Gospel of Wealth, Gospel of Work: Counterhegemony in the U.S. Working Class

ABSTRACT  In this article, we marshal qualitative and quantitative evidence for a distinctive U.S. working-class perspective that criticizes and dissents from the society's consumerist orthodoxy. On the basis of ethnographic and archival research in white central New York and eastern Pennsylvania, Doukas suggested that the frugal, work-centered ideology of historical U.S. working classes—the "gospel of work"—persisted as counterhegemonic in today's "gospel of wealth" consumerism. Durrenberger quantitatively tested for "gospel of work" orientations and found confirmation among predominantly white central Pennsylvanian labor unionists. We argue that the combination of methods warrants a more confident generalization and that the "wage of whiteness" needs to be assessed in regional and historic context. We conclude that "gospel of work" values are widely held despite a century-long corporate-sponsored campaign to promote consumerism and caution against assuming consumerist hegemony in the United States.     

Photoinhibition of Seed Germination in Mediterranean Maritime Plants

Photoinhibition of seed germination was shown for Allium staticiforme,Brassica tournefortii, Cakile maritima and Otanthus maritimus,all plant species inhabiting sandy coasts of the MediterraneanSea. Germination of A. staticiforme was found to be typicallyMediterranean in regard to its temperature range (>0–20°C), while B. tournefortii germinated optimally at intermediatetemperatures (15–25 °C). Light sensitivity was morepronounced in the latter species and 50 % inhibition of seedgermination was obtained with photon flux densities of approximately0.1 and 0.015 mol m^–2 d^–1 in A. staticiforme andB. tournefortii, respectively. However, the slopes of the regressionlines of germination plotted against the logarithm of whitelight flux density are similar in both species. From monthlyexperiments performed under fluctuating conditions of temperatureand light, simulating the elimate of Athens throughout the year,optimal germination response peaked in ‘winter’conditions for A. staticiforme, while a bimodal pattern wasobserved for B. tournefortii (maxima at the warm ends of therainy season). In contrast to the other plants, a fifth speciestested, Crithmum maritimum, showed an absolute light requirement,probably related to the rocky habitats of the species; the optimumgermination period coincided with the rainy season. Pot experimentswith seeds of the five species buried at various depths confirmedthat maximum emergence is favoured by shallow depths (0.5–1cm). It is concluded that seed germination in maritime plantsof the Mediterranean rim is mediated by a photoinhibition mechanismwhich can be considered an adaptation strategy against surfaceseedling establishment at the harsh, sandy or shingle, sea coasthabitats. Allium staticiforme, Brassica tournefortii, Cakile maritima, sea rocket, Crithmum maritimum, rock samphire, Otanthus maritimus, ton-weed, seed germination, light, photoinhibition, phytochrome, seedling emergence