Uncritical coverage of the 'white working class' and the 'left behind' is not only factually wrong, it is reactionary and dangerous.

Here is why

First and most obvious, it is based on shoddy data.

We are constantly told that reactionary and particularly racist ideas find most support in the working class and that our elite has no choice but to listen to 'the people'.

This is at best simplistic, at worst disingenuous...

For example, it has been shown by many that Brexit or Trump were clearly not working class events.

Did that stop our mainstream media and politicians lapping up the narratives pushed by the far right itself that these were indeed popular uprisings?

Of course not...

These narratives are often built on a convenient use of data and narrow view of elections and democracy

These conveniently ignore that the working class (however defined and calculated) has for the most part switched off (for good reasons).

Ignoring this is a huge issue.

To put it simply, imagine:

1/3 of the WC who vote votes for the far right

But

Only 1/3 of the registered WC votes (as is fairly 'normal')

Then

1/10 for the registered WC vote for the far right

And that doesn't even include those not registered or the migrant working class!

You could argue that a party receiving 1/3 of the working class vote is a working class party.

You could hardly argue the same if it is in fact 1/10 WC votes.

In the meantime, ignoring abstention means you can casually ignore how exclusive and thus undemocratic our system is.

Slight digression:

Imagine if instead of reporting the EU referendum result as 52% vs 48%, abstention had been included.

Brexit would have still won

BUT

with 38% of the registered vote, vs 35% for Remain and 27% abstention.

This would have led to a totally different debate.

Of course, I am not saying that those who did not vote are remainers or progressives and many may well be racist.

Fact of the matter is, we don't know, and perhaps more telling, we don't really care and are happy to have democracies emptying of their demos.

Back to the topic:

These narratives are also racist and only see the WC as white and non-urban.

Think of the red wall or the North making headlines, while London is seen as multicultural and affluent.

This is BS of course and again based on shoddy data, but also racialisation.

So, why does it matter?

1. it legitimises far right and reactionary ideas by linking them to the people, the voiceless etc, even though these ideas are pushed by and for the elite

Just look at Trump, Farage, Le Pen - hardly men and women of the people.

This leads to mainstream politicians using these issues (immigration, welfare chauvinism etc) as diversions away from systemic oppression, inequalities and suffering.

They turn our gaze away from what should be a class struggle to what is a made up, elite-fed race struggle.

2. it delegitimises the concept of 'the people', something you can clearly see in the recent (and not so recent) coverage in the Guardian.

Middle class readers are constantly patted on the back for being liberal and blame for our racist societies is thrown onto the working class

This ignores not only power structures upholding our racist state, but also how typical middle class readers benefit from this state and how little they are doing for dismantling it:

If only we didn't have the poor, we wouldn't have racism and liberalism would be so awesome!

Of course, this thread simplifies some issues (hey, it's Twitter!).

But it is based on years of research and I'd be happy to expand on some of this if need be

Many of the points are also developed in #ReactionaryDemocracy, co-written with @aaronzwinter

https://www.versobooks.com/books/3173-reactionary-democracy

@zaranosaur here it is!