class warfare?
I’ve been ensconced the past few days in one of the posh old hotels of Anchorage, Alaska, the Captain Cook, a brass and wood accommodation with multiple restaurants, jewelry shops in case I forgot my tiara, boutiques, art galleries, shoeshine and salon, virtually a town within a city. The doormen are cordial, the desk reserved, my fellow clientele seldom return a hello or good day. The Triple A restaurant on the 20th floor requires ‘smart casual’ dinner attire. My own wardrobe seemed casual but maybe not bright enough for Alaskan gentility.
An art project through the University set this up — government rate — and so I opted for something more upscale than my usual ‘we’ll leave a 40 watt light on’ Spartan hellhole with peeling wallpaper, stained rugs and mildewed tile. My bed has 6 large pillows. 5 are stacked on the floor now, a cushy mountain. A few blocks down the street is a single forlorn tent in the downtown park with a sign that reads: OCCUPY ANCHORAGE. It was 12 degrees last night. I thought about asking the concierge if I might have my unused pillows loaned during my stay. Our occupier could use them as feather bedding.
You may have inferred that I am uncomfortable with the trappings of wealth, which I guess I am. I don’t like royalty. Or privilege. I don’t even like the idea of 1st class seating on airlines. I want people to rub shoulders with each other, not segregate themselves. I want to feel like we’re together in this country, not gated off in walled neighborhoods. I don’t want a doorman opening my door for me, I want the fellow in front of me offering — and I’ll hold it for the next.
I’m hearing a lot of handwringing these days about sparking class warfare come this next election. The 99%ers vs. the 1%ers. I’m not too fearful. It’ll be fairly bloodless if I know America. In the end we won’t redistribute much wealth. We won’t tax the rich very much. We won’t curb greed or help the poor. We may never open doors for one another or say hello on the elevator. And no, I don’t think it’s immoral to have 6 pillows on my bed. It’s a free country. But it is immoral some people don’t even have a bed. And more immoral yet that we blame them instead of getting them a bed. That, I think, is true class warfare.
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