Micah J. Fleck - Böcker

Counter-revolution has long been a tool of propagandists to redirect populist movements from achieving actual liberation for themselves. But what happens when counter-revolutionaries begin to believe their own claims of genuine revolution? What leads to such a phenomenon? And how big a role does mainstream political ideology and policy play in the mass ignorance and revisionism that has now allowed nationalism to influence national elections?Privileged Populists sets out to answer these questions while aiming to understand the organic emergence of anti-political populism within the context of late-stage capitalism in the West. This book analyses how these elements inform and validate each other as means of appealing to the growing sense of cultural angst and economic unrest within the conservative working class—and unwittingly giving undue credence to some of the most extreme right-wing ideological claims in the process. What results is a journey through the history of revolutionary thought (and how that history has been distorted over time), as well as an anthropological investigation of populism itself as a naturally occurring logic within groups—and how it can be exploited in the absence of substantive mainstream solutions to present-day economic crises.

Counter-revolution has long been a tool of propagandists to redirect populist movements from achieving actual liberation for themselves. But what happens when counter-revolutionaries begin to believe their own claims of genuine revolution? What leads to such a phenomenon? And how big a role does mainstream political ideology and policy play in the mass ignorance and revisionism that has now allowed nationalism to influence national elections?Privileged Populists sets out to answer these questions while aiming to understand the organic emergence of anti-political populism within the context of late-stage capitalism in the West. This book analyses how these elements inform and validate each other as means of appealing to the growing sense of cultural angst and economic unrest within the conservative working class—and unwittingly giving undue credence to some of the most extreme right-wing ideological claims in the process. What results is a journey through the history of revolutionary thought (and how that history has been distorted over time), as well as an anthropological investigation of populism itself as a naturally occurring logic within groups—and how it can be exploited in the absence of substantive mainstream solutions to present-day economic crises.

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally shifted our relationship with work. After years of lockdown, and with many employees working from home, this was the first time in nearly two centuries that people below the class divide found themselves with just as much time for leisure, recreation, and quality time with loved ones as those above. The time away from work changed priorities and opened minds across the working-class, and new demands were now being made in much higher numbers and in far more workplaces than ever. In cases where bosses refused to comply with these demands, a large quantity of the workers quit their jobs, giving way to a movement now referred to as “The Great Resignation.”In this book, Micah J. Fleck questions whether work will ever go back to the way it was, or whether this fundamental change could lead to us completely rethinking our approach to labor. Exploring also the rise in the use of A.I. to replace jobs, Fleck's book dives into the culture and concept of “work” as a virtue to determine how we see "work" today, whether it was an organic evolution of a system of labor, and how much of it has been enforced by an outdated and crumbling economic status quo.

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally shifted our relationship with work. After years of lockdown, and with many employees working from home, this was the first time in nearly two centuries that people below the class divide found themselves with just as much time for leisure, recreation, and quality time with loved ones as those above. The time away from work changed priorities and opened minds across the working-class, and new demands were now being made in much higher numbers and in far more workplaces than ever. In cases where bosses refused to comply with these demands, a large quantity of the workers quit their jobs, giving way to a movement now referred to as “The Great Resignation.”In this book, Micah J. Fleck questions whether work will ever go back to the way it was, or whether this fundamental change could lead to us completely rethinking our approach to labor. Exploring also the rise in the use of A.I. to replace jobs, Fleck's book dives into the culture and concept of “work” as a virtue to determine how we see "work" today, whether it was an organic evolution of a system of labor, and how much of it has been enforced by an outdated and crumbling economic status quo.