An Irreversible Loss?

    Among the many factors driving the widening income gap between the rich and the poor is a replacement of middle-class jobs with low-class jobs. In other words, a decline in manufacturing jobs, an area where people with lower educations were able to make decent wages, has resulted in more people having to make a living working low-wage jobs instead. Despite Obama's efforts to aid this issue (increase in minimum wage and creation of the American Opportunity Tax Credit) as this article states, "inequality has worsened during his administration." Although he has made many efforts, "Real median income is eight percent below pre-recession levels and middle-class jobs continue to be replaced by low-wage jobs." The decline of middle-class jobs, particularly in manufacturing, began in the 1980s when large industries started finding cheaper labor in other countries.
    A documentary called Roger and Me, by Michael Moore, exposes how big of an issue it became when manufacturing jobs started to go overseas. As seen in the trailer attached below, nearly 30,000 people in Flint, Michigan lost their jobs all because the General Motors factory was moved to a different country. While the majority of Flint was affected by the loss, there were a few very wealthy people who seemed to care less about the issue because they were still extremely well-off. This reminds me of The Great Gatsby because most of the characters seem to only focus on their wealth and materials, and might not even know or care that poor people exist. The manufacturing jobs that have been lost do not seem to be coming back any time soon, which makes for a smaller middle class, and a much bigger lower class.