It's Labor vs. Capital, Stupid

[marmar]

from OnTheCommons.org:



It's Labor vs. Capital, Stupid
Now that we're in the streets, what are we asking for?

By David Morris


A few months ago Nassim Taleb, author of the Black Swan, an influential book about the crucial importance of unpredictable, unforeseen events on our financial system was asked whether the hundreds of thousands taking to the streets in Greece was a Black Swan event. He replied, “No. The real Black Swan event is that people are not rioting against the banks in London and New York.”

They are now. Not rioting perhaps but vigorously protesting. Occupy Wall Street is moving into its second month. Twenty thousand strong demonstrated in New York City this week. Similar demonstrations are spreading nationwide.

In the 1976 movie, Network, anchorman Howard Beale tells his viewers,

Things have got to change. But first, you’ve gotta get mad!… You’ve got to say, ‘I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!’ Then we’ll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it: “I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!”

We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take this anymore. That is the message of the sit-ins by U.S. Uncut, the protests against Bank of America, the occupation of Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. to protest the war, Occupy Wall Street and the growing numbers of #Occupy demonstrations around the country. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://onthecommons.org/its-labor-vs-capital-stupid

[Starry Messenger]

1. k&r

[white_wolf]

2. The sooner people realize this the better.

The can be no peace between labor and capital. Their interests are not the same.

[kelly1mm]

3. Where do small business owners fit in? I mean like 5 or fewer employees? nt

[white_wolf]

4. It really depends on them.

The petty bourgeoisie are hard to classify. Marx said they were in constant danger of falling into the ranks of the working class themselves and that over time the "middle class" would get smaller and smaller. They have been a revolutionary class in the past, siding with the communists in the Russian Revolution. On the other hand they also formed an important part of the Fascist party of Italy during the years leading to Mussolini's rise. This is a generalization of course, there are always exceptions. Marx even said that he thought that some full capitalists would side with the workers in the case of revolution just as some nobles sided with the capitalist when they rose up to overthrow feudalism.

[kelly1mm]

5. Interesting history. I can see your point in the big picture. What about

on the micro level though. Can there be peace between a dairy farmer and his farm hands? A lawyer and her staff? A restaurant owner and the workers?

I understand how it would work (theoretically) in a communism environment but I have less understanding on how is does or should work in a regulated (to lesser or greater degrees) capitalism type of system where ownership of the means of production remain in private hands. (Although the lawyer example is difficult in that the means of production for a lawyer are not capital intensive - at minimum a computer and a printer would do).

[white_wolf]

6. It is a difficult question and I'll try and answer it as best I can.

For starters Lawyers are very hard to classify. Lawyers who own their own practice or contract for large firms are likely petty bourgeois or even in some cases true bourgeois. However, what of the lawyer who works for a large firm, or a public defender or D.A., or even a corporate lawyer is sits in an office doing paper work all day? I would almost consider them working class since they really have no control either. Lawyers actually can be fairly revolutionary though. Hell, Lenin was lawyer.

In the case of a restaurant owner, I think there could be some peace in times of prosperity if the owner is paying good wages and benefits. However, when a crisis hits and he starts laying people off or cutting wages and benefits, it becomes clear that their interests are not the same. I'm only speaking of the owner of a singe local restaurant of course. The owner of Olive Garden has no interests in common with the poor guy working in the kitchen.


As to your question of how things should work in a capitalist system. If I was told design a country, but you must use capitalism to do so, I would model it after Norway. I think social-democracy is the very best capitalism can achieve and even that has flaws.