Anti worker feeling among POOR PEOPLE

[pranabjyoti]

The heading may look misleading, but it's fact in India. A huge mass of population, whom we call poor people have anti organized worker feeling in their mind. If you ask them about a workers struggle or strike, their obvious reply will be THE WORKERS ARE DEMANDING TOO MUCH WITHOUT WORKING. THEY DON'T WANT TO WORK, BUT LIKE TO BE PAID ONLY. In case of lock-out, where the industrialist himself shuts down the factory, their sympathy at present is often with the capitalist and they often blame the workers by saying THEIR DEMANDING MENTALITY FORCED THE CAPITALIST TO SHUT DOWN THE INDUSTRY.
I have noticed that this kind of mentality is observed in small merchants, self employed people. In short, the part the of the population which we can call PETTY-BOURGEOISIE in a true Marxist sense. At present, this people consists a good share of Indian population and in case of the purely workers movement, there is a very very chance that they will CERTAINLY join the reactionary forces.
Actually, in my opinion, the basic reason behind this kind of mentality is ENVY, the green eyed monster. A huge part of the population of India have very poor income, because the way they are related production or service have very very little productivity. Moreover, due to lack of capital, there is a slim chance of increase in productivity and their real income in near future. In comparison to them, organized workers have better salaries and other facilities. Due to lack of consciousness and education, the common people can not understand that they are poor because of the SOCIAL SYSTEM, IN WHICH THEY ARE LIVING. Instead, they turned their rage against organized workers (WE WORK MUCH MORE THAN THEY DO, BUT WHY DO THEY ENJOY BETTER EARNING AND LIFESTYLE). Moreover, the omnipresent capitalist controlled media is always trying to brainwashing their minds against workers.
I want to whether the condition is similar in other countries or not.

[The Inquisitor]

Even in the US people don't like organized workers. My history teacher tried explaining to me that unions demanding minimum wages and better working conditions are the reason that a lot of people don't have jobs and they are also to blame for inflation. He isn't necessarily "poor", but the animosity is still there.

[Jacobinist]

Even in the US people don't like organized workers. My history teacher tried explaining to me that unions demanding minimum wages and better working conditions are the reason that a lot of people don't have jobs and they are also to blame for inflation. He isn't necessarily "poor", but the animosity is still there.

^ that teacher is an idiot. Nevermind that 20 million jobs in the past decade alone, have been outsourced thanks to free trade schemes.

[The Inquisitor]

^ that teacher is an idiot. Nevermind that 20 million jobs in the past decade alone, have been outsourced thanks to free trade schemes.

My sentiments exactly.

[Jacobinist]

My sentiments exactly.

Thats why I always encourage leftist, independent thinkers to become teachers. We have way too many individuals teaching nonsense and state propaganda to our gullible kids.

[Ligeia]

THE WORKERS ARE DEMANDING TOO MUCH WITHOUT WORKING. THEY DON'T WANT TO WORK, BUT LIKE TO BE PAID ONLY....
(WE WORK MUCH MORE THAN THEY DO, BUT WHY DO THEY ENJOY BETTER EARNING AND LIFESTYLE). Moreover, the omnipresent capitalist controlled media is always trying to brainwashing their minds against workers.
I want to whether the condition is similar in other countries or not.
Well, especially now..the german Media tries to convince people(poor, and working class) of statements like the ones above regarding Greece's population (workers).
Which is outrageous, not only because that's a way of concealing realities and possible thoughts of solidarity but also because it's focusing negativeness on a certain population.
In this situation it's a deceitful way of manipulation of the worst kind.

[Jacobinist]

Well, especially now..the german Media tries to convince people of statements like the ones above regarding Greece's population (workers).
Which is outrageous, not only because that's a way of concealing realities and possible thoughts of solidarity but also because it's focusing negativeness on a certain population.
In this situation it's a deceitful way of manipulation of the worst kind.

"In times of deceit, the truth is revolutionary"

[pranabjyoti]

Even in the US people don't like organized workers. My history teacher tried explaining to me that unions demanding minimum wages and better working conditions are the reason that a lot of people don't have jobs and they are also to blame for inflation. He isn't necessarily "poor", but the animosity is still there.
That's what we can call "reactionary petty-bourgeoisie mentality". Though he himself is a part of "working class", but due to lack of understanding of Economics and probably from his social background, he got this idea.
But, I think, people like your history teacher isn't much of the population, while the picture is different here in India. Here, "social security" is something on "another planet" like scheme and most of the people, have to leave of their own in a very tight income. Most of them are uneducated and under the influence of media (both print and electronic), specially the peasants of middle and upper middle class. Their earning is too much dependent on weather and market and therefore very much unstable, and they feel very much envious about the stable income of organized working class.

[el_chavista]

I want to whether the condition is similar in other countries or not.Wherever a capitalist enclave emerges in the backward countries, an "aristocracy" of workers raises, although in the Venezuelan case I won't say there is an anti-worker sentiment. Perhaps an antipathy for the opportunist/corrupted trade unions leadership.

[pranabjyoti]

Wherever a capitalist enclave emerges in the backward countries, an "aristocracy" of workers raises, although in the Venezuelan case I won't say there is an anti-worker sentiment. Perhaps an antipathy for the opportunist/corrupted trade unions leadership.
Labor aristocracy means when comparatively highly paid workers are infected with anti-class feeling. But, does that mean anti-worker feeling among petty-bourgeoisie people?

[Red Commissar]

The working class and Unions have traditionally had their names dirtied by this kind of behavior. Especially if there are economic issues, it's very easy to paint striking workers as being ungrateful for work, being lazy, and/or wanting more money.

[bobroberts]

Poor people always complain about other workers being paid too much, and whenever there is a labor dispute with a union in the news this angle is repeated relentlessly. Hardly a peep get out about the management and higher ups being paid too much, no matter how badly they fuck up, if they get any mention at all. I have never seen anybody on the news media suggest the higher ups take a pay cut, or suggest that the profit margin justifies the POV of the union. Every penny a worker earns is begrudged by these bastards. Absent any meaningful opposing viewpoint, it's not hard to understand why the workers themselves adopt this attitude.

[Sir Comradical]

Ultimately the ruling ideas of a society are the ideas of its ruling class and this poisons the working class into a false consciousness. I remember once the Times of India depicted a stock market crash with a cartoon showing a plane with the communist hammer and sickle on it crashing into the Bombay Stock Exchange. I've seen articles in India blaming capitalist crises on Naxals.

The attitudes you're describing are very common in Kerala where the biggest complaint of the snobby "middle-class" is that there's too much union activity (some of their grievances are justified, sometimes strikers attack people who drive a car on hartal day, but the Congress party does that shit too). In reality, the reason Keralites have a slightly better standard of living compared with people in other states is because of the very real struggles for better wages. In Kerala a labourer gets paid around 350 rupees per day which is around three times what they'd receive in UP, Bihar or West Bengal. I've heard people in Kerala say that these wages are too high and by being this greedy, Kerala's workers are crippling the economy. Utter nonsense.

[Invincible Summer]

It's these reactionary attitudes amongst the working classes themselves that make me depressed about the future of socialism

[Outinleftfield]

Most of the petty bourgeois want to grow their business and even if they are poor look up to wealthy capitalists as what they want to be. They see the workers as a threat because when they get their dream they want as much money and power as they can get. Their chances are low, but they don't care they cling to that small chance that their small business will grow into a huge one. Workers who don't own any business don't have anything to "expand", they could quit and try but this is usually impractical so they don't cling as much to this fantasy future as the petty bourgeoisie.

This is partly why Republicans do so well in rural areas. Rural areas are full of petty bourgeoisie. There are a lot more small farmers(less and less as time goes on and big farms form) which is a basically a type of small business and more small shop owners compared to more urbanized areas where there are malls and other big businesses.

Its been shown that the extremely rich are actually less reactionary than the just somewhat rich. This is because the extremely rich know their wealth and power is threatened by tiny reforms. They can affoard higher taxes, bigger wages, more worker benefits because everything is just a drop in the bucket to them. In a situation where revolution seems like a possibility they might react differently because they'd have even more to lose than people who aren't as rich. The sort of rich are going to feel more threatened by even small reforms because even though they are rich they still live in a budget and get frustrated when they have to choose a smaller sized yacht, and also theyre in competition with other rich businessmen and are more likely to feel like they could lose their wealth. Anything even slightly threatening will get them upset.

[Robocommie]

Shades of Louis Althusser's theoretical work on the "superstructure" of ideological state apparatuses

[pranabjyoti]

Actually, in my opinion, the best way of winning over the petty-bourgeoisie section is by scientific and technological progress. Lenin and Stalin understood that well and they put great effort in the direction. If that hadn't been done, USSR would be possibly just pulverized by Nazi army during WWII. Later, during the Khrushchev period, this trend has been altered into too much emphasis on military technology, while normal production development is neglected. That ultimately lead to the demise of USSR.
At present, in my opinion, a very good solution is a coalition of countries for scientific and technological development. They have to build a platform for good innovative ideas NOT ONLY FROM THEIR OWN CITIZENS BUT ALSO FROM PEOPLE ALL AROUND THE WORLD. The ideas would be scrutinized and will put into test for further up gradation. US and other imperialist countries so far always have a good input of brains around the world and this helps them a lot to keep them in the top of the world. If the coalition of countries can make the platform, certainly with a few decades they can be compatible with US and other technologically developed countries.
If you search the net, you can see that there are huge amount of good, innovative ideas that just lay idle. What is necessary is a platform that can has the ability to materialize the ideas. I AM SURE THAT CAN DO THE MAGIC.