The Vegan Marxist
16th October 2010, 20:05
“The worker who becomes a policeman in the service of the capitalist state, is a bourgeois cop, not a worker.”
~Leon Trotsky
The class distinctions between the working class and the capitalist class have always been of the up most importance in determining the antagonistic forces that contradict our struggle as proletarians. Of course, as Marx tried laying out, what defined working class and capitalists was their material relations to labor force and a commodity. Where the capitalist exploited a worker’s labor force to create a commodity, in turn to create a profit, the working class had to sell their labor force to the capitalist in order to earn a wage.
But does being of the working class essentially mean, under class war, that one is willing to concede to one’s own class relation in society? Arguably, as I have personally noticed, there have been many misunderstandings on how to differentiate the working class between those who are consciously of the working class and those who’s mentality derives by their own contradictions. Mistakes such as seeing those of the rich as our class enemy, of the entirety, and those of the struggling as our ally.
Surely, it was never about the wage amount that determined whether one was a proletarian or not. If this was so, then every multi-billionaire actor in Hollywood, California, would initially be considered of the bourgeois – a direct enemy to our struggle. A clear Marxist analysis would allow us to understand that, despite being a multi-billionaire, these wages of theirs are achieved solely by their own labor. They are not selling a product three-times more than its own value, nor are they buying off someone’s labor force to sell said product. Their acting abilities is their labor force. The clothes they wear on set, the scripts they rehearse off of, and surely the set itself, are the means of production used – not owned – by the actor to create a commodity – entertainment. In which, the company – capitalist – then sell said commodity in order to attain a profit.
But where does their mentality lie? Does their class mentality resemble that of the bourgeois? Is their own labor force exploiting or harming the rest of the working class – in contradiction, profiting and protecting the capitalist class? I would say this is not the case. So, essentially, it is safe to say that, despite how much one may earn, such could never correctly determine one’s class relation under class war.
So how about those of the police force who are comparatively similar to many working class Americans? When compared to the not so struggling actors, one could essentially determine that an officer’s class relation is of the working class. Their labor force is being sold in order to earn a wage, like an actor. The gear they wear and use is still of the means of production, in which they do not own themselves. And surely, seeing as how the police force is funded by the State, a State that is ruled by the bourgeois, they are selling said labor force to the State in order to create a commodity – protection.
But, again, where does their mentality lie? Are they of understanding their own class relation, or does their own labor force threaten the rest of the working class majority? Unfortunately, the latter hits home more so than the former. Especially when under the direct service of protecting the bourgeois – a class mentality by their own contradictions.
Whenever a peaceful worker’s strike takes form, it is the police force who uses their labor force to set a barrier between the strikers and their goal. Whenever a riot or revolution takes form, it is the police force who uses their labor force to try and eradicate any and all elements that show opposition to the bourgeois State.
According to Marx:
“In the condition of the proletariat, those of old society at large are already virtually swamped. The proletarian is without property; his relation to his wife and children has no longer anything in common with the bourgeois family relations; modern industry labour, modern subjection to capital … has stripped him of every trace of national character. Law, morality, religion, are to him so many bourgeois prejudices, behind which lurk in ambush just as many bourgeois interests.” [1]
Meaning that the conditions of the proletariat are of contradiction to the bourgeois customs of society. In which if any proletariat was to uphold such customs over another, their class mentality no longer resembles that of their own class relation, but that of their own class contradiction. They then attain the class mentality of the bourgeois.
Any worker who defends the bourgeois cop over a revolutionary proletarian under class war is, indirectly, defending the very customs of the bourgeois.
Of course, this does not mean that those of the police force are to inevitably reside as our class enemy. For if a police officer is to consciously understand their own class relation, then it’s safe to say that, when the State calls for their labor force, they will be on the front lines striking with the rest of the working class against the bourgeois State. [2]
Red Love & Salutes!
1. Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. “Bourgeois and Proletarians.” Manifesto of the Communist Party. 1848. Marxists Internet Archive. Web. http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ch01.htm.
2. “Romanian policemen joins demos against austerity measures”, Trend, September 24, 2010.
~Leon Trotsky
The class distinctions between the working class and the capitalist class have always been of the up most importance in determining the antagonistic forces that contradict our struggle as proletarians. Of course, as Marx tried laying out, what defined working class and capitalists was their material relations to labor force and a commodity. Where the capitalist exploited a worker’s labor force to create a commodity, in turn to create a profit, the working class had to sell their labor force to the capitalist in order to earn a wage.
But does being of the working class essentially mean, under class war, that one is willing to concede to one’s own class relation in society? Arguably, as I have personally noticed, there have been many misunderstandings on how to differentiate the working class between those who are consciously of the working class and those who’s mentality derives by their own contradictions. Mistakes such as seeing those of the rich as our class enemy, of the entirety, and those of the struggling as our ally.
Surely, it was never about the wage amount that determined whether one was a proletarian or not. If this was so, then every multi-billionaire actor in Hollywood, California, would initially be considered of the bourgeois – a direct enemy to our struggle. A clear Marxist analysis would allow us to understand that, despite being a multi-billionaire, these wages of theirs are achieved solely by their own labor. They are not selling a product three-times more than its own value, nor are they buying off someone’s labor force to sell said product. Their acting abilities is their labor force. The clothes they wear on set, the scripts they rehearse off of, and surely the set itself, are the means of production used – not owned – by the actor to create a commodity – entertainment. In which, the company – capitalist – then sell said commodity in order to attain a profit.
But where does their mentality lie? Does their class mentality resemble that of the bourgeois? Is their own labor force exploiting or harming the rest of the working class – in contradiction, profiting and protecting the capitalist class? I would say this is not the case. So, essentially, it is safe to say that, despite how much one may earn, such could never correctly determine one’s class relation under class war.
So how about those of the police force who are comparatively similar to many working class Americans? When compared to the not so struggling actors, one could essentially determine that an officer’s class relation is of the working class. Their labor force is being sold in order to earn a wage, like an actor. The gear they wear and use is still of the means of production, in which they do not own themselves. And surely, seeing as how the police force is funded by the State, a State that is ruled by the bourgeois, they are selling said labor force to the State in order to create a commodity – protection.
But, again, where does their mentality lie? Are they of understanding their own class relation, or does their own labor force threaten the rest of the working class majority? Unfortunately, the latter hits home more so than the former. Especially when under the direct service of protecting the bourgeois – a class mentality by their own contradictions.
Whenever a peaceful worker’s strike takes form, it is the police force who uses their labor force to set a barrier between the strikers and their goal. Whenever a riot or revolution takes form, it is the police force who uses their labor force to try and eradicate any and all elements that show opposition to the bourgeois State.
According to Marx:
“In the condition of the proletariat, those of old society at large are already virtually swamped. The proletarian is without property; his relation to his wife and children has no longer anything in common with the bourgeois family relations; modern industry labour, modern subjection to capital … has stripped him of every trace of national character. Law, morality, religion, are to him so many bourgeois prejudices, behind which lurk in ambush just as many bourgeois interests.” [1]
Meaning that the conditions of the proletariat are of contradiction to the bourgeois customs of society. In which if any proletariat was to uphold such customs over another, their class mentality no longer resembles that of their own class relation, but that of their own class contradiction. They then attain the class mentality of the bourgeois.
Any worker who defends the bourgeois cop over a revolutionary proletarian under class war is, indirectly, defending the very customs of the bourgeois.
Of course, this does not mean that those of the police force are to inevitably reside as our class enemy. For if a police officer is to consciously understand their own class relation, then it’s safe to say that, when the State calls for their labor force, they will be on the front lines striking with the rest of the working class against the bourgeois State. [2]
Red Love & Salutes!
1. Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. “Bourgeois and Proletarians.” Manifesto of the Communist Party. 1848. Marxists Internet Archive. Web. http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ch01.htm.
2. “Romanian policemen joins demos against austerity measures”, Trend, September 24, 2010.