The History of all Hitherto Society is the History of Class Consciousness

Because capitalism is the foundation upon which the rest of society sits, looking at any sociological data with a capitalist/Marxist lens is difficult. Because capitalism is at the root of modern society, all social things have small traces of capitalism. Though, Karl Marx may have said: “the history of all hitherto society is the history of class struggles,” the history of all hitherto society is the history of class consciousness (1848). Class consciousness, class, class struggle, and capitalism are all showcased in the film “They Live.”

The film and the rest of society show that there are classes within a class system. Though, classes have changed over the years, there is conservation in the system: haves and have nots, workers and non-workers (Marx 1844). They Live shows the different classes, through employment, appearance, consumption, and dialogue. This film, though regarded as an underappreciated masterpiece, presents an opportunity for the average movie-goer (I say average regarding the catch-phrases and fight scenes, commonplace in many mainstream movies) to critically analyze the capitalistic system at play. This film introduces the audience to Marxist theory in the same gradual way a formal class would. There exist different classes (squatters, construction workers, television executives, and the city elite) and that each class has different struggles. The struggles of the working class are not the struggles of the non-working class. The non-working class does not worry about “hot food” and “showers.” Once one understands that classes exist, class consciousness is able to occur. As shown in the film, class consciousness is the “rate determining step” of social change and revolution. The five minute 24 second fight ...

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.... West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.

Marx, Karl. 1847. “Wage-Labour and Capital.” Pp.182-189 in Classical Sociological Theory, edited by Craig Calhoun, Joseph Gerteis, James Moody, Steven Pfaff, and Indermohan Virk. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.

------. 1848. “Manifesto of the Communist Party.” Pp.156-171 in Classical Sociological Theory, edited by Craig Calhoun, Joseph Gerteis, James Moody, Steven Pfaff, and Indermohan Virk. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.

------. 1852. “The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte.” Pp.172-181 in Classical Sociological Theory, edited by Craig Calhoun, Joseph Gerteis, James Moody, Steven Pfaff, and Indermohan Virk. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.

------. 1867. “Classes.” Pp.190-191 in Classical Sociological Theory, edited by Craig Calhoun, Joseph Gerteis, James Moody, Steven Pfaff, and Indermohan Virk. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.