>By contrast, the "lumpenproletariat" - the unskilled, unemployed or
>marginally employed, high school dropouts, forty-year olds living with
>their mothers, druggies etc. - tend to be asocial and apolitical (see
>also Barbara Ehrenreich, _Nickel and Dimed_). They do not give a shit
>about what is going on in their neighborhood, let alone state, nation or
>the world. The specimens I happen to know are quite dismissive of both
>parties, but they have no clue about positions these parties represent -
>they do not even watch the news (let alone vote) - they spend most of
>their time waching or playing videos, listening to rap, hanging out with
>their buddies, occasionally getting high, and trying to pick up girls.
>They have no knowledge of- or any interest in- anything that is social
>or political. They tend to be apprehensive of the outside world i.e
>anything and anyone they are not familiar with (which is about everyone
>but their buddies) but the only group they ostensibly and systematically
>despise is gays.
OK, since I seem to be the only member of the "lumpenproletariat" here, I guess I better say something in my defense.
Up yours too. By the way, its bullshit to say that us lumpens all hate gays. Some of us ARE gay, you drip. The only group we lumpens universally despise are social workers.
>This clearly suggest that poverty and despreation is NOT the main reason
>behind political reactionism. The poor and unemployable are often
>nihilistic and apathetic, sometimes aggressive if they feel threatened,
>but usually they are NOT fire-breathing reactionaries. The
>fire-breathing reactionaries come form a different social class -
>petit bourgeoisie, which is relatively well off, even by the US
>standards.
The petit bourgeoisie, as I keep telling you, is not a different social class. Anymore than Lumpen proletariat are a different class than the proletariat. Just because you choose to use a different language to call them small capitalists shouldn't obscure the fact that they are still, by definition, capitalists. "Small" capitalists, get it?
You academics are as thick as a brick sometimes.
> Needless to add that this is not limited to the US, the
>European variety can be equally venomous. The only difference is that
>the US society as a whole tends to be more petit bourgeois than its
>European counterparts, hence reactionism is more pervasive here than in
>Europe.
Bugger me if this isn't a shallow analysis.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas