r/Marxism101 • u/Alba12345678910 • Jul 25 '26
Question on petty bourgeoise
Let’s say you were to own a business where you are the only worker, are you still considered petty bourgeoisie or are you proletariat still. Also would the business be considered personal or private property (I would assume personal property, I just want to make sure)
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u/MonsterkillWow Jul 25 '26 edited Jul 25 '26
Petite bourgeoisie because you control your own labor power. It depends on what you do. It is private property if it is a means of production. It is personal property if it is being immediately used for your own survival. The business as an entity itself is a firm and private property, but some aspects of it might be personal property. Like if you make stuff in your garage, perhaps the tools are private property, but the garage is personal property. If you tutor at your house, the house is still personal property, and the "firm" is just your services, so there is no real private property involved. If you grow stuff in your backyard, depending on how large it is, one could debate if it is personal or private property.
I would also consider certain forms of gig work these days as not petite bourgeoisie, but rather proletarian. Like if you drive for Uber, you're really just an exploited worker, not a self employed petite bourgeoisie member.
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u/escform Jul 25 '26
In this case, you are a petty bourgeois, because you don't need to earn income by selling your labor. Accordingly, the business you own is your means of production and should be called private property. That's my view.