Column belittled ‘barista proletariat’

In a June 29 column published, Michael Barone dehumanizes an entire demographic with nothing more than a lazy caricature of the “barista proletariat.” Mr. Barone accuses people “ … with temporary jobs in service industries, nonprofit organizations, or media, perpetual grad students or adjunct lecturers who supplement their incomes often by gaming welfare systems and working off the books.” Furthermore, Mr. Barone says “ … you can see them as economic parasites on Manhattan’s rich finance and media wealth.”

I wonder if Mr. Barone has even anecdotes to justify his political assassination of sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles. Presumably, members of this “great unwashed” are part of the 60% of Americans who live paycheck to paycheck. So likely the majority of Americans, to Mr. Barone’s telling, are “parasites.”

Not everyone can be in charge, it’s not mathematically possible. So, according to Mr. Barone, if you are not in charge, that is, have wealth, whether by inheritances or otherwise, you are “parasite.” Just who works to make wealth creators wealthy? I don’t know, maybe part of the barista proletariat?” I’m sure they make a lot of money for Starbucks shareholders and the CEO. So, by definition, these “parasites” are indispensable to the creation of wealth, which Mr. Barone’s attitude seems to indicate is the be-all and end-all of human existence. Not, of course, having time with family, helping people (much like a barista or, I don’t know, someone who works at a nonprofit, or, maybe even teaches people. That’s absurd.)

I can tell you the wealthy are not straining themselves each day. More likely, they are at the country club. Oh. I do apologize, Mr. Barone. Did I make a rash, unfounded assumption for shock value? Whoever does that?

Steven E. Shamrock

Naperville