I have not read the book for more than 20 years, but I recall that Sennett and Cobb's Hidden Injuries of Class addresses Doug's question without resorting to psychoanalysis. They found that blue collar workers were pissed off at welfare recipients because the fact that people could get by without making the enormous sacrificies that the workers made called their whole being into question. Doug Henwood wrote: > Why people embrace politicians and parties against their own material > self-interest is one of the great mysteries of politics. And there's no > doubt that lots of people embraced fascism who later suffered from it. Why > does anti-Semitism have the power it does, even in societies with few or no > Jews? Why do so many working class Americans hate welfare moms with what looks > like an irrational passion? > -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University [EMAIL PROTECTED] Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901