Marxian vs. bourgeios categories [was Marx on Smith]

[Carrol Cox]

The original efforts (by Smith or Marx) to develop the categories of
productive
and unproductive labor were in response to particular stages of class
struggle. In Smith's case the enormous expense of the Clergy, Military,
various placeholders, etc. In Marx's case the enormous number of
domestic
servants as well as other categories of labor that very obviously and
unambiguously did *not* produce either surplus value or exchange in
any way against variable capital. Those categories have become extremly
confused since then, as witness the repeated fights among marxists over
just who constitutes the "working class" and whether there is such a
thing as "the middle class."

It is no longer clear at all that all "service workers" are
unproductive,
even in the orignial senses of the term, nor that all or even most
government workers are. Now I have read (with only marginal
understanding) interesting looking articles (I believe in the Review
of Radical Political Economy) purporting to assess the actual
economy in terms of these categories -- but these same articles
(even if correct) if followed into the strategic and tactical realms
would
by excluding public school teachers, staff (medical and non-medical)
of VA hospitals, postal employees, etc. etc from the working class
royally fuck up progressive and/or revolutionary politics. So I think
I understand part at least of what Doug means when he insists on
using the term "political."

Is a depression more or less likely if more of the work force consists
of unproductive workers (as listed above)? Does an increase in the
number of MacDonald's employees as opposed to janitors in steel
plants make a technical difference? (I'm not an economist and I may
have my terminology fouled up here.) I would regard workers in
fast food workers as production rather than service workers? Is that
accurate, and does it make a difference either in description of the
economy or in political planning? Why is it production to cut up
meat in a meat plant to be cooked at home but service to further
process that meet for immediate consumption on the premises? Is
the cook a productive worker but the cashier an uproductive
worker? Are all these questions either technically or politically
productive?

I'll add one question: Is it remotely possible, *today*, to make an
accurate division (listing) of workers into productive and unproductive
laborers? Of the total work force, how many are productive workers?
Can their locations be specified with some accuracy?

Carrol