cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/25800538
Generated Summary Below:
Video Description:
Catherine Liu details how the professional managerial class (PMC) has betrayed workers for seats within the halls of oligarchic power.
Timestamps:
- (0:00) Intro
- (1:50) The PMC of yesterday
- (7:16) Post-election debrief
- (13:40) The culture wars
- (19:32) How the PMC sells out workers
- (25:03) Dems need to address the class issue
- (32:37) The state of the Left
- (44:00) The PMC has sex
- (50:35) What can we do?
- (54:57) Outro
Generated Summary:
This YouTube video features an interview with Catherine Liu, author of Virtue Hoarders: The Case Against the Professional Managerial Class. The main topic is a critique of the professional managerial class (PMC) and the Democratic Party, arguing that they are engaged in a class war against the working class, not against capitalism itself.
Key Points:
- The PMC vs. the Working Class: Liu argues that the PMC, comprised of academics, lawyers, and medical professionals, serves the interests of capital, often at the expense of the working class. They engage in "virtue signaling" rather than substantive policy changes to address inequality.
- Historical Context: The interview contrasts the PMC with the old capitalist class (Rockefellers, Carnegies, etc.), noting that academics in the past were more often aligned with workers' rights. The current PMC, however, is deeply intertwined with and serves the interests of capital.
- The 1970s Shift: A key turning point is identified in the 1970s, when the decline in manufacturing and the rise of the immaterial economy led to policies that harmed American workers. This coincided with the PMC's embrace of culture wars as a distraction from economic issues.
- Democratic Party Failure: The Democratic Party's inability to address the concerns of the working class is heavily criticized. Their focus on identity politics and their reliance on focus groups and polling are seen as detached from the realities of working-class life.
- The Left's Role: The interview discusses the fragmentation of the left, with accusations that identity politics have diverted attention from class issues. The PMC's appropriation of identity politics is seen as a tool to maintain power and control.
- The Rise of Trump: Trump's rise is attributed to the PMC's failures and their demonization of the working class. His appeal is seen as a rejection of the PMC's moralizing and perceived hypocrisy.
- A Path Forward?: While pessimistic about the Democratic Party's capacity for self-reflection, Liu expresses some hope in a potential resurgence of anti-authoritarian and egalitarian sentiments within the American populace. She emphasizes the need for a left-driven community focused on bread-and-butter issues and a rejection of the PMC's focus on identity politics.
Highlights:
- Liu's sharp and insightful critique of the PMC and the Democratic Party.
- The historical analysis tracing the shift in the relationship between academics and the working class.
- The discussion of the role of identity politics in obscuring class conflict.
- The exploration of the psychological and cultural factors contributing to the rise of Trump.
- The call for a renewed focus on economic justice and class solidarity.
About Channel:
Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, author and commentator provides compelling story telling, archive interviews & show content covering US foreign policy, economic realities and civil liberties in American society.