[email protected] Contributor: [email protected] Contributor:
Richard Wolff
August 25, 2021
Richard Wolff
August 25, 2021
A patron of Economic Update asks: "[T]he Marxist in me feels that the word 'classism' is also some kind neoliberal aerosol to make social class merely a function of prejudice or a lack equal opportunity or something. I am wondering if you could shine a more analytical light on my intuition or refute it as the case may be."
This is Professor Richard Wolff's video response.
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Showing 1 comment
I love your ideas because they make me think more deeply about the values we take for granted. Based on your examples of class I think one could easily distill them into one overarching theme, that is, class structures and -isms serve to codify, solidify and justify systemic means of power differential in culture and society. As is well-known, at least in modern, Western culture, exploitation of others through power differential can lead to subtle, outrageous, and even horrific abuses if not checked or otherwise controlled.
If we accept these conceptual classifications as universal truth or “the way it is”, there will be great difficulty in transforming to a just, egalitarian, and truly democratic world.
Your thought is a critical component in the dialogue that people are having today.
Thank you,
Robert L.