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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
I'd been really looking forward to this, having seen a fair bit of McGarvey on Twitter and on podcasts. It's fair to say that much of what he writes about mirrors a lot of my own thoughts on class and the state of the nation. In general terms I think his arguments in this book are strong, and the points he is trying to make are broadly correct but I think there is something in the execution, and also in the final analysis which turns this from a great book to a good one.
The central premise of this book is that the people who make decisions about working class lives are not working class, and due to a lack of proximity to working class lives are unable to make good decisions. Whilst there is an awful lot of anger in this book, I think McGarvey is charitable in his general approach that the problem is that the middle class and establishment class isn't that they are bad people, more that they don't understand. I think he is giving some absolute ghouls in the nation a free pass to be honest.
I've seen quite a lot of reviews which describe this as hard-hitting, as unflinching, as difficult. I didn't get that really, and I think I know why. I'm from a working-class background, although I am in a professional role now so I know exactly who he is talking about and the problems working class people and communities face. He's talking about people I know, my family, the people I grew up with. And I guess, this is the thing - I am not sure working class people are the audience for this. If you're working class much of this will be, 'well tell me something I don't know'. This book is for middle class people, particularly on the left, but not exclusively to say, 'this is the reality of working class lives and you need to see this to understand'.
The first half of the book are chapters portraying different elements of working class life and how class impacts outcomes. There are chapters on land, employment, housing, community, health outcomes, drug and alcohol, immigration and media depictions of working class people amongst others. McGarvey's premise is that, 'you people who don't know us, decide things about us'. I can see how these chapters can be an eye opener, and they should make people angry, and people with privilege should reflect on how their privilege can cause harm to others (this is something I reflect on personally often).
The chapters are strong, if little new. I guess a minor criticism is that I would like actual people's voices to be stronger in the chapters. In some respects they seem like a background to McGarvey's argument rather than the focus. I guess his writing style can be a bit of a challenge sometimes too, with some sentences being a little more overwrought than they need to which means the read isn't as snappy as it could be.
The second half of the book is a bit hit and miss really, and focuses on his analysis of the problems which impact proximity, and some of his solutions. Some of the chapters are superb, but some I was just scratching my head. The most glaring omission I guess, is that there are no chapters or analysis about how working class people could organise and develop strong communities independently of the middle class. It's clear McGarvey knows there are abundant strengths in working class culture and communities, and I know he will have a sense of pride in his culture, but it never really comes through strong.
The chapter on the Left felt a confused mess in some respects. He quite rightly critiques elements of the left for not speaking to and for working class concerns but it is like he is mirroring the (white) 'Red Wall' concerns of 'not being listened to and forgotten about'. He critiques the Left as a broad brush but it's clear he is talking about different elements whilst treating it all as a single entity. So I could read his thinly veiled critique of middle class media commentators like Owen Jones. I could read his criticism of Marxist-Leninists and their party above all perspective.
I could read his criticism of the 'social justice warrior online activist' and the assumed 'purity test of who is the most woke' and yet at the same time, whilst criticising class reductionism, he engages in it often. It was quite frustrating to interpret concerns over identity politics as being of less value than class because that kind of attitude is what leads to a 'class above all' perspective and throwing minorities under the bus (I get it - particularly with online activists taking their politics from America and telling white working class men in poverty and food and housing insecurity all about their privilege). His chapter on the Left would be so much better if he hadn't distilled all of it into generalisations.
What I did like about his chapter on the Left is how the left always assumes victimhood on behalf of the working class and minorities - that everything that happens to them is systemic and how personal responsibility is never factored in. It's an open goal to the right wing, and to be fair most working class people too. McGarvey is pulling on his experience of addiction, of writing and other stuff he has done - yes we are all responsible for our lives, and responsible for the shit we do or do not. That doesn't dismiss the system factors that make some things harder or easier for us.
Similarly, his chapter on populism and the Brexit vote leaves a lot to be desired. It's an oft-repeated mantra that the working class voted for Brexit due to 'not being listened to'. It's a free pass to why people voted the way they did. Immigration was the primary reason for Leave voters - not anything else really. Likewise, whilst more working class people voted Leave than Remain, what is missing from this analysis was that the working class vote was heavily skewed towards older and retired people and particular home owners in the working class - i.e. people with a working class background. What's missing in the analysis is that in the cities (where working class people live), amongst the youth (who are disproportionately poorer) and amongst minorities (who skew working class) they all voted Remain more heavily. It's really lazy analysis to say 'poor people weren't listened to and voted Leave'. It's the argument of the Right wing, even though I could buy into the incredulity he shared at Remain voters and the sense it was the first time they didn't get their way.
I kind of always get uneasy when groups of people take shifts to the right and it is written off as Populism and the middle classes fault. It's the middle classes who vote in right wing governments and support their policies too.
I did love his chapter on New Labour and there were some very interesting insights. What I did find uncomfortable (particularly because it is an area which I want to support and know a few people in) is the 'professionalism of working class support' and how the managerial class through think tanks, third sectors and charities are all having careers supporting the 'disadvantaged'. I agree with his assessment, and it's not lost on me that I am far more likely to get involved here as a working class person who has learnt the language, rather than when I was living in poverty. Indeed, I often join groups of similar people and they are committed to making a difference and good people BUT I can't help think they are predominantly middle class, white and professional. I always feel uneasy in these spaces, and these are the good guys working with communities who need help. If I do, what about the people they support?
His final analysis of what we do next ranges from the realistic to the never going to happen, but they are concerns I share, particularly around education, politics and the workplace. He's essentially calling for the advantages of private education to be abolished (strong agree) and worker representation in boardrooms and a second chamber of experts and normal people replacing the House of Lords - essentially a democratisation of our structures.
His closing remarks made me smile, because he reflects on his own life and having a few quid and his leaving his class. After reading a few hundred pages pouring vitriol on the middle classes and their thinking, there were a lot of places in the book where I felt uncomfortable because he was on the nose. I smile, because he's open about the circles he moves in. He's more cash, more privilege and far more middle class than me know with his media connections so in every page where he's railing about the middle class he's clearly reflecting on himself too. I strongly admire his honesty and his awareness of his culture and background and who he is now. It's sad, because I sense he is like a lot of working class people who have moved up - I know I will never fit in with middle class people, but I know I am different from the man I grew up as.
A good book, with solid arguments. For some this will leave you angry and be a call to reflect and change. Sadly, it's probably not the book for me, but I hope it gets a large audience with those who need to read it.
The central premise of this book is that the people who make decisions about working class lives are not working class, and due to a lack of proximity to working class lives are unable to make good decisions. Whilst there is an awful lot of anger in this book, I think McGarvey is charitable in his general approach that the problem is that the middle class and establishment class isn't that they are bad people, more that they don't understand. I think he is giving some absolute ghouls in the nation a free pass to be honest.
I've seen quite a lot of reviews which describe this as hard-hitting, as unflinching, as difficult. I didn't get that really, and I think I know why. I'm from a working-class background, although I am in a professional role now so I know exactly who he is talking about and the problems working class people and communities face. He's talking about people I know, my family, the people I grew up with. And I guess, this is the thing - I am not sure working class people are the audience for this. If you're working class much of this will be, 'well tell me something I don't know'. This book is for middle class people, particularly on the left, but not exclusively to say, 'this is the reality of working class lives and you need to see this to understand'.
The first half of the book are chapters portraying different elements of working class life and how class impacts outcomes. There are chapters on land, employment, housing, community, health outcomes, drug and alcohol, immigration and media depictions of working class people amongst others. McGarvey's premise is that, 'you people who don't know us, decide things about us'. I can see how these chapters can be an eye opener, and they should make people angry, and people with privilege should reflect on how their privilege can cause harm to others (this is something I reflect on personally often).
The chapters are strong, if little new. I guess a minor criticism is that I would like actual people's voices to be stronger in the chapters. In some respects they seem like a background to McGarvey's argument rather than the focus. I guess his writing style can be a bit of a challenge sometimes too, with some sentences being a little more overwrought than they need to which means the read isn't as snappy as it could be.
The second half of the book is a bit hit and miss really, and focuses on his analysis of the problems which impact proximity, and some of his solutions. Some of the chapters are superb, but some I was just scratching my head. The most glaring omission I guess, is that there are no chapters or analysis about how working class people could organise and develop strong communities independently of the middle class. It's clear McGarvey knows there are abundant strengths in working class culture and communities, and I know he will have a sense of pride in his culture, but it never really comes through strong.
The chapter on the Left felt a confused mess in some respects. He quite rightly critiques elements of the left for not speaking to and for working class concerns but it is like he is mirroring the (white) 'Red Wall' concerns of 'not being listened to and forgotten about'. He critiques the Left as a broad brush but it's clear he is talking about different elements whilst treating it all as a single entity. So I could read his thinly veiled critique of middle class media commentators like Owen Jones. I could read his criticism of Marxist-Leninists and their party above all perspective.
I could read his criticism of the 'social justice warrior online activist' and the assumed 'purity test of who is the most woke' and yet at the same time, whilst criticising class reductionism, he engages in it often. It was quite frustrating to interpret concerns over identity politics as being of less value than class because that kind of attitude is what leads to a 'class above all' perspective and throwing minorities under the bus (I get it - particularly with online activists taking their politics from America and telling white working class men in poverty and food and housing insecurity all about their privilege). His chapter on the Left would be so much better if he hadn't distilled all of it into generalisations.
What I did like about his chapter on the Left is how the left always assumes victimhood on behalf of the working class and minorities - that everything that happens to them is systemic and how personal responsibility is never factored in. It's an open goal to the right wing, and to be fair most working class people too. McGarvey is pulling on his experience of addiction, of writing and other stuff he has done - yes we are all responsible for our lives, and responsible for the shit we do or do not. That doesn't dismiss the system factors that make some things harder or easier for us.
Similarly, his chapter on populism and the Brexit vote leaves a lot to be desired. It's an oft-repeated mantra that the working class voted for Brexit due to 'not being listened to'. It's a free pass to why people voted the way they did. Immigration was the primary reason for Leave voters - not anything else really. Likewise, whilst more working class people voted Leave than Remain, what is missing from this analysis was that the working class vote was heavily skewed towards older and retired people and particular home owners in the working class - i.e. people with a working class background. What's missing in the analysis is that in the cities (where working class people live), amongst the youth (who are disproportionately poorer) and amongst minorities (who skew working class) they all voted Remain more heavily. It's really lazy analysis to say 'poor people weren't listened to and voted Leave'. It's the argument of the Right wing, even though I could buy into the incredulity he shared at Remain voters and the sense it was the first time they didn't get their way.
I kind of always get uneasy when groups of people take shifts to the right and it is written off as Populism and the middle classes fault. It's the middle classes who vote in right wing governments and support their policies too.
I did love his chapter on New Labour and there were some very interesting insights. What I did find uncomfortable (particularly because it is an area which I want to support and know a few people in) is the 'professionalism of working class support' and how the managerial class through think tanks, third sectors and charities are all having careers supporting the 'disadvantaged'. I agree with his assessment, and it's not lost on me that I am far more likely to get involved here as a working class person who has learnt the language, rather than when I was living in poverty. Indeed, I often join groups of similar people and they are committed to making a difference and good people BUT I can't help think they are predominantly middle class, white and professional. I always feel uneasy in these spaces, and these are the good guys working with communities who need help. If I do, what about the people they support?
His final analysis of what we do next ranges from the realistic to the never going to happen, but they are concerns I share, particularly around education, politics and the workplace. He's essentially calling for the advantages of private education to be abolished (strong agree) and worker representation in boardrooms and a second chamber of experts and normal people replacing the House of Lords - essentially a democratisation of our structures.
His closing remarks made me smile, because he reflects on his own life and having a few quid and his leaving his class. After reading a few hundred pages pouring vitriol on the middle classes and their thinking, there were a lot of places in the book where I felt uncomfortable because he was on the nose. I smile, because he's open about the circles he moves in. He's more cash, more privilege and far more middle class than me know with his media connections so in every page where he's railing about the middle class he's clearly reflecting on himself too. I strongly admire his honesty and his awareness of his culture and background and who he is now. It's sad, because I sense he is like a lot of working class people who have moved up - I know I will never fit in with middle class people, but I know I am different from the man I grew up as.
A good book, with solid arguments. For some this will leave you angry and be a call to reflect and change. Sadly, it's probably not the book for me, but I hope it gets a large audience with those who need to read it.
challenging
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
I've read Poverty Safari and knew I liked Darren McGarvey's writing, and knew I was in for something clear, well-researched and authentic. It's nice to read something on social problems for once from someone who has actually experienced what he's talking about and isn't afraid to mince his words, while giving a clear explanation of the issues and at least some pointers in the right direction.
Covering addiction issues, healthcare, education and access to power as class issues in an accessible way, maybe we should all start listening to him rather than The Guardian's same-old same-old.
Covering addiction issues, healthcare, education and access to power as class issues in an accessible way, maybe we should all start listening to him rather than The Guardian's same-old same-old.
This book is angry, and rightly so.
Charting a route through many inequalities in society, McGarvey's argument is deceptively simple- that the social distance we think of now from Covid is only a more modern version of what has been happening societally for centuries, namely that the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable in society are almost never seen by those on the other end of fortune.
The book covers topics such as unequal health outcomes, addiction, aspiration, class and much more, using this lens to show how inured many people's lives are from seeing the reality around them.
This distance multiplies over time, as those who pass laws and oversee programmes to support the most vulnerable often live the kinds of lives that rarely interact with those who they are aiming to support.
This book is raging fire of the best kind, designed to burn down and start again.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Charting a route through many inequalities in society, McGarvey's argument is deceptively simple- that the social distance we think of now from Covid is only a more modern version of what has been happening societally for centuries, namely that the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable in society are almost never seen by those on the other end of fortune.
The book covers topics such as unequal health outcomes, addiction, aspiration, class and much more, using this lens to show how inured many people's lives are from seeing the reality around them.
This distance multiplies over time, as those who pass laws and oversee programmes to support the most vulnerable often live the kinds of lives that rarely interact with those who they are aiming to support.
This book is raging fire of the best kind, designed to burn down and start again.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
Disengaging, lack of solutions presented for problem highlighted.
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced