[lbo-talk] How the ruling class organizes itself ( only) ?

Charles Brown cbrown at michiganlegal.org
Wed May 10 09:10:25 PDT 2006


I wonder if anarchism or libertarianism might be the form of organization of
> the bourgeois ruling class.

Jim: market libertarianism (or anarchism within a market-like setting) is often the officially-desired form of organization of the capitalist ruling class. (Some economists make $$$ spreading the _laissez-faire_ gospel at biz meetings.) In other situations, e.g., during and after the 1968 US urban "unrest," what's neeed is ORDER, not liberty. Members of the bourgeoisie often say they like anarchy outside of their businesses (_laissez-faire_, leave us alone!) but within the business, they like CONTROL, hierarchy. Bigger businesses often reject anarchy outside their business, looking for biz/government alliances, etc.

In practice, business is not anarchist. They join together in all sorts of leagues (the JCs, the city council, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Department of Commerce, etc.) They are always looking for government help, e.g., the socialization of losses and the privatization of gains.

^^^^^ CB: I meant to say the bourgeois ruling class's organization _of itself as a class_ might be libertarian - the organization of the ruling class in-itself, for-itself. I'm thinking specifically of its own organization of itself as a class, not its preferred form of the organization of the rest of society ( the working class), not the organization of the state power or the organization within a given company or corporation.



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