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r/TheDeprogram Class Struggle

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Class Struggle

The Marxist definition of economic class stands in stark opposition to the Liberal understanding of class. The Liberal understanding is quantitative, looking only at how much someone makes, whereas the Marxist definition is qualitative, looking at how people relate to commodity production in society.

Marxist Definitions

  • The Bourgeoisie, also known as the Capitalist class or the owning class, are the owners of the means of production (e.g., factories, tool, equipment, land, technology, etc.) who accumulate wealth and profit by exploiting the labour of the working class and controlling the means of production in order to produce commodities for profit.
  • The Proletariat, also known as the working class, do not own the means of production but instead sell their labour-power to the Bourgeoisie in exchange for wages. They are the ones responsible for producing goods and services but often face exploitation and economic hardships.
  • The Petty Bourgeoisie consists of small business owners, self-employed individuals, and skilled professionals. They own some means of production but are often caught in an intermediate position between the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat, facing challenges from both classes.
  • The Lumpenproletariat refers to a marginalized and impoverished social group that includes people who may be unemployed, homeless, or engaged in informal and illegal activities. They do not have a clear role in the Capitalist mode of production and are often considered to be outside the traditional working class.

Class Struggle

Class struggle is the central driving force in human history and society. It refers to the ongoing conflict and antagonism between different social classes resulting from the inherent contradictions within the current mode of production.

Under Capitalism, the principal contradiction is between the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. The Capitalist class profits by extracting surplus value from the labour of the workers, leading to economic exploitation and social oppression. This is the principal contradiction of Capitalism, and why the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat are irreconcilably opposed. To summarize:

  • Capitalists want to keep hours long, prices high, wages low, etc.
  • Workers want reasonable hours, affordable prices, high wages, etc.

These interests are mutually exclusive. The good news is that Capitalists need workers, but workers don't need Capitalists; the class war is winnable by us and only us.

These contradictions and struggles, more than any other model, explain the current political landscape:

Intersectionality

Anti-Capitalism without Intersectionality is class reductionism. Intersectionality without anti-Capitalism is Liberal identity politics.

Intersectionality is a framework that recognizes and analyzes the interconnected nature of various forms of oppression faced by individuals who belong to various marginalized groups. Economic structures, institutions, and class relations intersect with other social hierarchies, leading to complex and varied forms of oppression and exploitation in society. Intersectionality helps highlight these overlapping forms of discrimination and their cumulative impact. For example, a working-class woman of color may experience racism, sexism, and classism simultaneously, each influencing and exacerbating the others.

If you watched the video from the previous section, particularly the "Culture War" chapter, then you'll already know why this matters. Sowing division along various social lines creates pockets of economically and politically vulnerable workers that the Capitalists can exploit to a much greater degree. These oppressed groups also help to depress wages and worsen working conditions for the rest of the workforce, due to competition in the labour market.

If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.

— Lyndon B. Johnson. (1960). Remark to a staffer

Total Liberation

The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free.

— Maya Angelou

Developing class consciousness is crucial for the working class to organize effectively and advance our revolutionary goals. Intersectionality encourages us to be inclusive and create solidarity by recognizing and respecting the different experiences and struggles within the working class and actively supporting each other's fight for justice and equality.

Labour cannot emancipate itself in the white skin where in the black it is branded.

— Karl Marx. (1867). Capital: Volume One

Oppressive power structures are interconnected and reinforce each other. Capitalism, Imperialism, Colonialism, Patriarchy, White Supremacy, and other systems of domination are all inextricably intertwined and must be challenged simultaneously to achieve true liberation for the working class.

A people which oppresses another cannot emancipate itself.

— Friedrich Engels. (1874). A Polish Proclamation

Radical solidarity is required, and therefore all forms of chauvinism and bigotry must be fiercely combatted.

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