I actually wrote this about a week ago, but this is the first time I’ve been able to upload it. So here it is, my take on classes and stuff. Enjoy.
In an article in the norwegian paper Dagbladet, it comes forward that 2 out of every 3 norwegian believes that there is a class divide in the norwegian society.
Now, that is much higher than I thought from my experience of the norwegian
It's true. We don't
society, where everyone seems to believe that inequalities are a thing of the past. However the article also shows another thing: pretty much everyone believes they are the “middleclass”. Not a worker, but not rich. Workers chose to definethemselves as middleclass to hide the fact that they are workers, dependant on their bosses and struggle to make ends meet. The rich define themselves as middleclass to hide the fact that they are rich. “It makes me cry that there is still poverty in Norway, but I would rather cry in my white jaguar”.
First of all, the entire idea of a middleclass is a fallacy. It comes from the idea that your class is defined purely by your standard of living. As in how you live, what you can afford etc. It is a trick and a lie, created by the ruling class to divide the rebellious worker class, and to make them at ease with society. Your class is not defined by what you earn, but your position in the hierarchy of the working place. A way of alienating the people from their position in society, so that they do not see the inequalities and suppression that they are being subjected to. Lenin defined classes as “a flock of people at the same place in the production process”. I disagree with a lot of Lenins work, but this is right on the money!
In truth, there are 2 classes. The capitalist class, and the working class. The capitalist class is the class which owns stuff. The people who own factories, and employ workers. Those who own peoples work, and can with the stroke of a pen ruin peoples lives by, for instance, outsourcing their factory to china, so that hundreds of people lose their only income.
This is you!
The vast majority of the people, are a part of the working class. The defining characteristic of the working class, is the lack of anything to sell. We do not own anything, and so we can not sell it. Thus we sell ourselves, we sell our workforce to a capitalist. It doesn’t matter if you earn a lot of money in your job, if you have 2 cars or a big house. If you have a boss, someone who oversees your work and in the end takes out profit on it, you are a part of the working class.
The problem, is the alienation I mentioned earlier. Todays consumer culture has left people willing to accept the state of the realm, to accept the bullshit that goes on in the world, because “after all, we’re doing alright”. Everyone, please accept this for truth: A heightened standard of living does not equal a heightened status in the class hierarchy, as long as you maintain the same place in the production!
Vegard
