I know we have our Marxist definition and all that, but it seems to be a really pervasive brainworms, everywhere I go. Some people I’ve talked to think for instance, all scientists are silver spooned and never worked a day in their life because they don’t do construction, or whatever.

How do you argue with people like this? Can you?

  • tactical_trans_karen [she/her, comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    12·
    1 day ago

    I switch the framing up and simplify it. Often people see it as an income to sweat ratio, and not overall assets and how far you can make assets go.

    I can’t hide the fact that I do white collar work today pays alright. But I explain that sooner or later my money is going to run out of I stop working, and no matter how much extra I do, even if I managed to crack six figures one day, I still can’t stop working. Whereas the ruling class is a small minority of people who can stop working completely, and they will only grow in wealth. They will never die from want or need. Meanwhile, you and I [the person I’m addressing] know that we can’t stop working… Because of the implication because-of-the-implication (the implication is work or die).

    It’s a such a glaringly obvious fact that everyone recognizes as a fundamental truth. People might push back by asking about welfare or disability - you can’t get these things from voluntarily not working, and it’s not a cushy living. Ruling class people can engage in nothing but leisure and many of them are at the level that they couldn’t spend all their wealth in their lifetime.

    I cap this off with some good eye contact and spell it out “They live in a wholly different reality than we do”.

    If they get that, you can take some deeper dives.