Paul Fussell, Class **

As a palate cleanser following The Magic Mountain, I picked up this short "guide through the American status system" written "with eagle-eyed irreverence and iconoclastic wit."

I am interested in the subject of social class for two reasons. First, I'm curious about how one's social class influences one's worldview and tastes (cf. Let's Talk About Love). Second, I see how today's political climate weaponizes class distinctions (cf. What's the Matter with Kansas?).

Unfortunately, Class has no insights about these or any other topics. It is merely a compendium of social class signifiers circa 1983, from accent to choice of musical instrument. Some of Fussell's general observations remain valid, but nearly all of the specific ones are painfully outdated. More importantly, though, he doesn't even attempt to address the role of social class (and judgements about social class) in American society. In the final chapter, Fussell offers the ludicrous idea that you can escape the class hierarchy by becoming a bohemian hipster.

A personal confession: I personally feel secure in my social position, which makes me upper-middle class by Fussell's definition. However, I do suffer from a form of class status anxiety: I'm in a different class than most of my peers, not in terms of wealth but culturally. I attend the Monterey Jazz Festival rather than Scorpions concerts; I go sailing rather than motorcycle riding; I favor art films over Marvel movies; I read things like The Magic Mountain. My theoretically higher status tastes don't make me feel superior, they make me feel out of place. I wish Class had had something to say about my predicament instead of just mocking people who wear baseball caps.