BEYOND THE INVISIBLE WALLS

Unmasking the Dynamics of Class Struggle in Contemporary

Society
When I first received this assignment, I wondered which path to take with my analysis. Should I
keep it strictly analytical and only take into consideration the excerpts from the module, or
should I truly reflect and synthesize? All of my doubts were settled as soon as the professor told
us that we should try to base it on a film and relate it thematically to the module. Almost
immediately, the Oscar-nominated animated short film "World of Tomorrow" by Don Hertzfeldt
1
sprang into my mind. It was exactly what I needed to supplement the chapter from Erik Olin
Wright’s book, “Class Counts” 2 that I had decided to analyse. The text in question here was the
introductory chapter of the book namely, “Class Analysis” which is part of the capital module for
our course this semester. I shall begin this reflection paper by first providing context to the text
and film, explaining why I chose them to be the object of my paper.
I wanted my reflection to be based on the critique of capitalism and how it’s centred around
principles of exploitation and dividing society structurally into separate classes that alter each
individual’s life in a plethora of ways, including their opportunities, experiences, and
consciousness. I firmly believe that to achieve a more equitable, equal, poverty-free and
politically balanced society, we must first acknowledge class as a fundamental structure of
contemporary society and understand its dynamics. This is exactly what the introductory chapter
of Erik Olin Wright’s book aims to elucidate upon and is the reason why I chose to reflect upon
it. The text also explained the tertiary elements of understanding class apart from just the
structure such as class formation, class consciousness and perhaps the most important of all,
class struggle. This struggle is the point from where we delve into the second component of my
reflection, i.e., the animated short film. “World of Tomorrow”.
This film tries to contextualize how extreme capitalism and technological advancement can
culminate in a future that is defined by unjust principles and economic inequality. Hertzfeldt
designed a capitalist dystopia where technology controls every aspect of our lives and individual
wealth dictates how susceptible an individual is to be exploited by this technological hegemony.
Hence, I chose “World of Tomorrow” as it enables me to cross-reference class structure with
other imperative modules in our course, such as ideology, technology and society, and
surveillance capitalism.
To begin we must first understand what class structure is and how exploitation is employed by
the bourgeoisie to maintain this structure. We shall do so by realizing what the author intended to
establish in the primary text. Erik Olin Wright was a sociologist renowned for his work on social
class and capitalism. In his book, "Class Counts", he explained the principles of exploitation,
elucidated how exploitation gives way to a class structure, highlighted complexities within a
class structure by proposing a framework for further division based on the authority and
expertise of an employee, and established a relationship between class consciousness and
structure.
Erik explains class exploitation by giving us three principles. Firstly, ‘The Inverse
Interdependent Welfare Principle’, basically states that the economic welfare of the bourgeoise
or the exploiters is dependent upon the economic deprivations of the proletariats or the exploited.
This gives us the idea that the exploiters enjoy socio-economic benefits at the expense of the
exploited.
Secondly, ‘The Exclusion Principle’, tells us how the relationship that generates the first
principle requires the lopsided exclusion of the exploited from accessing and controlling
imperative factors of production. Traditionally, this is enabled by force in the form of having
ownership over the land and facilities required for production.
Thirdly, ‘The Appropriation Principle’, describes how the financial inequality between the
exploited and those in control of productive resources occurs, explaining the system by which
the exclusion of the exploited transpires into unequal financial welfare. This is achieved by those
in control appropriating the fruits of the exploited's labour which is also commonly known as the
“surplus product”.
We can clearly observe that exploitation requires all three principles to be fulfilled as the mere
act of the exploited’s deprivation is meaningless unless the exploiters depend upon this
deprivation for their welfare. It is by design and definition, a parasitic relationship not so
dissimilar to a leech sucking blood out of its host. In this instance, the oppressors become the
leeches sucking the very life force out of their oppressed subjects.
This relationship is what becomes the genesis of forming class structures. In a capitalist society,
the main source of exploitation is ownership of property and resources upon which the
production of goods and services is dependent. This divides society into classes and thus an
individual’s social life is defined by their position in relation to these different factions. This
becomes their ‘location’ in a class structure. Traditionally, this division consists of three broad
classes:
1. Capitalist class: They own the means of production and resources exercising authority
over the labour of the workers. They have huge capital and elite socio-political
relationships, and their authority stems from their being able to invest in and control the
entire process of production.
2. Petty Bourgeoisie: They own small businesses and are often self-employed. They may
also exercise some authority over the labour of others, but their authority is extremely
minuscule compared to the capitalist class.
 3. Workers: They sell their labour in exchange for comparatively menial wages. They have
no control over or ownership of the means of production and exercise no authority over
the work of others, making them fall to the bottom of the pyramid.
However, other complexities need to be observed, such as further classification among the
workers or the middle-class employees based on their comparative authority and expertise in
their field of employment, people from the exploited classes that are not paid, employees that
have the ability and capital to invest and the non-static nature of the location in a class structure.
These complexities are essential to contemporary capitalist society.
The working class is further divided into managers and subordinate employees based on skill
level, wherein the supervising employee enjoys an elevated sense of authority and acts as a
delegated capitalist. In this way, top-tier managers, directors and supervisors can concurrently
have two different ‘locations’ in a class structure and aid the ultimate domination of the labour
force by the capitalists. This enables the capitalists to further their domination and exploitation
over the labour force from within the labour force itself. They are essentially outsourcing their
methods of exploitation to the people being exploited. The irony is not lost on me. Are the
people conscious of this change in their identity or are they only aware of their sense of location
in this structure?
In sociology, "class consciousness" refers to the awareness that people in a social class possess
regarding their shared socio-economic standing within society. This understanding acknowledges
within a particular class, people face similar difficulties and experiences, such as access to
resources, power, and opportunities. This consciousness goes beyond individual recognition and
includes a collective identity and solidarity among members of the same class. This shared
awareness allows them to realize that their interests are not independent of those of their fellow
class members and that working together is necessary to address shared grievances and improve
their collective socio-economic status. For instance, workers that gain awareness of their
exploitation by capitalists may unite to form labour unions or engage in collective bargaining to
have better working conditions and wages. Therefore, class consciousness is essential for
understanding class structure and should play a crucial role in social movements seeking to
challenge and change this structure. However, as we observed earlier this consciousness can be
extinguished by simply hedging the interests of one section of the working class against the
other.
Also, the majority of people are unpaid, and they aren’t directly located in a class structure.
People such as children, disabled, retirees, students, people reliant upon government welfare
policies, the unemployed and perhaps most importantly, unpaid domestic workers or
homemakers, the majority of which are women and mothers, can’t directly identify their class
location but their exploitation is guaranteed through the relationship they share with the people
already located in the class structure via familial and personal links. No one can escape the
shackles of class and capitalism as they reach even those who don’t directly participate in this
structure. This is the sad reality of contemporary society. But it can get a lot worse, a lot quicker
with the advancement in technology and society’s dependence upon it.
Futuristic societies are often depicted as classless, where everyone appears to be equal, with no
visible class differences. This is indicative of a socialist society where the emphasis is on
equality rather than hierarchy. Technology is seen as a forbearer of socialism as life is made
easier for everyone through its advancement. It is idealistically socialist, as technology liberates
people from the burden of manual labour and creates a more egalitarian society. World of
Tomorrow shatters these assumptions as Hertzfeldt paints a shocking image of our not-so-distant
and dystopian future.
The setting of World of Tomorrow is what I would like to call a ‘tactical dystopia’, a society that
isn't inherently or obviously bad but has been strategically created to have dystopian elements in
the background. The reality of World of Tomorrow may not be as undeniably unpleasant as the
realities of Oceania and 1984 were but it still shares some of its characteristics like a subservient
society and the omnipresence of technology. It's also similar to Fahrenheit 451 and Brave New
World where most people have been drugged into submission and don't even realize that they're
miserable. This is a dystopian version of Gramsci’s cultural hegemony. Being a ‘tactical
dystopia’ aids the subjectivity of the piece because it keeps these dystopian elements from
becoming the central focus of the film. It's simply the backdrop in a tale that's more interested in
being introspective. Hertzfeldt’s art style is the perfect complement for this as it's sparse and
lacks dimension as though it's trying not to distract us. The dystopian elements are designed to be
somewhat hidden from us but also noticeable enough that they might spur some conversation and
debate. The point of concern here lies with the consequences of extremely advanced technology
in a capitalist society. People now, don’t have to worry about losing their memories as they can
access each moment of their lives whenever they desire. Memory becomes a much-desired
commodity in World of Tomorrow and data becomes the new capital. To those who can afford it
of course. Society has evolved into a technological state where our consciousness can be cloned
into a separate physical body and this process keeps repeating for posterity.
Those who cannot afford the cloning process, which happens to be the majority of the working
class, get their consciousness transferred into a digital cube indefinitely. One hour in real life is 4
years inside the cube, where a person is trapped unless their kin can afford to clone them. Just
imagine, being nothing but a consciousness, unable to do anything, all alone with your thoughts
for eternity, slowly going insane because you can't die. That is the terrifying truth for the
underprivileged in this future. If you are poverty-stricken, then your face gets peeled off and
stretched over a simple robotic skull to give some semblance of comfort to your family.
Furthermore, the wealthy can enjoy safe access to the ‘outernet’, a neural network connecting the
consciousnesses of people transcending time and space. If you aren’t as affluent as the capitalists
of the future, the outernet seems bleaker. The protagonist tells us that, “Many lonely people from
the lower classes have disappeared into its safe infinity”. A disturbing reality.
One of the more depressing scenarios manifests itself in the form of an impending meteorite
crash on Earth. Where the safety of men, women and children depends upon how deeply their
pockets are lined. This injustice is highlighted when the protagonist observes, “Our wealthiest
individuals are now uploading their digital consciousnesses into cubes that they are launching
into deep space. Our lower classes are desperately trying to escape the meteor through discount
time travel, causing untold millions to die in orbit. Their dead bodies burn as they return to Earth
and now light up our night sky”. A poetic end to a miserable life.
On a larger scale, the film questions what the quality of human life may devolve into if we're left
with de facto immortality based upon one’s location in a class structure, and the film postulates
that we are probably going to be in for a rude awakening if such capitalism prevails. For the
working class, if it isn't getting tortured from within a digital cube, it's going to be getting
forcefully cloned until they lose their ability to understand their own emotions and if they make
it past that they're still all going to die when a meteor hits Earth or when they warp into the
atmosphere trying to escape the meteor, eventually returning to earth as shooting stars, a
mesmerising sight for the people who can afford the escape to safer havens. Once again, the
irony is not lost on me.
It is a scathing critique of capitalist society showing a world where only the wealthy can afford
to preserve their memories and experience immortality. This is in contrast to a socialist society
where everyone would have access to such technologies. The future of capitalism is a society
where the rich have access to advanced technology that allows them to cheat death and live
forever. This creates a stark class divide between the rich and the poor, with the latter struggling
to survive in a world where they are constantly oppressed. The film also touches upon the
negative impact of capitalism on the environment, with the world shown as a desolate wasteland
where people are forced to live in sealed environments due to the toxic atmosphere.
Don Hertzfeldt’s World of Tomorrow is a masterpiece. I usually try to avoid throwing that word
around but there simply isn't any other way to describe it. He has created a work that's accessible
enough for people in need of laughs and also caters to an audience in need of a bit more
substance. Viewers are always going to take different things from World of Tomorrow just like
any other movie that gets made. The only way that would ever change is if our species lost its
individuality in the same way that the World of Tomorrow did. I would like to conclude my
reflection, by providing some solace in the fact that this future need not be certain. We can look
upon this work as a cautionary tale of how devastating advanced technology can be if we allow it
to fester in a capitalist society, based solely on class as the determining factor of our lives. We
should strive to imbibe socialist principles in our socioeconomic structures otherwise dealing
with the inevitable advancement of technology will prove to be an uphill task for future
generations. To quote the protagonist, “Live well and live broadly. You are alive and living now.
Now is the envy of all of the dead”.
1
Hertzfeldt, D. (Director). (2015). World of Tomorrow [Film]. Bitter Films., from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=4PUIxEWmsvI
2
Wright, E. O. (1997). Class Counts: Comparative Studies in Class Analysis. Cambridge University Press.
Retrieved from https://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~wright/Published%20writing/Class-Counts-chapter-1.pdf