- Capitalism and Alternatives -

it certainly not true in America.

Posted by: Asarualim on May 25, 1999 at 17:10:54:

In Reply to: New class structure posted by Lark on May 25, 1999 at 14:20:59:

: In every naion you can roughly recognise a 30-30-40 divide the first thirty are totally dependent upon welfare and well always be since the phenomena of jobless growth took pol position, the second thirty are in totally casualised jobs which the fly in and out of like a revolving door as their temporary contracts run out or the companies downsize to use child labour elsewhere, the forty are a "Privileged" elite who avail of both public and private social protection reap the benefits of deregulation because it doesnt effect them but it does their employees boosting their self-esteem to boot because they're given a free hand to be abusive and authoritarian with people they'd probubly be afraid of if they met them in the street.

I don't know how true that is elsewhere but it certainly not true in America. Class can pretty much be summed up by income differences, mainly that the top 1% and the top 25% control most of teh wealth and have seen their incomes rise, while everyone else has seen their incomes fall. Also, America primarily has a service economy so there is not much of a blyue collar class that works in factories and can be laid off for child labor in the third world; that happened i the 80s allready.

: Given this change and the incapicity of any of the thirty, thirty's to organise without being plunged into poverty for their trouble and the forty's capacity of selfishness what are we expected to do? Who do we appeal to now?

: Maybe we should just blow things up and take over the state in the insuing chaos. (just wrote that to frighten Gee etc.)

Perhapse, but I think democratic change is possible. Although the top 1 and 10% of income earners control the government and media, meaningful democracy as a possibility still exists. There is still potential for reform from within teh system.


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