Nobody From Our Class

A few years ago, I had dinner with a friend and his parents, both self-avowed socialists who were passionate about their beliefs.

At the time, I had rececently been working at a tech company that served local service professionals. A few months prior, I had attended a conference in Vegas dedicated to plumbers, electricians, and HVAC technicians. As we sat down to dinner at my apartment, I asked my friend’s father, “Did any of your friends from growing up go into the skilled trades?”

“The skilled what?” he asked.

“Skilled trades. You know, plumbing, electrical work, roofing.”

“Oh no,” he replied casually. “Nobody from our class did that.”

Nobody from our class. What a revealing comment.

A flash of anger surged through me. My heart quickened. The comment was deeply off-putting—offensive, even. Here I was, dedicating countless hours to support people whose physically demanding labor ensures we have running water and functioning toilets. Yet, this professed socialist saw plumbing as low-class, beneath himself and his peers.

What frustrated me most was the hypocrisy. This man had enjoyed an incredibly privileged life -- wealthy upbringing, private schools, a comfortable career leading a nonprofit funded by affluent friends. Had he ever genuinely interacted with working-class people? What exactly did he mean by “our class”? Isn’t socialism supposed to eradicate class distinctions?

Since that conversation, I’ve become curious about how the left views the working class. When my liberal friends discuss their politics, they often emphasize helping “the poor.” But who exactly do they envision? Do they mean electricians and housekeepers—or are they thinking mainly of the homeless, mentally ill, or disabled?

Many liberals I know pride themselves on being compassionate, yet they often seem detached from the daily realities of working-class life. Few volunteer regularly, and fewer still give substantially to charity. Their social circles tend to be mostly college-educated, white-collar professionals. Often, their political outlook boils down to a simple belief—that higher taxes and government programs automatically help "the poor."

But history shows something different. Most meaningful improvements in our standard of living—better jobs, higher wages, cheaper goods—have come primarily from entrepreneurship, innovation, and the free market, rather than from government intervention or higher taxes.

Take indoor plumbing, for example. It wasn’t created by government decree. The pipes and fixtures we use daily were developed by entrepreneurs, pipe-makers, and plumbers—people who built businesses, solved problems, and created jobs.

When indoor plumbing was first introduced, only wealthy people could afford it. But over time, through innovation, competition, and market forces, it became affordable for virtually all Americans. Today indoor plumbing isn't a luxury—it's a standard expectation, even among working-class households.

Many leftists overlook these historical truths, defaulting to beliefs, like "trickle-down economics don’t work," or stating that the world “doesn’t need another billionaire.” They seem to forget that lasting improvements in people’s lives generally stem from job creation and economic growth, forces that rarely come just from the government.

To be clear, I don’t doubt my liberal friends' sincerity or good intentions. Most genuinely want to help the least fortunate. But sincerity without meaningful engagement, openness to different ideas, or understanding of economic realities risks creating misconceptions and alienation rather than genuine progress.

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A few weeks ago, at an event on Memorial Day, they asked if anyone in the congregation had served in the military. Out of roughly 300 people present, just one stood up. This isn't unusual among the coastal elite. Almost nobody joins the military, becomes a police officer, or serves as a firefighter. In New York, the people holding these roles live primarily in the outer boroughs—Staten Island, the Bronx, Queens—areas that are increasingly voting Republican. My lefty friends repeatedly dismiss these voters as “uninformed.”

But what if this is completely backward? What makes my college-educated liberal friends more “informed” about working-class needs? Why do they presume to know what’s best for “poor people”? Contrary to stereotypes, conservatives consistently give more to charity, volunteer more frequently, and even donate more blood. The numbers are actually quite stark. Households headed by conservatives give 30 percent more to charity than households headed by liberals. If liberals and moderates gave blood as often as conservatives, the American blood supply would increase by 45 percent. (Source) So why do liberals still see themselves as the compassionate ones…?

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Much has been written lately about how Democrats are losing the working class. The reasons seem clear enough to me. The American Dream—the notion that through hard work, honesty, and persistence, success is attainable—has become almost antithetical to today's Democratic messaging. From the left, we increasingly hear that the American Dream is dead, meritocracy is rigged, and government intervention is the best solution.

Imagine you’re a plumber who skipped college to complete a physically demanding apprenticeship, working 16-hour days to build a livelihood for your family. Then you hear your tax dollars might relieve the debt of someone who pursued a master's degree in feminist theory. How would that feel?

It feels clear to me why the working class is shifting rightward. The left’s intense focus on identity politics, DEI mandates, intersectionality, and ever-growing regulations, including wage controls on small businesses, fails to resonate with the hammer-wielding, hard-working backbone of America.

Democrats—whether they admit it or not—have become the party of elites: elite institutions, elite educations, elite jobs, elite identities. There's an absence of genuine service-oriented values and an overemphasis on identity-driven politics. Until Democrats address this disconnect, they'll likely continue losing ground. Political analysts largely agree (some articles with analysis can be found here, here, here, and here). They report that the Democrats' embrace of globalist, neoliberal policies alienated their historical working-class base. They prioritized educated professionals and affluent suburbanites over the manual workers they once championed. When my friend’s father said plumbing was beneath his “class,” he inadvertently reflected a broader Democratic failing. The resentment this creates isn't just economic -- it's cultural and personal.

I grew up proudly Democrat, assuming I’d remain one forever. But witnessing this disregard for honest, hard-working Americans shifted something deep within me. As I've spent more and more time with people on the right - I've encountered a thoroughly different outlook. I've observed a norm of deep respect for those who perform manual labor, a genuine appreciation of how each of us plays a vital role in keeping society functioning.

This outlook resonates. I frequently find myself feeling humbled as I walk through city streets, noticing all the hardworking people around me: lifting heavy bags of trash, sweeping sidewalks, preparing food in carts, braving heat, cold, and long hours on their feet. And what do I do? I sit comfortably at my desk in an air-conditioned room, attending meetings over Zoom. The contrast feels stark.

Recently, I’ve been having flashbacks to a conversation I had a few years ago during a ride-along with a plumber. Between appointments, I took him out for lunch. As we sat over our burritos, I asked him, “When people ask you what you do for a living, what do you say?”

Without hesitation, he replied, “I help people.”

“Everyone needs plumbing,” he continued. “Everyone needs a toilet. So I tell them I help people.”

I help people. Those simple, humble words resonated with me. What a powerful way to see one’s role in society -- grounded not in status or class, but in genuine service to others.

How wonderful would it be if we could all view plumbers that way.