Is Class Consciousness Really That Scary?

It is if you’re an oligarch, but you might fear it because you were taught that big words and big ideas threaten the status quo and threaten your job. Being conscious of your class just means you know where you are in the world. Think of it more like the haves and the have-nots.

The relationship between classes frames just about every relationship you will have in this world when it comes to your career and your economic outcome. Your daily work-life is shaped by the wage(s) you earn, the hours your work, and the benefits (if any) you receive from your place of employment.

Recognizing that you share in this with others lets you see that your struggles are not just your own, and are not just because of luck. They are part of a system, conscious or not, that shapes the very fabric of our world. Understanding the way these relationships work and how they affect you, your family, your friends, and the broader society that you live in is the essence of “Class Consciousness”.

Once you have an idea of what this world is really like, and what your country is really doing behind the scenes, you have the power of choice. You can choose to band together with others of your class to demand fair rules, fair wages, and fair treatment.

Look at your wage and the company’s own profits. If you work for a tiny fixed wage while the people who own the company pocket all the rest? Congratulations, you are working class. If you work under someone else’s rules and you lack control over your work? Working class. Again. Do you sometimes hear tales of overtime being unpaid, benefits being cut, or safety violations being ignored? Still working class.

The idea that your struggles are purely personal and aren’t shared between you and millions of others is a sort of… false consciousness. It’s the one that the company owners would prefer you to have. That way you feel like you are responsible for everything – even if you’re not. Feeling like you made the wrong career choice, chose the wrong employer, or that somehow it’s all because of your choices is… wrong.

Don’t abuse yourself like that. It isn’t worth it.

If you, however, understand that your problems aren’t random, but rather systemic in nature, you come to see how the system in which you’re trapped is exploiting the wealth (and from it the power) that you create for it. Do remember that it is still legal in the United States to discuss your wages with your coworkers, same as your rent, or how much you’re being worked (and in most cases overworked).

It is okay to talk to people! You can’t just bottle all this madness up inside yourself, after all. That would be unhealthy, and just adds to your anxiety. Of course, also know your audience, it’s probably a bad idea to start talking to your supervisor or your boss about these concepts and concerns… they’d see it for a threat, and you’ll end up in worse circumstances.

First thing you might want to consider doing, is tracking your paycheck, and learning what you can about your company and how much you make for them in your role(s). Then see who really profits from what you do. If you feel angry, that is normal! It is perfectly valid to feel the burn of being… well… burned!

Just know, you’re not alone in this, and you are a part of a majority of people who are being punished for existing. They’ll come after groups to divide people, but that is a tactic to keep you from joining together to question whether or not your boss should be making “The Big Bucks” while you can’t afford a doctor’s visit.

Just looking at the patterns around you, looking at how people are treated, could give you the idea that you’re either in a good workplace (rare as it is!) or if you’re being treated quite terribly (normal as it is…). If others around you see it too? All the better. Remember, you’re never powerless, and in a group of people? You wield the ultimate power in the workplace.

When groups work together, dreams can be built. If everyone bands together as one, and demands fair pay – or else you all walk? Well, it’s not illegal to do that (so far), and it is the best negotiating tactic you can use in a company that doesn’t value your work.

So yes, class consciousness is very scary… to the owners. They’d prefer you work for peanuts after all! The union, however, makes us strong.