abstract:Professor Benjamin Haile DeMott (June 2, 1924, Rockville Centre, New York – September 29, 2005) was an American writer, scholar, and cultural critic. Author of more than a dozen books, DeMott was best known for his cultural criticism in popular magazines and a trilogy, The Imperial Middle: Why Americans Can't Think Straight about Class (1990), The Trouble with Friendship: Why American's Can't Think Straight about Race (1995), and Killer Woman Blues: Why Americans Can't Think Straight about Gender (2000).