Class Theory

As the Democrats "debate" one another in the run-up to the US primary election cycle, class theory is being tossed about even more than usual by politicians and pundits. Social media is awash in such accusations, too.

There are several common slogans on the left of the standard political spectrum.

"We are the 99%!"
"Capitalists are the enemy of the worker!"
"The Haves and the Have-Nots!"
"The Proletariats must rise up against the bourgeoisie!"

Of course, the right has its own class theories, too.

"Welfare whores!"
"Illegal immigrants!"
"The parasites are feeding off the productive!"

The problem is that on a superficial level, all of these class theories have some measure of truth, but neither side's position is based on any sound understanding of politics and economics. Instead most of the Seven Deadly Sins form the foundation. Sure, their adherents appeal to high-minded moral principles, but these don't withstand scrutiny.

I would instead propose another class theory. I'm not the first to suggest this, but I think some nuance is needed. Due to the way politics has so thoroughly pervaded society, there are few clear-cut distinctions as people can overlap these categories, as I hope will become apparent.

The first class is the productive class. These are the people who participate in the voluntary economy of mutually-beneficial exchange. Farmers, factory workers, entrepreneurs, transportation workers, consumers, and so on all fall within this sphere. This is the free market.It also encompasses any form of voluntary commune, syndicalist cooperative, gift economy or other system where people are free to choose their association without compulsion. Some call this "capitalism," but I am open to discarding that term due to its alternative definition below.

The second class is the political class. These are the people who directly or indirectly use government force to compel involuntary exchanges. Politicians are the obvious members. Corporate executives who rely on subsidies, bailouts, protectionist regulations, tariffs, etc. are also included. The police, much venerated by the right, are also in this class because they are the domestic enforcement arm. So is the military as the foreign enforcement arm. Lest the leftists think, "Well, duh, that's what we mean by capitalism," I would also include the government education monopoly here as well. Moving health care from the current corporate cartel status quo into a centrally-planned government monopoly that can be wielded like a carrot or a stick against the populace is also a system of coercive exchanges that removes choice and information from the individual. That isn't charity, that's theft and extortion.

There is also a third class. I wanted to think of another alliterative word to go with "productive" and "political," but I'm drawing a blank here. "Parasitic" certainly isn't right. "Dependent" is closer, but still not quite there. "Conflicted" might be a suitable label. These are the people who work in fields influenced by politics. Employees in the military-industrial complex. Workers like me who knowingly or not participate in a government-monopolized job because it is the only way such services can be realistically provided under the current system. I would also include welfare and social security recipients here. Yes, some lean more toward the political class by demanding such tax-funded programs. Others may see it as the only way at the moment to get something needed.

As the sphere of political control keeps expanding, more and more in the productive class find themselves facing the taint of political involvement. And this is always imposed at gunpoint, funded by theft, and preached like the gospel of salvation with calls for heretical dissenters to be condemned. At least the Democrats are mostly honest about their intention to control society. The Republicans are busybody control freaks too, but they talk liberty while they put on the same jackboots as the Democrats who proclaim "empowerment."

Beware the false divisions the political class would impose on the productive and the (for lack of a better term) conflicted class. Everything they promise to give must be first taken from someone else. That isn't the way honest adults interact or seek to satisfy their wants. Don't look to the State for your salvation or your day-to-day well-being. Strive for liberty. The real enemy isn't someone with a different skin color, tax bracket, or job title. It's the person who claims the authority to transcend the moral rules that make society work as if they can do so for the "greater good."

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