Bourgeoisie: Business as Usual

Bourgeoisie: Business as Usual
Karl Marx’s attack on the aims of the bourgeoisie is apparent in the Communist manifesto, and this same criticism appears in the film Glengarry Glen Ross. This disparity between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat appear in the form of Alec Baldwin’s berating motivational speech to the salesmen who are failing to meet the expectations of their company. In the same manner of the bourgeoisie, Alec Baldwin shows how a ruling class thrives on the backs of the working class. This clip creates a visual example of how the bourgeoisie function on the oppression of the proletariat to continue the ever-widening division between the classes.

The establishment of a ruling class brings with it a set of ideologies that are aimed at providing benefit to those who fall in to this elite group while ensuring the oppression of the lower class. The assertiveness and glorification of what Alec Baldwin’s character has achieved in terms of material possession shows the different classes that he and the other salesmen belong to when he states, “That watch cost more than your car. I made nine hundred and seventy thousand dollars last year, how much did you make?”(Glengarry). By establishing this difference between himself and the other salesmen, Baldwin is creating making clear the difference in class and establishing the superiority of the upper class. Marx identifies how the equalization of the lower class damages their living conditions when he states, “The various interests and conditions of life within the ranks of the proletariat are more and more equalized, in proportion as machinery obliterates all distinctions of labor, and nearly everywhere reduces wages to the same low level”(Marx). The creation of division between the classes serves to provide a means to ensure the survival and further ideas of the bourgeoisie.

The easiest area for the bourgeoisie to exploit the proletariat’s lower status is in the way in which they work. Marx termed this idea as “division of labor”, and he describes it as, “the work of the proletarians has lost all individual character, and, consequently, all charm for the workman. He becomes an appendage of the machine, and it is only the most simple, most monotonous, and most easily acquired knack, that is required of him”(Marx). The alienation of the worker from his work can be seen in the way Alec Baldwin simplifies the objective of the sales men when he says, “ABC. A, always. B, be. C, closing. Always be closing. Always be closing!”(Glengarry). The oversimplification of the duties of the salesmen in the office places Marx’s criticism in practice. Baldwin is breaking down their job to a simple and mindless form that will ensure they keep producing for those above them and to earn enough to sustain their living.

Looking back at how Karl Marx viewed the division of the bourgeoisie and proletariat, the intentions of the bourgeoisie become clear. The bourgeoisie’s desire to keep the masses in a subservient role in order to further their plans and to maintain the status quo through division and exploitation allow for the bourgeoisie to hold their position of power. Just like the bourgeoisie, Alec Baldwin uses the same tactics to maintain his superiority over the other salesmen. So it seems no matter where the bourgeoisie appear; they carry on in the same manner since their existence. To them the exploitation of the lower class is business as usual.

Works Cited

Marx, Karl. The Communist Manifesto. London, 1848. 3 Aug 2009 .

Glengarry Glen Ross. Dir. James Foley. Perf. Jack Lemon, Al Pacino,. New Line Cinema, 1992. Film.