eat the rich, pay the rent [ง •̀_•́]ง

Marxist Terms for The People

[ok, so this is for anyone who benefits from learning the actual definitions—I only call out Amerikkka because we have all but completely divested in the education of our youth—they deserve so much better from us]

*** Socialism is not a new concept, and Karl Marx was not the first individual to question the economic, social, or political problems that persist with extreme wealth concentration and inequality.

☭ Capitalism--An economic system in which most businesses and industries are privately owned and operated to earn profits.

Marx argued that capital tends to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of those who own productive assets, while workers depend on wages for their livelihood.

☭ Working Class—People who earn a living by selling their labor rather than primarily earning income from owning large businesses or investments.

Examples include teachers, nurses, construction workers, retail employees, office workers, truck drivers, restaurant workers, and many, many more.

☭ Capital—Wealth used to create more wealth—not just money.

It includes things like factories, office buildings, machines, warehouses, transportation networks, and large financial investments that generate profits.

☭ Means of Production—The land, factories, equipment, technology, and other resources used to produce goods and services.

Marx wants you to ask: Who owns these resources? Who controls them?

☭ Labor—The physical or mental work people perform to produce goods or provide services.

Labor creates value.

☭ Profit—The money left over after a business owner pays operating expenses. i.e. wages, advertising, rent, utilities, etc.

Marx argues that profits come from the value workers create through their unpaid labor.

Example: Let’s say you make $15 per hour to make gourmet cupcakes. It takes you two hours to fulfill one customer order that your boss charges $160 for. That would mean that your boss benefits like this: $160 - $60($30 Labor + $30 Ingredients) = $100 (Profit + Expenses of the business that HE owns) ***This is just an example—It is almost always more complicated and enriches the capitalist in more nefarious ways***

☭ Class—A group of people who share a similar relationship to the economy.

Marx distinguishes between those who primarily earn wages through work and those whose wealth comes largely from owning businesses and productive assets.

Bourgeoisie = The Haves

Proletariat = The Have-Nots

☭ Class Consciousness—The recognition that many working people face similar economic challenges and may share common interests.

WOKE isn’t an insult. Personally, I wear it proudly when someone hurls it my way.

☭ Exploitation—The situation where workers produce more economic value than they receive in wages, with the difference contributing to profits.

See above definition of Profit.

Please note: Not all business owners are capitalists. When we seize the means(hypothetically, of course), think more for-profit electric companies and less freelancer who works from home.

☭ Alienation—Allow me to introduce you to what I like to call “the four horsemen of alienation,” and subsequently, class consciousness:

Alienation from the product of labor—You produce → someone else owns → someone else profits → you remain dependent on selling your labor.

Alienation from the act of labor—The work itself becomes alienating when you're working primarily because you need the wage to survive. Instead of labor being an expression of your creativity and abilities, it becomes something you have to endure.

Alienation from other human beings—Workers compete with other workers for jobs, promotions, wages, and opportunities; relationships that could be cooperative become relationships structured by competition and economic necessity.

Alienation from our “species-being”— A system organized around survival and profit can prevent human beings from fully developing their creative and social capacities.

☭ Solidarity—People supporting one another because they recognize shared interests or common goals.

Solidarity can take many forms: mutual aid, organizing, advocacy, or collective action.

*** If you have a disability and have wondered, "What could I do to show solidarity? How could I possibly help something as large and intimidating as a revolution?", I invite you to forget everything our society has taught you to believe about yourself, politics, world history, and the human beings that we share this planet with. Something as small as creating flyers, volunteering at a food bank, starting a non-profit to address period poverty(one of my goals), or simply starting a blog to help guide other folks who might be a little intimidated by theory, can have valuable, lasting impact.

I just might be using myself as an example. 😊

☭ Socialism--A broad family of political and economic ideas that generally advocate for greater public or collective ownership or control over major parts of the economy, with the aim of reducing inequality and prioritizing social needs.

*** Different socialist traditions propose different ways of achieving these goals

*** To understand socialism vs. communism, think:

Socialism = The Journey Communism = The Goal

☭ Marxism--A framework for analyzing history, economics, and society that emphasizes how economic systems and relationships between social classes shape people's lives.

☭ Leninism--A political tradition that builds on Marxism by emphasizing organization, political education, and collective action as important tools for achieving social change.

Why Learn These Terms?

You don't have to agree with Marxist ideas to benefit from understanding them.

Whether you're reading history, following current events, participating in civic discussions, or simply curious about different political philosophies, knowing the vocabulary can help you better evaluate arguments for yourself.

Read critically. Ask questions. Compare perspectives. Draw your own conclusions.

The ghost of Karl Marx implores you. ☭ ¡Viva la revolución!

Enjoy reading? This resource has been a blessing for my growth as a socialist.

I value constructive criticism as a tool for growth--I welcome feedback on this pinned post to optimize it's use. Think: cheatsheet for baby leftists that you can bookmark and share with someone who is curious. I am in no way perfect, nor am I highly educated or an expert on political theory or economics. I make mistakes and I have my biases, like everyone else.

Welcome to my Tumblr, comrades! I go by "z," but "ziggy" works too. "comrade" is even better. I'm a Millennial she/they socialist-feminist from Maryland, United States (I like "Turtle Island" better). 😊

I was initially going to use this blog strictly for educating baby leftists and answering questions related to history and Marxist theory. The plan was to have a separate blog for talking about myself and expressing myself creatively, but I have decided against that.

Simply being my(silly)self might help some folks feel less intimidated by theory and history. I’ll be the first to admit that the first time I picked up Capital vol. I, I couldn’t get through more than a few pages. I ended up joining a study group that a local org did weekly on Zoom, and I am incredibly happy that I did!

Let me just say—don’t try to start with Capital if you’re just starting out. In fact, you’re never expected to read it. Understanding the subject matter is what’s important, and in the age of the internet, you can learn in a variety of ways.

As soon as I get a little free time, I plan to add resources for learning theory, as well as links to orgs that you can check out. Even if you don’t agree with everything that an org stands for, it’s important for us to connect, organize, learn, and help one another. Joining an org may provide you with opportunities such as staying up to date and attending protests, demonstrations, panels, volunteering opportunities and more.

Right now, it’s important for folks to focus on finding ways to connect and be involved in their communities. Instead of avoiding your Republican neighbor, invite them to dinner and discuss common values. After finding ways to connect, try sprinkling in some propaganda. Do it without using trigger words—i.e. socialism, bourgeoisie, planned economy, dictatorship, etc.

Stop making the excuse, “I don’t want to get political.” Newsflash—every decision that you make throughout the day that affects another human being in some way, is political! Do you have values that you hold close to your heart like boycotting generative A.I. or helping the unhoused population? Oops—you’re political!

If we can organize effectively, we just might make it as a species. I have been involved in political activism for over two decades, and I have seen a lot of passion and effort by regular working-class people, but I will say this—this next generation of young people are a different breed. They give me hope at a time when hope is a little hard to come by.

This introductory post is running a little long, so I won’t add more to it. Feel free to reach out to me or share something you find useful or important.

This YouTube channel helped radicalize me and I wanted to share it with you. I love how he breaks concepts down into digestible parts so that anyone can understand, and he does so without making you feel like an idiot.

Lenin believed that spontaneous protests and strikes were valuable, but they were often temporary.

He argued that long-term movements need organization, planning, and coordination.

This is why the Black Lives Matter protests yielded few results. My take-away? We definitely have the frustrations and passion required for a political revolution. We just lack organization.

We should be studying history and teaching others.

We should be involved in direct action.

We should be joining orgs (even if it's just to organize for protests and stay informed).

We should be kinder, gentler, and more receptive to new ideas.