Who are the middle class?

[Papa C.]

I always thought that the middle class were those at the top of the food chain. Those who have money and, possibly, the power to influence Government decisions. People such as those who OWN companies like MicroSoft, MySpace(NewsCorp), CocaCola, McDonald's, General Motors, phone companies, Yer man who owns Eircom and so forth.

But a paper I read recently stated that the middle class are those in high income families, those who drive 'gas guzzling' SUVs and have started using Cocaine as a recriational drug. I think those who own NewsCorp or Eircom have more than simply 'high income'. Am I wrong?

Who are the middle class?

[RedFlag32]

I would consider the first examples you gave as members of the capitalist class comrade. The middle class are those who, like the examples you gave, also buy in their labour power from workers but would generally work alongside the workers. For instance small business men and women.

[Papa C.]

I would believe the Government to work along side the middle class. I think the capitalist class are the business class who use the Government to protect their wealth from the working class. Hence the Buisness class, middle class and capitalist class are all the same thing. 'The Government is the shadow cast by business over society'. The bosses would be working class those who exploit their fellow people, but the boss is still robbed and shat on by the Government as they still have to put up with the same problems as the general public, even though they may have money. Capitalism is evident within the working class but it's only because it is encouraged by our rulers with the 'dog eat dog' attitude. The working class are the large majority of the population. (?)

[RedFlag32]

admin said:

I would believe the Government to work along side the middle class. I think the capitalist class are the business class who use the Government to protect their wealth from the working class. Hence the Buisness class, middle class and capitalist class are all the same thing. 'The Government is the shadow cast by business over society'. The bosses would be working class those who exploit their fellow people, but the boss is still robbed and shat on by the Government as they still have to put up with the same problems as the general public, even though they may have money. Capitalism is evident within the working class but it's only because it is encouraged by our rulers with the 'dog eat dog' attitude. The working class are the large majority of the population. (?)

I suppose the example i gave would be more aptly called the petit-bourgeoisie? However i wouldn't consider the owners of large companies like microsoft to be middle class. My idea of middle class is more the doctors,lawyers,solicitors and police of a society. The capitalist class to me represent those elites who own the means of production whereas the middle class have no relationship at all with it.

[dangeresque]

The middle class in Marx's time were mainly the small capitalists and "rich" peasants, but they're mostly gone. Today they are overseers, baliffs, managers, etc., along with a very small petite bourgeoisie (shopkeepers, family farmers, intellegentsia).