The Clarion Call of the American Working Class
Politician Priorities
The second week of August 2023 stands out in that it illustrates the parallel worlds that American politicians live in compared to the working masses. Millions of Americans are struggling to put food on the table, Hawaii is dealing with unprecedented wildfires, workers are striking. How are American politicians prioritizing their time?
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez decided to show her “solidarity” with the working masses by putting out a video showcasing the most important issues facing Americans: Sunscreen regulation:
Worker Priorities
Contrast Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with this mother from Alabama, Jessica Mccabe, who went viral this week posting a video to TikTok expressing frustrations with the struggle of her children and the unattainable American Dream.
Jessica’s video is a perfect illustration of a rising class consciousness in America, particularly her notes regarding America being divided into the ultra-wealthy and the poor. Noah Khrachvik Co-director, from the Midwestern Marx Institute for Marxist Theory and Political Analysis said it best:
“This is a clarion call.”
Whether Jessica realizes it or not, she touches on the very real phenomenon of proletarianization.
Hitherto, every form of society has been based, as we have already seen, on the antagonism of oppressing and oppressed classes…
…The modern labourer, on the contrary, instead of rising with the process of industry, sinks deeper and deeper below the conditions of existence of his own class. He becomes a pauper, and pauperism develops more rapidly than population and wealth. And here it becomes evident, that the bourgeoisie is unfit any longer to be the ruling class in society, and to impose its conditions of existence upon society as an over-riding law. It is unfit to rule because it is incompetent to assure an existence to its slave within his slavery, because it cannot help letting him sink into such a state, that it has to feed him, instead of being fed by him. Society can no longer live under this bourgeoisie, in other words, its existence is no longer compatible with society.
-Marx/Engels Selected Works, Vol. One, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1969, pp. 98-137;
The morbid realities of the average American worker seem to be an afterthought for elected officials. An additional $24 billion in aid has been proposed for supporting President Biden’s proxy war in Ukraine, further escalating a direct conflict with Russia. The war drums are not just beating for Russia, but China as well, as Barron’s writes:
In January, the House established a Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party…
In its short existence, the committee has exercised those powers with considerable authority. It has held six decidedly one-sided hearings: on the Chinese military threat (Feb. 28), Uyghur-related human rights issues (March 23), China’s economic aggression (May 17), the perils of U.S. companies operating in China (July 13), and the Biden administration’s China strategy (July 20).
McCarthyism Renewed
The revival of McCarthyist era politics in Washington does not bode well for Americans. The McCarran Internal Security Act of 1950 marked a dark chapter in American history, reflecting the intense anti-Communist sentiment of the McCarthyist era.
Among its many provisions, the Act authorized the construction of concentration camps for those suspected of engaging in subversive activities, including membership in or support of Communist organizations. The consequences of the Act extended beyond these physical manifestations in that it stifled dissent, violated individual rights, and created an atmosphere of fear and suspicion that resonated throughout. Entire lives and careers were destroyed as a result of deranged paranoia of those in Washington.
Voices of the working class
Jessica was not the only individual to go viral this week after exhibiting extraordinary levels of class consciousness. Oliver Anthony put out a soulful single Rich Men North Of Richmond.
Reaching #1 on iTunes and amassing a following overnight, Oliver Anthony quickly attracted attention from mainstream media outlets. As shown below, Rolling Stone took a shot at him, titling their headline, “Right-Wing Influencers Just Found Their Favorite New Country Song”
We have reached a stage in American political discourse where the substance of art, its meaning, is obfuscated by a theatrical false dichotomy of “right vs left.” The thing about Marxism is that it is not an ideal; rather, it is a scientific framework to analyze the concrete, not the subjective.
"The materialistic outlook on nature," says Engels, "means no more than simply conceiving nature just as it exists, without any foreign admixture." (Marx and Engels, Vol. XIV, p. 651.)
In this way, Oliver’s perceived political affiliation has no bearing on the substance of his music, which delves into the realities facing every American.
The reason Oliver has gone viral overnight is that he speaks to the struggles of the working class, not the struggles of Republicans, not the struggles of Democrats.
Update 08/15/2023:
A lot of controversy surrounding a line in Oliver’s song regarding welfare:
I wish politicians would look out for miners
And not just minors on an island somewhere
Lord, we got folks in the street, ain't got nothin' to eat
And the obese milkin' welfare
Well, God, if you're 5-foot-3 and you're 300 pounds
Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds
Young men are puttin' themselves six feet in the ground
'Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin' them down
Commentary around this verse has been centered around the Reaganite tone of ‘welfare queens’ leeching off the system. In other words, this line represents punching down to the very workers his song is speaking for. While the song can still be appreciated for its overall message, it remains important to give valid critique when necessary.
A lot of Marxists will be quick to condemn the song and the enthusiasm it has generated, which is a mistake. Oliver’s song and the popular appeal should be channeled into introducing workers to other amazing musicians that have a refined class consciousness, such as Woody Guthrie.