“Census data shows the number of White people in the U.S. fell for the first time since 1790,” shouts the much too happy headline in the Washington Post, but the Post gloats prematurely. No one wants to talk about this phenomenon, but working-class white men dominate just about every difficult and dangerous industry in America.
Throughout most of America, white men are the ones climbing utility poles after ice storms, digging in ditches after water main breaks, building our bridges, hollowing out our tunnels, catching our fish, harvesting our wheat, felling our timber, mining our coal, pumping our oil, and constructing our homes and offices. On average, about 5,000 people die each year from work-related injuries. Each year more than 90 percent of the dead are men.
Written by: