this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2024
1644 points (96.1% liked)
Work Reform
10003 readers
41 users here now
A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.
Our Philosophies:
- All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
- Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
- Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
- We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.
Our Goals
- Higher wages for underpaid workers.
- Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
- Better and fewer working hours.
- Stimulating a massive wave of worker organizing in the United States and beyond.
- Organizing and supporting political causes and campaigns that put workers first.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Then they're the owning class. The middle class has no coherent definition AFAIK.
It's probably true for most of them. Accumulating more wealth to buy a house to rent out counts as accumulating power to exert it as a rent-seeker.
This is a really stupid distinction to take a stand on. There's no single line where, once you cross, you "no longer need to work". Someone making high 6 figures a year is clearly not in the same situation as someone who has multiple billions, and they're clearly not the same situation as someone working minimum wage. That's exactly why the middle class definition is important and meaningful
I'd like to politely ask you to cut out the insults.
That's the thing about classification: It doesn't respect the edges, where it's pretty much always getting fuzzy.
Here, it gets complicated: Since it's highly incentivised by capitalism to invest your capital, most "upper middle class" people don't actually have all that money sitting in a bank somewhere. It's usually invested somewhere which makes them (partial) rent-seekers and extractors of other people's surplus value. This is where the edges get fuzzy.
However, adding a cathegory of middle class, while vaguely pointing in a general socio-economic direction isn't helpful for discussions about capitalism. The broad strokes of capitalist and wage-dependent class still stands. And adding further distinctions could help understanding a more gomplex model. But it's never used this way. Whenever you hear someone talk about some "middle class", 80% of the time, it's about populism and not about some deeper economic analysis. And if it's used for populism, it's always used to divide the wage-dependant/working class.
Can you give a coherent definition of middle class? I'-e never come across one that makes sense.
It's someone for whom money isn't a daily concern, but is still a resource that can run out. They might have to plan for their yearly vacation, or have to discuss the next car purchase, but wouldn't have a problem buying things or eating out. If you're looking for a more specific definition of "makes below $$$" then you're not going to get it, because that's not how any of this works.
This is why you people will never actually get anything useful accomplished in society. You're so intent on fighting against human nature, and playing victim of "exploited surplus labor value" that you simply can't understand that there IS value in capital investment risk. It's simply not the case that 1 unit of labor = 1 unit of money.
So you admit that you don't have an accurate definition. That's a shame.
I beg to differ. The whole concept o class analysis doesn't make any sense, if you have these wobbly definitions of classes.
Lol. Please read a history book.
I think I have a more thorough grasp on "human nature" than you do. That's the whole deal of anarchists (Kropotkin, Graeber, Bookchin, ...).
Capitalists don't take investment risks anymore. Surplus value is a model that's used to describe a system. I don't make the mistake or confusing the model with reality.
This is the exact same stupid argument that conservatives use when the answer to "what is a woman" is "it's complicated". Some things don't have neat, concise, 1 sentence definitions
The rest of your post is not really a response to anything I wrote. I have read plenty of history books. And you saying capitalists don't take investment risk is just baffling tbh
Apples and oranges. We're doing class analysis here, not gender studies. The former is an exercise in modelling, the latter describes complex societal distributed systems.
I have written that you've got a wrong grasp on class analysis. You've not demonstrated that you've understood class analysis.
As soon as you got your first billion, you pretty @uch can't lose it anymore on the market. Look at Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg, etc. And they haven't even invested their own capital to grow their empires. Entrepreneurial risks my ass.
Edit: I just realized how you just tried to weazel out of the discussion. You've brought up "human nature" and I refuted your argument. Claiming I didn't doesn't make you less wrong about human nature.
And "people like me" never getting anything done: There have been countless liberatory revolutions in history. Apparently, all the boks you've supposedly read left that bit out.
We not talking about billionaires. That's the whole point. You're so focused on "class analysis" and fitting into your predefined terms that you can't even see that the whole point of the discussion is that there's not a clear delineation between classes, which is precisely why "middle class" is important.
In what way have you refuted anything?
U sure?
Yes, there is. Working class, owning class. If there's not a clear delineation between classes, your definitions are whack.
By bringing up Bookchin, Graeber and Kropotkin. More of a statement that you've actually made about human nature.
If you disagree, then please elaborate why "people like [me]" don't understand human nature.
Do you have money in the bank? That brings you some rate? Then by your definition you are “speaking to exert power”
Are you telling me that I'm not dependant on my wage?
No, I am saying that if you have money in the bank, then according to your logic you are “exerting power” the same way as your have accused rich people do.
The main point I am trying to make that if you say that you divide people on working and not, then Elon Musk fits working category.
Just because he does not have to work, but he still does, speaks only positively about him.
Yeah, I kind of do. If the bank I deposit my money at, gives loans out to weapons companies, then the money that gts made by war pays my interest. However: I don't really have a choice if I want to survive after having retired. Also: if you look at wealth distribution, then the comparison gets more and more ridiculous.
Good thing that's not what I'm doing. The "working class" is the set of people who have nothing to sell, but their labour to survive. Here's a great channel which explains why this distinction is important
Tha only tracks if A) work is inherently good, or B) the work he's doing is actually beneficial (considered that he actually works). I don't agree with both (or ever all three) points.
Yes you do. Cash, gold, bitcoins...
As with any such definitions, there are gradations. Plus you will not die if you stop working, you will just live very poor.
That can be said about any work.
Lol
Even if: Elon Musk would be so far on the not-working-class end of the spectrum.
lol, u fr?
Yes. I'm not making moral statements. I'm just stating what's the "working class".