This is America, episode 5: the white man, a contested myth

They are omnipresent in Donald Trump’s meetings and at his side, in the corridors of power. Given as declining in 2016 in a changing society, white men have returned to the forefront of the political scene with the rise to power of the billionaire. However, the signs of their discomfort are increasing. Among them, suicides are more frequent than average. They have been very affected by the opioid crisis. While they are considered privileged, the poorest among them doubt their position in this country that looks less and less like them.

Does this feeling of downgrading correspond to a reality? How do white people with little or no education, poor or rich, see Donald Trump? This question underlies much of current political debates in the United States, explains sociologist Raphaël Liogier, professor at Sciences Po Aix and visiting professor at Columbia University. He is the author of Descent into the heart of the male: what is #MeToo the name of? (Ed. The links that free).