Matvey,
Hi. I liked your discussion of the middle class/intellectual labor
discussion even though I disagree with it in principle. You seem to be
restricting the notion of "intellectual labor" to some kind of critical
intellectual activity; as in your statement that hippies are more
intellectual than bank managers. Having lived around the former off and on
for more than thirty years all I can say about that is: it depends. In
Haight-Ashbury in Fall 1966 that would have been true, but not so after
summer 1997. In many ways, hippies are classic examples of American
anti-intellectualism and the hippie world view is much more irrationalist
than critical--hence the emphasis on non-Western religions and esoteric
Western traditions (eg Tarot cards).
I also totally agree that maintenance of a strong middle class is directly
related to the need to provide markets for capitalist production. But . . .
When I indicated the relationship between intellectual labor and the middle
class, I was taking advantage of Star and Bowker's discussion of
"classifications". The intellectual labor I was pointing to is simply
contrasted with manual labor along a continuum of skill levels: intellectual
labor in this sense consists of nothing more nor less than producing,
distributing, and exchanging classifications. The bank manager works
exclusively with classifications, so does the bank teller. The difference
between the former and the latter probably being the scope and the depth of
knowledge of the institutionally relevant classificatory schemes, even
though, as is often the case, the teller be more intellectual in your sense
than the bank manager. In fact I'd imagine it more likely to find a bank
teller reading Habermas than the manager. Hippies also use extensive
classificatory systems but mainly for consumption of various illegal
substances and evaluating music.
My point was that when the problem of intellectual labor in marxist social
theory is viewed with the optic provided by Star and Bowker, we have a new
and perhaps more productive way to treat intellectual labor than when we
restrict it to the traditional concept of intellectual that seems to inform
your comments. Although I don't have any data on this, I'd be willing to
wager that, on the average, levels of consumption increase directly in
relation to the degree to which labor is intellectual in this sense. The
analysis would be complex and need to take into account unions and other
factors directly associated with the class struggle concerning the
distribution of the social product between labor and capital.
Any thoughts?
Paul H. Dillon
----- Original Message -----
From: Matvey Sokolovsky <sokolovs@uconnvm.uconn.edu>
To: <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2000 9:25 PM
Subject: middle class/intellectual labor
> I am somewhat fascinated by how the discussion of middle class and
> intellectual labor turned into an evaluation of Soviet regime and its
> experiments in extermination of people. It is also important to notice
that
> there is a theme on the background of this discussion -- a strive for a
> fair world where women will be liberated without extermination of men but
> by man happily delegating their privileges to women (or Kosovars
delegating
> rights to remaining Serbs and Gypsies under a fair US peacekeeping). I
> think this turn of the discussion is somewhat logical though, and I will
> try to describe why.
>
> In the begging of the discussion there was a strong assumption made that
> intelligentsia in Russia is somewhat related to middle class because
middle
> class is mostly white color (in all meanings, but primarily shirt-wise).
> This parallel was somewhat provoked by Eugene's description of how the
term
> intelligentsia evolved. I have to credit my friend with his historical
> knowledge but will suggest that middle class is just the opposite of
> intelligentsia and "intellectual labor" has no meaningful relation to
> either of them.
>
> I base on the assumption that in the mechanism of American economy middle
> class has a special role (interestingly, American in that statement may
> mean both US and N.America). This role is to be a consumer. My assumption
> is that middle class's function is to consume. Unfortunately for some
> people, they have to have money to be able to pay for what they consume.
> The balance of American politics is how to maintain middle class as a
> vibrant consumer. A very limited number of people are needed to produce
> goods with today's high productivity, so producers cannot be sufficient
> middle class. So there appears a need for "intellectual labor" --
> sufficient amounts of people who follow rules, play a game carefully,
> produce nothing but ensure their survival through creating obstacles,
> bureaucracy, etc. The most intellectual of their skill is to be able never
> to question, feel comfortable in a tie or white blouse, and be serious
> about making great deals purchasing more and more services and goods.
> Things middle class/intellectual laborees do not need are bookcases
because
> .. books are contagious. My point is that though middle class wears white
> and its labor is called intellectual, their function is to consume, not
think.
>
> Intelligentsia, on the contrary, is characterized, in my opinion, by a
> nearly sickening strive to think. Hippies seem for me closer to
> intelligentsia than a bank manager. By the way, a familiar add of
> Ameritrade with this weird guy look into a copy machine, reflects
> semantically my point. Many other groups (including wealthy
> internet-start-ups-creators and poor artists) are close to intelligentsia.
> But hardly middle class.
>
> Unfortunately, the structure of the society doesn't allow too many
thinking
> people. It needs middle class. Our community, unfortunately, doesn't want
> to give thinking up and stubbornly discuss ideas instead of shopping in
> malls. Socially, however, most of us are required to identify ourselves as
> middle class (let me know if I am wrong). This creates an uncomfortable
> conflict that turned the discussion of middle class/intellectual labor
into
> a history course of concentration camps.
>
> So, what do you think?
>
> Matvey Sokolovsky
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