I come from a blue-collar, Irish Catholic, pro-Kennedy, pro-union

Host: The late afternoon sun cast a warm glow through the blinds, streaking across the bare walls of the small, modest apartment. The hum of the world outside felt distant, muffled by the thick windows, and inside, only the soft clink of a spoon against a coffee cup broke the stillness. Jack sat by the window, eyes lost in the view, while Jeeny sat at the small wooden table, turning a book over in her hands, clearly deep in thought. The air between them was thick, as if a conversation was about to unfold.

Jack: “I heard something today, a quote that stopped me in my tracks. Steve Bannon, of all people, said, ‘I come from a blue-collar, Irish Catholic, pro-Kennedy, pro-union family of Democrats.’ It’s funny, isn’t it? How someone with that background could become what he is today. But it also got me thinking—what does that really mean, to come from that kind of family? To have those roots?”

Jeeny: “It’s a powerful statement, isn't it? It’s like he's describing the core of his identity. Coming from a blue-collar family, you’re grounded in hard work, in earning your place. Irish Catholic—there’s that community aspect, that shared history of struggle, of faith. And then, the political side: pro-Kennedy, pro-union, pro-Democrat—that’s a legacy of fighting for the working class, for the rights of people who are often ignored.”

Jack: “Yeah, but here’s the thing—Bannon came from all that, and now he’s almost the antithesis of what those values represent. It’s like he took those very roots and turned them on their head. Kennedy was about hope, about bringing the country together. Unions were about fighting for workers' rights. And yet, Bannon’s political leanings are all about division. How does that happen?”

Jeeny: “It’s complicated. The values he grew up with—the idea of fighting for the working class, the idea of community—those things are still there, but I think his view of how to achieve them has changed. For many people, especially from working-class backgrounds, the political landscape has shifted. It’s not just about what you believe—it’s about how you think those beliefs should be enacted in the world. Maybe Bannon still believes in the struggle for the common man, but his approach is through a different lens, one that’s focused on individualism over community, on the self-reliance of people rather than relying on unions or government programs.”

Jack: “So, you're saying it’s more of a shift in how people see the world changing around them? That those same values could manifest in a completely different way?”

Jeeny: “Exactly. It’s about perspective. The world has changed a lot, Jack. For someone like Bannon, who comes from a blue-collar background, there’s a deep resentment at the system. But that resentment can go in different directions. For some, like the Kennedy Democrats, it’s about improving the system from within, working for the collective good. For others, like Bannon, the shift comes in trying to tear the system down, to find strength in rebellion, in opposition to the establishment.”

Jack: “But then doesn’t that just undermine everything those values were meant to protect? Kennedy’s vision was about unity, about fighting for everyone to have the same opportunities. Bannon’s view seems to be about separating, about building walls.”

Jeeny: “It does feel like a betrayal in a way, doesn’t it? But that’s the thing about values—they’re not static. They evolve. And sometimes, in the face of frustration or disillusionment, people reinterpret them. Bannon’s version of the working-class struggle isn’t the same as Kennedy’s, but it comes from the same place—a desire for empowerment. Maybe he’s just taken a more radical route in his thinking, but that blue-collar foundation is still there, just reimagined.”

Jack: “I get that. It’s just hard to reconcile those two versions of the same idea. The values Bannon grew up with are so intertwined with the union mindset, with fighting for solidarity—yet his politics are all about division.”

Jeeny: “I think it’s because the idea of what it means to fight for the working class has changed. For some, it’s still about solidarity, about working together for a better future. For others, like Bannon, it’s about individual empowerment. It’s a shift in how people view themselves within society. You can still believe in the power of the working class, but it doesn’t mean you believe in the same methods of organizing or collective bargaining.”

Jack: “That’s the thing though, isn’t it? Solidarity versus individualism. It’s like they both came from the same place, but they’re now pulling in completely different directions.”

Jeeny: “Yeah, it’s like a tug-of-war with the same set of beliefs. But the world has changed so much. The idea of community and collective action feels different to people who’ve been left behind or who feel like the system has failed them. And sometimes, when you feel like you’ve been abandoned, you reclaim those same values but in a way that’s more self-centered, more about fighting back against the very institutions that once protected you.”

Host: The conversation simmered, with each word hanging in the air like a quiet challenge. The room felt heavier now, the complexities of the ideas shifting between them, hard to fully grasp but impossible to ignore. Jack leaned back, his eyes narrowing, as if trying to reconcile these conflicting ideas, trying to piece together the puzzle that was Bannon’s transformation from a pro-union Democrat to someone with a completely different vision of the future.

Jack: “It’s almost like a conflict between the past and the present. Bannon’s beliefs, rooted in that old sense of struggle, are now being applied in a completely different way, with a new urgency, a new sense of frustration.”

Jeeny: “Exactly. And that’s what’s so difficult about it. These values didn’t just disappear—they’ve been transformed. What was once a call for unity has been twisted into a call for division. It’s the same energy, but it’s being used to fuel completely different visions.”

Host: The room felt quieter now, but in that silence, the echoes of the conversation lingered—of values that once defined a nation’s identity, now struggling to find their place in a world that had changed so much. The questions of community and individualism, of solidarity and self-reliance, hung between them, unresolved but deeply felt.