Let’s look at #class and how the use of the “middle class” obscures rather than clarify a useful understanding of society. Let’s question the “common sense” beliefs about the #middleclass and how this affects class consciousness and solidarity. The usual “common sense” understanding of the middle class as being based on wealth, education, lifestyle, and profession is a simplistic view.
- Marxist Perspective: A Marxist understanding of class is based on the relationship to the means of production. According to Marx, those who own capital and control the means of production (the bourgeoisie) and those who sell their labour for a wage (the proletariat) are the two classes.
- Class Identity and Solidarity: usefully, class identity is a tool to unite people across various backgrounds and lifestyles, based on their shared relationship to work and production. Regardless of profession or income level, if you depend on selling your labour to survive, you belong to the working class.
- Dangerous Precedent of Middle-Class Identity: The idea of a middle class is often divisive and serve the interests of the capitalist class by hiding the conflict between labour and capital.
- Managerial Class: While they may earn more or have different responsibilities, their relationship to work still places them within the working class.
- Class Consciousness and Struggle: Is a tool for social change and challenge. The importance of understanding class positions and engaging in class struggle for shaping a different society, better working conditions, fair wages, and collective empowerment.
- Unity and Solidarity: Unity among working people, regardless of superficial differences or divisions pushed by the capitalist system.
It should be obvious that we need to challenge the use of Middle Class as representing a distinct and cohesive group separate from the broader working class. Instead, a more nuanced understanding of class that emphasizes shared interests and collective struggle is a better tool for the needed social change and challenge.