lumpenproletariat

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels coined the word in the 1840s and used it to refer to the unthinking lower strata of society exploited by reactionary and counter-revolutionary forces, particularly in the context of the revolutions of 1848. They dismissed the revolutionary potential of the Lumpenproletariat and contrasted it with the proletariat.

– Lumpenproletariat - Wikipedia

yet:

the most spontaneous and the most radically revolutionary forces of a colonized people

– [[Vanguard Stacks: Self-Governing against Digital Colonialism]]

lumpenproletariat

The lumpenproletariat is a sub-strata of the [[proletariat]] who are not interested in [[class struggle]].

The term is somewhat problematic. It comes from [[Marx]] originally, and was used to describe those proletarians who do not contribute to the economy directly. Examples include: organized criminals, drug dealers (and anyone who participates in a black market) and sex workers.

The lumpenproletariat are seen as being counter-revolutionary. Their class interests are tied to something that’s often actively hostile to the proletariat.

The term is often rejected by [[Marxists]] because it’s thought of an instance of Marx just moralizing.

However, if there’s any use of the term, it could be used to describe class enemies of the proletariat who themselves are proletariat. Organized crime and police could be such examples.