I must say that I disagree with the BBC, as the office workers is still selling their labour to the bourgeoisie to survive. If you still sell your labour to a boss, still are exploited everyday, then you are proletarian. Just above the proletariat is the petit bourgeoisie, the small capitalists, who own capital, but a very small amount. These are the small business owners, the corner shop owners, et cetera. These people are the most likely to go out of business during a recession, and this means more capital gets concentrated into the hands of the bourgeoisie. Then, we have the bourgeoise, the exploiters, the oppressors, controllers of society.
If there is a man (or woman) in power, they will be bourgeois. These are the factory owners, the supermarket and department store owners, the landlords et cetera.
This analysis is still as valid and true as it was in Marx’s capitalism, as in a system classes never change.
There will be a time when the bourgeoisie wants more and more money, so push down on wages. The only problem with that is the proletarians have no money to buy the goods that are being advertised to them- recession. This is one of three or four ways in which a recession can happen, of course, but, in the end, it’s all in the hands of the bourgeoisie, who punish the proletariat.
The report was not just BBC but also in conjunction with UK universities/academics.
I agree that Marx’s analysis is still valid but its simplicity could mean that (for example) a multi-millionaire Formula 1 driver would be working class, he does not own the F1 team, he gets paid by the team and he doesn’t employ anyone.
Of course I am aware that he COULD use his wealth to buy the means of production.
Also, and this may sound terrible but there are definitely different types of ‘working class’ living in a poor part of Nottingham I can see poor working class people but educated and good people and the working class, uneducated, part-time drug dealers who would knife you for the money in your pocket. It is possible that this is less working class and more what Marx described as the Lumpenproletariat.
Not sure.
Yes, the drug dealers, people on benefits and so in are lumpen proletarians