Alienation and the Bourgeosie

[A.R.Amistad]

I was reading into the Marxist definition of Alienation and have a few questions. First, I agree that the worker is alienated from their labor because they do not own it, but as for alienation from "their nature," there are many worker's who take pride in their work and are still exploited. How does this fit in with the theory of alienation, since a worker can enjoy their work, but they are still exploited.

Also, in terms of the bourgeoisie. Are they alienated as well, and what is the basis for their excess and "greed" (in quotes since that's a subjective idea.)

[Lenina Rosenweg]

Workers can still take pride in their work, although deskilling and automation are ways by which capitalists take control of the work process away from the workers. It is hard to take pride in one's work if your job is to put plastic widgets in a box for 8 hours (I've done this). Jobs with a higher skill set, an architect, for example, are also becoming "Taylorized" reduced to number crunching in a cubicle.


Jobs where workers do take pride in their work are often part of a group endeavor-airplane mechanics, software engineers. They also have somewhat more control over the work process.Here I would say their pride in their work is a forerunner of socialism.

A society where our work is subordinated to the need of a small caste of people to make a profit mediated though a competitive market is deeply alienating. Not only are people alienated from the product of their labor but from human needs like altruism, cooperation,community and control over the work process iself. Our work should be part of ourselves. If this is taken away, or distorted, it is bound to have harmful effects psychologically. This alienation can be played out in many ways. Much of the media is essentially propaganda to consume, playing to our insecurities about being attractive, lack of power, etc.The ideas of the ruling class-compete and consume, are in a disconnect with deeper human needs. Communities, geographical or otherwise, are under attack. Our lives themselves are commodities.

I saw the film "American Beauty" to be essentially about the forms of alienation created by capitalism.

[A.R.Amistad]

Workers can still take pride in their work, although deskilling and automation are ways by which capitalists take control of the work process away from the workers. It is hard to take pride in one's work if your job is to put plastic widgets in a box for 8 hours (I've done this). Jobs with a higher skill set, an architect, for example, are also becoming "Taylorized" reduced to number crunching in a cubicle.


Jobs where workers do take pride in their work are often part of a group endeavor-airplane mechanics, software engineers. They also have somewhat more control over the work process.Here I would say their pride in their work is a forerunner of socialism.

A society where our work is subordinated to the need of a small caste of people to make a profit mediated though a competitive market is deeply alienating. Not only are people alienated from the product of their labor but from human needs like altruism, cooperation,community and control over the work process iself. Our work should be part of ourselves. If this is taken away, or distorted, it is bound to have harmful effects psychologically. This alienation can be played out in many ways. Much of the media is essentially propaganda to consume, playing to our insecurities about being attractive, lack of power, etc.The ideas of the ruling class-compete and consume, are in a disconnect with deeper human needs. Communities, geographical or otherwise, are under attack. Our lives themselves are commodities.

I saw the film "American Beauty" to be essentially about the forms of alienation created by capitalism.

But I personally have met Coal Miners who are extremely oppressed, exploited, put in harms way and treated like shit by capitalism who genuinely take pride in what they do. In fact, they see it as a matter of heritage. "My father, my father's father and his father, etc. etc. were coal miners, and I'm proud to be one and so is my son too" is a sentiment among many miners (not saying all.) And even these miners who take pride in their work still are opposed to the bourgeoisie who oppress them, but they take pride in what they do nonetheless. Same can be said for "white collar" worker's and the labor aristocracy as well, depending on the individual. Socially, I agree that they are alienated from their labor, but I still think one can feel authentic in what they do in capitalist society, and I also think that under socialism it will be possible to be socially in harmony with your labor, but alienated individually.

I find many similarities between Marx's Alienation and existential despair.