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The term working class is used to denote a social
class. The definition of the term "working class" is controversial, and depends on the politics of the person making the
definition and on the society being discussed. For example, British
writers are more likely to define class as being at least partly inherited, whereas Americans are more likely to emphasize current income and employment status.
Karl Marx defined the "working class" or proletariat as "those individuals who sell their labor and do not own the means of production" whom he believed
to be responsible for creating the wealth of a society (buildings, bridges and furniture, for example, are physically built by
members of this class).
The proletariat are further subdivided by Marxists into the ordinary proletariat and the lumpenproletariat (rag-proletariat), those who are extremely poor and cannot find legal
work on a regular basis. These may be prostitutes, beggars, or homeless people.
The self-oppression of the working class
Many of the problems of working class people have been blamed on excessive consumption of alcohol, laziness, failure to save money, and more recently satellite television, spectator sports and drugs. In reference to this, Oscar Wilde said "Work is the curse of the drinking classes". This does not
necessarily mean that the working class is morally inferior to the wealthier classes. First it isn't clear that in general the
working class are really any less hardworking than the wealthier classes, as such a trait is difficult to measure. Furthermore,
if the working class does show more dysfunctional behavior, this could be the result of the sparse opportunities and constant
hardships that they have faced. These behaviors could be a result of the socioeconomic conditions as much as those conditions
result from dysfunctional behavior.
While some view religion as the key to overcoming this "self-oppression",
Karl Marx spoke of religion as "the opium
of the masses", and the greatest obstacle to their advancement. As a consequence, most Marxists oppose organized religion.
See also
trade union, middle
class, blue collar, white collar, lower class, underclass, illegal immigrant, minimum wage
External links
Further reading
- Moran, W. (2002). Belles of New England: The women of the textile mills and the families whose wealth they wove.
New York: St Martin's Press, ISBN
0312301839.
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