I have not read every document the two wrote regarding the subject, so I may be misunderstanding; but the ProleWiki makes it sound like Marx and Lenin–and therefore Marxist-Leninists would–disregard the revolutionary potential of the lumpenproletariat. It seems like sex workers and homeless folks and disabled people are all spat on by the bourgeoisie and would be glad to help take them down? I’m disabled and mostly unable to work (I do work a little, but not even enough to be part-time) and I consider myself an ML.

The wiki describes the lumpen as exploitable by reactionary and counter-revolutionary forces, but we’ve seen in the West that the proletariat as a whole is susceptible to these forces. See Zohran run one of the most radical campaigns we’ve seen in a while and then put on Zionist officials and advocate for changing the system from the inside. The working class is content to sit down and wait for someone else to make change for them. Most disabled people I know, on the other hand, are ready to tear the system down with their own hands. So are we supposed to just gloss over a group of people who’ve been pressure cooking this whole time? If so, why?

  • invalidusernamelol [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    16·
    2 months ago

    To add to what everyone else here has said, the lumpenproletariat is less of “non-workers” and more “scabs and strike breakers”. A class of proles that specifically work counter to the interests of their own class due to financial incentive from a controlling class.

    Those who find a living outside productive labor are always going to be heavily vulnerable to financial exploitation. Not because they’re bad, but because their position in the reserve labor army makes them now dependent on money from profit extraction.

    Remember this concept was come up with well before anything even resembling a modern welfare system existed. In fact it was this relationship specifically that drove the Soviets and future revolutionary movements to immediately build welfare systems to prevent exploitation of lumpen/labor reserve.

    • Keld [he/him, any]@hexbear.netEnglish
      1·
      2 months ago

      the lumpenproletariat is less of “non-workers” and more “scabs and strike breakers”. A class of proles that specifically work counter to the interests of their own class due to financial incentive from a controlling class.

      This is simply wrong. The lumpenpriletariat are the lowest social strata, not HR managers and the pinkertons.