Classes are social relations to production, not arbitrary income levels. I'm a proletarian, but in the upper stratum of the labor aristocracy.
Exactly this.
The only meaningful class distinction is working class/wealthy class.
Working class is anyone who has to work for their income whereas wealthy class is anyone whose wealth generates enough income for them on its own.
It’s possible to move from working class to wealthy class, after all people do actually do that, but it’s exceptionally rare because it’s exceptionally difficult.
Discipline alone isn’t enough, as you also have to be lucky enough to avoid things like major medical issues, bad market timing, and other financial headwinds that are out of your control.
The only meaningful class distinction is working class/wealthy class.
It's nice to recognize Labor Aristocracy, petite bourgeoisie, peasantry, small handicraftsman, and so forth, IMO.
That’s a fair point; my statement was probably too strong.
Finer grained distinctions absolutely do matter, I just think they are overshadowed by the difference between working class and wealthy class.
Not to be nitpicky, but it really depends on what you're talking about. The Petite Bourgeoisie, for example, has a tendency to try to align with either the Bourgeoisie or the Anarchists as they are proletarianized by big competition. When they align with the Bourgeoisie, this usually is a factor in the rise in fascism, also known as Capitalism in decay.
The general Proletariat vs Bourgeoisie conflict is certainly one of the most important nationally, but internationally it is the Imperialist Bourgeoisie vs the Proletariat and Nationalist Bourgeoisie, as we live in the age of Imperialism, or "moribund Capitalism."
If you like this video, check out Why Looking Poor is Important, which talks about the different ways each economic class views money.
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