Are you part of the creative class ?

From Lambert at Corrente an excellent post pointing out that $30.00 buys a lot of school lunches but not many lattes and croissants. All of Corrente's posts are really informative including one with pictures of Eight Belles down on the track looking at the camera, see Au revoir, cherie.

I was struck by one of the comments under Lambert's post on eating for a month on $30.00 Submitted by FrenchDoc on Mon, 2008-05-05 21:18. FD said something I have been trying to articulate about the left for many years now. Said it better than I have done. Think about this and go over to Corrente - there is much there worth reading.

Let’s face it, the “creative class” is part of what Leslie Sklair calls the transnational capitalist class, at least, its ideological component. They focus more on process and identity politics and are not the least interested in bread and butter issues.

Another sad realization of this primary.

Another comment, Submitted by elixir on Tue, 2008-05-06 09:48.
at Corrente under, "Must be my Irish Guilt":

...Taylor Marsh, “With Right Props and Stops, Clinton Turns Into Working Class Hero ”
This piece highlights a subtle but critical point about HRC, even though she doesn’t live the working class life, doesn’t pump her own gas, doesn’t make her own coffee and hasn’t had to worry about a paycheck for years - she gets it. She understands what people are going through and connects with them. That’s the difference between being “elite” and not. Elite is a mindset not a balance sheet.

For more go to Blue Lyon

Comment's on Anglachel's further clarify ..
missplcd - allowed. Thank you for the link.

Anglachel

May 18, 2008 9:14 AM


CMike said...
missplsd's Richard Florida link seems to dead end. I assume it was to somewhere like this.

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Florida, an academic whose field is regional economic development, explains the rise of a new social class that he labels the creative class. Members include scientists, engineers, architects, educators, writers, artists, and entertainers. He defines this class as those whose economic function is to create new ideas, new technology, and new creative content. In general this group shares common characteristics, such as creativity, individuality, diversity, and merit. The author estimates that this group has 38 million members, constitutes more than 30 percent of the U.S. workforce, and profoundly influences work and lifestyle issues.

The purpose of this book is to examine how and why we value creativity more highly than ever and cultivate it more intensely. He concludes that it is time for the creative class to grow up--boomers and Xers, liberals and conservatives, urbanites and suburbanites--and evolve from an amorphous group of self-directed while high-achieving individuals into a responsible, more cohesive group interested in the common good.
******************

Subsequently, he has been milking the cow with The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent and Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life.

Perhaps missplsd linked here.

May 18, 2008 1:24 PM


missplsd said...
Sorry I must have messed up the coding. I had actually intended to link to his biography at the consulting group he runs: http://creativeclass.com/richard_florida/

Florida's work has been widely criticized in urban planning circles for its intersection with neoliberal models of governance.

Anglachel, thank you for your grace. :)