Thompson argues that the working ‘class’ formed in part by the shared experiences of those within it; that shared interests work to unite a people as a class, and pit them against other groups or classes with shared interests.
In the case of popular culture, we can see how throughout time class distinctions are catered to, and reinforced by, mass entertainment. Professional wrestling is perhaps one of the grandest example of this.
Professional wrestling is guided by the trope of good vs. evil. The good guys (or baby faces) are perpetually pitted against the bad guys (heels). The greatest heel to ever come out of professional wrestling is Mr. McMahon, played by Vince McMahon, owner and president of WWE. Mr. McMahon literally owns the corporation, and plays the role of the evil white collar boss who flaunts his wealth and exploits his workers. His foil, Stone Cold Steve Austin, is a working class citizen who crushes beers and resists authority. He is best known for flaunting his middle finger and sticking it to the man, the only employee who can get away with beating up his boss on a regular basis.
What made WWE the massive entity that it is was by playing to these tropes in the mid-1990’s, by providing the masses with characters that embodied good and evil in the context of blue and white collar workers. The WWE’s success came from playing to class distinctions that the audience could identify with.