Who is the Forgotten Man?
The concept of the Forgotten Man was first put forth by William Graham Sumner in his book What Social Classes Owe to Each Other (1883) and further developed in a lecture manuscript published after his death. His is "the man who is never thought of" — he minds his own business and relies on his own efforts to provide for himself and his family. The politicians and social reformers pay no attention to him, and yet all their programs affect him — he is required to obey their laws, observe their regulations, and pay their taxes, even though he does not benefit from them.
In a 1932 radio broadcast, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appropriated the term and applied it to a new demographic — the men "at the bottom of the economic pyramid." He proposed raising food prices and reducing foreclosures to help his forgotten men during the Great Depression — but those actions could come only at the expense of Sumner's forgotten men.
And so on it goes. Those who would create a better world examine the case of the "forgotten man" who has been remembered by every social reformer in history, and yet ignore the man who their brethren have also ignored — the man who simply wants to manage his own affairs and live a life untouched by government meddling.
This blog is devoted to remembering the truly forgotten man and exposing the damage done to him throughout history.