How America changed in the last 30 years: We're not so angry, but a lot meaner

I've been reading an advance copy of
my friend Timothy Noah's The
Great Divergence, about the growth of income inequality in our country
over the last 30 years, and what to do about it. It's a terrific book -- he writes
about economic issues with an enviable ease and clarity. It comes out in a few months, but you can
order now on Amazon.  

But I also was struck by an aside of
his: "America was an angrier place during the 1960s and 1970s, but it's a
meaner place today."

(HT to Molly R. for fact checking)