research behind it was sound. It offers a glimpse into the American middle class that is both interesting and important. I look forward to reading more books by Alan Wolfe.
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Title: The Transformation of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith by Alan Wolfe ISBN: 0743228391 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 04 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: Moral Freedom: The Search for Virtue in a World of Choice by Alan Wolfe ISBN: 0393323021 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: April, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: One Nation, Two Cultures : A Searching Examination of American Society in the Aftermath of Our Cultural Revolution by Gertrude Himmelfarb ISBN: 0375704108 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 30 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: The New American Reality: Who We Are, How We Got Here, Where We Are Going (Census Research Series, 1990) by Reynolds Farley ISBN: 0871542390 Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation Pub. Date: September, 1998 List Price(USD): $18.50 |
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Title: The Radical Center : The Future of American Politics by Michael Lind, Ted Halsted ISBN: 0385720297 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 08 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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