The Right to Organize and the Right to a Home

Marxist Theory Monday #002

The right to organize is rarely spoken of, and yet it is one of the most indispensable rights of citizen within a free society. It is, at least in part, through division that the ruling class maintains their controlling grip on Western society. The most obvious example may be the fraudulent dichotomy between the left and right in American society, which beyond dividing the masses, obscures the shared economic interests of both major political parties. In reality, both the Democratic and Republican parties are thoroughly right wing, being, at their core, every bit as fascist as inter-war Italy or a British boarding school.

From a Žižekian perspective, the act of organizing has deeper implications. As an invaluable form of “class struggle,” it provides a channel through which the very foundations of the capitalist system can be challenged. Things are therefore much more philosophical. For Žižek, organized movements of the working-class act not only for immediate economic gains but also to provoke a profound shift in consciousness, disrupting the prevailing ideology that perpetuates exploitation. The working class, through organized movements, has the potential to disrupt the accepted norms and provoke a collective awakening. This ideological shift is essential for breaking free from the mental chains that bind individuals to the status quo.

Without the ability to organize, the lower-class is left vulnerable to exploitation, being fully at the mercy of their employers, but this right to organize is meaningless without the right to a home. In a capitalist society, housing is treated as a privilege for the wealthy rather than a basic human need. The cost of housing continues to rise, making it unattainable for many working-class families. As a result, families are forced into overcrowded and inadequate living conditions, or even worse, homelessness. This not only creates a cycle of poverty, but it also strips individuals of their dignity and sense of security. Without a stable place to live, workers are unable to effectively organize and fight for their rights.

Housing is a basic human need, yet under capitalism, it has become a luxury for the wealthy and a source of profit for the ruling class. The skyrocketing rents pressuring US citizens today render the poor tired and busy. They have no time to think about or organize movements which would truly work for their benefit, and they lack any legitimate literary education which would assist them. After all, the fact that the modern American education system is modeled after Mussolini’s is no accident. Dreadfully and fatally stressed, people are forced into poverty and homelessness with little hope of escape.

This is not the result of a natural market forces, but rather a deliberate choice by the ruling elites to prioritize their own profits over the basic needs of the people. A home is not merely a commodity, and it is not a luxury for the wealthy to exploit. It is a necessary condition for a human being to be able to participate in and contribute to society fully. It is only through a system that prioritizes the needs and well-being of its citizens that true equality and justice can be achieved. The right to organize and the right to a home go hand in hand, and it is time for us to recognize and fight for both in the hopes that the few conscious members of society develop the courage and fortitude to speak loud enough for the others to listen, and for the others to return the call.

Thank you for joining me for the second edition of Marxist Theory Monday. Rest assured, they will only improve with the passage of time. Until then my dear Comrades, be safe, keep your faith, and most of all have courage.

-the Shultz Report by M. Shultz