6 ms·

Physical vs. mental labor (aka blue collar and service vs. white collar) is what distinguishes lower and middle class and creates the third category. Lower cla

by kyllo 11y ago

Physical vs. mental labor (aka blue collar and service vs. white collar) is what distinguishes lower and middle class and creates the third category. Lower class = your income relies on your physical labor Middle class = your income relies on your mental labor Upper class = your income relies on your capital and others' labor

danans 11y ago
There are probably some struggling postdocs and adjuncts out there who would take issue with this classification. Also, some very successful skilled laborers and artisans.
- khaolak 11y ago
  Which actually highlights the unstated cultural elements of class aside from income. Is an Ivy educated woman working at an NGO for 30k the same class as a shift manager at Walmart making 30k? Is a postdoc at Stanford lower class than a factory worker whose income is triple a postdoc stipend?
beachstartup 11y ago
i would say there's a 4th class, a working entrepreneur who's basically "all of the above".
- NoGravitas 11y ago
  The traditional term for this is 'petit bourgeois'.
- kyllo 11y ago
  We're talking about social classes, not occupational categories though. Would you say that an immigrant inner-city convenience store owner and a bootstrapped SaaS startup founder are the same social class? They're both working entrepreneurs...
mercer 11y ago
I think this is a somewhat outdated view of classes, at least in our current 'Western' societies. I'm reminded of this article by the BBC that argues that there are seven classes, for example: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21953364 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21953364 It strikes me a bit as the traditional division of 'left' and 'right' in politics that, at least according to multiple professors in my PolSci classes, is not really accurate. Yet it's (understandably) still a commonly used method of classifying politics.
andygates 11y ago
It's not just physicality, it's skill as well. Consider the unskilled call centre operator - low-end service work that is in the same class as low-end physical work, but doesn't tax a muscle.

by kyllo 11y ago

danans 11y ago

There are probably some struggling postdocs and adjuncts out there who would take issue with this classification. Also, some very successful skilled laborers and artisans.

khaolak 11y ago
Which actually highlights the unstated cultural elements of class aside from income. Is an Ivy educated woman working at an NGO for 30k the same class as a shift manager at Walmart making 30k? Is a postdoc at Stanford lower class than a factory worker whose income is triple a postdoc stipend?

beachstartup 11y ago

i would say there's a 4th class, a working entrepreneur who's basically "all of the above".

NoGravitas 11y ago
The traditional term for this is 'petit bourgeois'.
kyllo 11y ago
We're talking about social classes, not occupational categories though. Would you say that an immigrant inner-city convenience store owner and a bootstrapped SaaS startup founder are the same social class? They're both working entrepreneurs...

mercer 11y ago

I think this is a somewhat outdated view of classes, at least in our current 'Western' societies. I'm reminded of this article by the BBC that argues that there are seven classes, for example: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21953364 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21953364 It strikes me a bit as the traditional division of 'left' and 'right' in politics that, at least according to multiple professors in my PolSci classes, is not really accurate. Yet it's (understandably) still a commonly used method of classifying politics.

andygates 11y ago

It's not just physicality, it's skill as well. Consider the unskilled call centre operator - low-end service work that is in the same class as low-end physical work, but doesn't tax a muscle.