#046: Middle and Upper Class Guilt - a podcast by Its Not Just In Your Head

Do you ever feel guilty or ashamed for having climbed or been born into a more "middle class" or "upper class" position on the socioeconomic ladder? Harriet and Max call this phenomenon "class guilt," and define it separately from other forms of "privilege guilt" such as white guilt and male guilt. Harriet complicates "class" by reminding us of the Marxian definition. Some argue there are multiple classes in society denoted by amounts of money or types of jobs, but on a basic level there are ultimately two major classes: the ownership class who owns the means of production and accumulates wealth through ownership, and the working class who do not own the means of production and can only survive through wage labor.

Both therapists offer insights around whether such a sense of guilt, and any form of "privilege" based guilt, is helpful or harmful. Harriet encourages listeners of all backgrounds to simply ask themselves if they stand with those who exploit for a living or if they stand with those who wish to transform the economy into an equitable, sustainable one based on cooperation and democracy. Max encourages listeners to go beyond cognitively believing oneself to "be on a side" and to become active members of organizations intending to build and expand working class power, long-term.



Email us feedback on this episode at itsnotjustinyourhead@gmail.com Get early access to episodes, join monthly reading groups and the discord community at patreon.com/itsnotjustinyourhead.

---

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/itsnotjustinyourhead/message
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/itsnotjustinyourhead/support

Further episodes of It's Not Just In Your Head

Further podcasts by It's Not Just In Your Head

Website of It's Not Just In Your Head