[Marxism] From $70k per year to $12 per hour

[Marv Gandall]

Louis wrote:

> killakai at gmail.com wrote:
>> Ohh boo hoo these people. They seem more hurt by the social implications
>> of their jobs than the financial ones.
>
> The issue is not the individuals who meet this fate, but the social
> implications of a ruined middle-class. If the American economy betrays
> this class, it will eventually bite the hand that once fed it. Speaking
> of which, it is a good test of an analysis I have heard in the past that
> posits a fascist reaction to an economic collapse in advanced
> industrialized countries. So far, the evidence is a shift to the left
> looking at Iceland et al.
===========================
Right. The fascist base was racially homogenous; that was a large part of
its appeal to the white petits-bourgeois and segments of the working class.
The big bourgeoisie supported it for other reasons. It's hard to see fascism
sinking roots in modern advanced capitalist societies which are so much more
diverse, cosmopolitan, urban, and educated than they were in the 30's. The
social base of the DP and social democratic parties would move further left
under the impact of a deepening crisis. We've already seen the beginnings of
such movement in the US. The Republican social base, almost exclusively
white, will move further right. Their relative strength today suggests what
the balance of forces is and is likely to be as social tensions increase.