# Spin Class By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2024-07-25 A recent [research study](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/25/us/race-wealth-gap-economy.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare)backed by the NY Times has indicated that the race income gap is closing in America. This sounds like a win, as it has been a nearly singular focus for many interested in poverty, race, and equality. However, as highlighted by the study, the gap between "economic classes" has been increasing below the surface. So, while race factors diminish, "class" factors increase. Essentially, the lower incomes are worse off than the higher ones. I struggle to see how this is all that insightful as it's been well-documented that the distance between the top and the bottom has been growing and that mobility has been decreasing. Also, it's almost a tautology. Of course, lower incomes are lower than higher ones, and those with less within an unbalanced game are less likely to move up. But, perhaps what is getting people excited is that this analysis now includes "economic class" as a separating factor versus race. In a previous [[A Lack of Working Class Solidarity is THE Problem|post]], [[Ross Jackson]] highlights the flaws in thinking there are upper, middle, and lower economic classes. He indicates two classes: the Working Class and the Capitalists. One benefits from poverty, and the other does not. It's easy to guess which benefits from poverty. The systemic outcomes couldn't be more precise. But, the shift from race to economic class gaps is a distraction. There will always be some gap, as it is the nature of the system itself. It cannot be avoided. The question is whether one likes the mechanics of the system. #### Related Items [[Economics]] [[Poverty]] [[Class]] [[Capitalism]] [[Distractions]] [[Propaganda]]