Hey, teens! Your class identity is determined by your relationship with the means of production, not how much money you’ve got.
Do you own any means? Like a business, a factory, a mine, a distribution network? Oh, you don’t? Welcome to the working class, sibling! I love you.
“But Natalie,” you say, “what if I’m a homemaker, or disabled, or otherwise unemployed?” Don’t matter. First off, not all productive labor is paid labor, and second off wasn’t you listening? It’s all about relationships to capital. Can’t be a capitalist if you don’t got no capital.
“But I’m an artist, or a contractor, or I own a small business!” Well, that’s where shit gets more complicated; where you fall then depends on whether or not you’re benefiting from anyone else’s labor. If you got no employees, you’re still a worker; that tiny piece of means you got don’t count for much. If you do got employees, then you’re one of them petit bourgeoisie–someone who owns capital but also works it.
If you own capital but don’t work it, making profit off of other people’s work what like that Jeff Bezos, then you’re a bourgeoisie.
So there’s your three classes. You got proletarians (that’s us!), and you got the petit bourgeoisie (your small business types–some are cool, some are bastards), and the bourgeoisie (all bastards).
Thanks for coming to my talk.