Is a term like "Working Class" relevant today?

John Throne on a range of topics related to working class consciousness, the likelihood of new movements developing, religious belief, his political beliefs and the New Imperialism...

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Religious Belief
• Iraq
• New Imperialism
• Working Class

[rcarass1]

Islamic Fundamentalism =/= A Working Class movement! That is a very dangerous misconception.

[NatDemUK]

@mikem1234 The unionns in Mexico are not going to stand up for American workers. Why? Because that would undermine Mexican workers in which Mexican jobs get forced to be returned to American workers leaving Mexicans getting deported back to Mexico. Like I said, both are competing against each other, not co-operating with each other.

[mikem1234]

@Ebareebaveebeedee I think it's all about where you draw the line. I agree, because many people who are "middle class" are middle class on credit, or only to the extent that they "manage" the affairs of the capitalist system. I think the middle class is deeply part of the hegemonic structure, in some ways.

[Ebareebaveebeedee]

@mikem1234

There is not enough social chesion for class struggle and the middle class has more revolutionary potential.

[mikem1234]

@NatDemUK Of course, it works better for you as a shareholder or CEO if the workers fight amongst themselves more. Then it drives down the price of labour, because these people over here will be able to do it for less kind of thing. But if the unions acted together, both would benefit.

[mikem1234]

@NatDemUK There is. How do you think all the goods and services get produced? There's a different division of labour, sure, but everyone earns a wage - that's what it comes down to. Wages are abstract, but all work is through wages - like Marx said, it's abstract labour we're doing.

[NatDemUK]

@mikem1234 At the end of the day both working groups are competing against each other to have the jobs and the fair wages, I guess if the Mexicans formed their trade unions and encouraged the companies to pay the workers well, there would be no point for the company to go to Mexico, it would just stay in America.

[mikem1234]

@mikem1234 But the practical reality is that for most people to get any rights or power back from corporations, they have to co-operate with other people they've never met. E.g., if a union in Mexico will contact a union in the USA, they can better fight the same corporation that is slashing wages and benefits on both sides of the US-Mexico border.

[NatDemUK]

@mikem1234 Yes, that is what globalisation is all about where all industry goes to the third world like China or India for cheap production costs whereas the first world has to live on the service sector and import cheap imports instead making very difficult for national industry to compete. That clearly shows that the working "class" in the first world are not interested in an international proletariat but more about their own nationhood which is why we need protection instead of free trade.

[mikem1234]

@NatDemUK Isn't that what globalization is all about? More products are produced on more continents, multiplying the working class? Of course, if you meant an organized class pursuing interests and goals of its own, then no, there is no international working class, though international capitalism sure has strong interests being represented. Despite lack of organization, many people share a common life.