Memes of Production

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Seize the Memes of Production

An international (English speaking) socialist Lemmy community free of the “ML” influence of instances like lemmy.ml and lemmygrad. This is a place for undogmatic shitposting and memes from a progressive, anti-capitalist and truly anti-imperialist perspective, regardless of specific ideology.

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Deceptichum@quokk.au

Always some comfortably middle class kid (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 1 week ago by Grainne@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/mop@quokk.au

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[–] Septimaeus@infosec.pub 10 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

Marx’ middle classes were, in his era, what we call the upper class or Epstein class today: the ruling class of capitalists. Today’s middle class is what Marx would call the proletariat. So the meme, while funny, is mistaken.

Marx’s “upper class” were simply the aristocracy, whose power was mostly political or symbolic rather than economic. This class no longer has a solid analog today.
“Middle class” were the new merchant class, the wealthiest non-aristocrats who owned land and the means of production, accumulated generational wealth, and often didn’t work except to see to their holdings, who today we would call the Epstein class.
“Lower-middle class” were business owners and landlords of moderate wealth but not quite enough to stop working entirely, who today we would call the upper-middle class.
The proletariat were those without wealth, land, or other significant holdings, who today would be considered middle class or below.

[–] IAMgROOT@lemmy.wtf 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

upper class was basically royalty and nobility, which doesnt exist nowadays

middle and lower middle class are modern bourgeois and petit-bourgeois

[–] Septimaeus@infosec.pub 2 points 6 days ago

Right, among the middle classes, who Marx treated together as the ruling economic class, the haute bourgeoisie were the bankers, tycoons, etc, and the petite bourgeoisie were the smaller merchants who aspired to obtain full bourgeoisie status. They were often management in larger companies, or owners of smaller companies, yet they were people of means with moderate wealth and status in town, and thus not comparable to today’s lower-middle class. Again in Marx’s era the “middle classes” were only called that due to aristocracy being “upper.” So when Marx refers to the middle classes as bourgeoisie he did mean it in the oligarchic sense, since the middle classes WERE the capitalists of his time.

[–] IAMgROOT@lemmy.wtf 1 points 6 days ago

the upper and middle class merged together.

Cant have political power nowadays without economic power