How College Education Divided America

Shortly after pandemic travel restrictions lifted, I visited Washington, D.C. to meet leaders from progressive foundations. The main objective was to address wealth inequality and rethink the narrative surrounding the widening income gap. I anticipated discussions focusing on the alarming rise in earnings inequality over the past four decades, mainly driven by declining wages for workers without college degrees.

To my astonishment, this wasn't even mentioned. Moreover, there was no conversation about how inequality between small towns and major cities had escalated. Instead, conversations centered around gender, racial, and sexual inequality. While these issues are crucial, they didn't fully capture the aggregate story of rising inequality linked to the lack of college education.

Upon returning to Boston, a delayed flight led me to a bar near my gate. There, I struck up a conversation with a burly man of similar age. As we discussed air travel and beer, I learned he owned a small business and was passionate about politics and basketball. It occurred to me how unlikely it was to find someone with such a different educational background, occupation, and interests sitting next to me.

This realization made me ponder what would have happened if I had been seated next to someone with a Ph.D. and a similar occupation. I later shared my thought with friends and colleagues, asking whom they would prefer to talk to at an airport gate: a Ph.D. holder from abroad or an American high school graduate. The overwhelming consensus was that they would choose the latter.

This educational segregation in the United States is not natural, but it has become a harsh reality with significant implications for post-industrial politics. It has led to weakened community ties and a growing divide within the nation. The well-educated have become more politically influential and assertive, often becoming less understanding of the challenges faced by those with lower education levels.

This shift has contributed to the rise of college-educated liberals who have strayed from the principles of liberalism that once brought success. The growing number of college graduates has played a role, but it's the increasing status of the educated class, fueled by automation, offshoring, globalization, and the decline of good jobs for non-college workers, that has further exacerbated the situation.

As college-educated individuals have gained political power, they have grown increasingly disconnected from their less educated counterparts in terms of location and social lives. This cultural rift has made it difficult for them to empathize with the struggles of the less educated, resulting in a major cultural divide between the two groups.

This growing divide has allowed a coalition between different segments of the college-educated population and the tech sector to form, one that has largely ignored the economic priorities of the less educated. Instead, their focus has shifted towards cultural and global issues, further alienating the working class and undermining the foundations of liberal democracy.