On working-class versus ‘middle-class’

Part 1

“In studying such transformations it is always necessary to distinguish between the material transformation of the economic conditions of production, which can be determined with the precision of natural science, and the legal, political, religious artistic or philosophic–in short, ideological forms in which men become conscious of this conflict and fight it out — K. Marx, “A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy.” “Preface.” https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1859/critique-pol-economy/preface.htm

Prima facie, accepting the above from Marx, damned if the above ain't a difference that can be analogized (applied) so as to differentiate between a scientific economic category, the working class, and the so-called 'middle class’ which, IMO, is a sociological convention, a ‘state of mind’--‘upper’ and ‘lower’ class too--that is of a "...legal, political, religious, artistic or philosophic–in short, ideological forms in which men become conscious of this conflict and fight it out."

Let me start again. I read "material transformation of the economic conditions" not just as being technical changes in the means of production but also as fundamental changes in the modes of production and, by that changes in the nature of the classes to be found therein. Such as, for instance, a change in status of a man from being an Independent Worker IW (1) perhaps, running after prey armed with bow and arrows of his own fashioning--to being a slave B (2) who had been captured while trying to run away from a predator armed with factory manufactured cannon and musket. The hunting predator become captured prey (3). This change of class status is, obviously, independent of what the ‘prey’ thinks, i.e. from his ‘state of mind’.

But when, with repetition of cruelties, in direct proportion, to the same extent, as mental as physical, over centuries of generations, as these come to be imbued, inbred, into the mind and body of the slaves then one can see how it is that the difference between the "House Negro" and the field hand (4) could come to resemble the class distinction that it is not. It is ‘caste’-like but not even classic caste (being something one is born into and dies with) as this 'caste'-like privilege that is bestowed by, can be stripped away by the Other, the 'Massah', at this one’s whim.

And just as surely are the affects of the 'class-like' mien of the upper-paid levels of today's working-class. (5). The fact that they can be fired at the will of the Other, the Owner—may be out of their consciousness but its still buried in, burned into, their sub-consciousnesses—but such a fact is abandoned, allying them with the capitalist against their own interests, against their own class, against their own brother and sister members, who are not paid enough to be, what the capitalist has taught them that they, the formers, are 'middle class'. Even ‘upper middle class'.

But, quantitatively, just what is 'middle class'? 50G's, 100G's??? Where is the dividing point? If it is 50G's then is the person making $49,999.99 not in the same ‘class’ as the 50G + 1er?  Is it something that like the castigation (but not the economic category, i.e. class) as it is pejoratively used, that term 'petit-bourgeois'--itself a scientifically determined class--that is hurled outwards by too many self-asserted and self-assured hands guided by ill-informed ‘Marxist’ 'minds'? Meaning it must be a something like a "We'll know it when we see it." Is economic class that superficial? That ill-defined?

“What else does the history of ideas prove, than that intellectual production changes its character in proportion as material production is changed? The ruling ideas of each age have ever been the ideas of its ruling class.” (6)

That’s where the bullshit comes from. From the ruling class. A ruling class, the bourgeois capitalist class, that has subverted, stolen away from us, the community and commonality of our own humanity. And should the better paid members of the ’middle class’ continue in the errs of their ways then they too will be trashed into history’s ashcan alongside the masters they gladly and greedily served.

(1) --all classes, such as the IW, postulated here will be placed on a solid, scientific if you will, basis in a second part to this posting which will not, it is more than likely, be posted today.

JAI