Marx and Engels mention a class “below” the proletariat called the lumpenproletariat, which i understand as meaning a class that has no class consciousness, and is therefore susceptible to the influence of the bourgeoisie. but i don’t see the difference between that and the proletariat proper. don’t the proletariat receive propaganda to suppress their own class consciousness, and don’t they have to be woken up? i don’t get why the lumpenproletariat supposedly can’t be woken up in the same way. besides, some examples of the lumpenproletariat given are people in organized crime, sex workers, and the unemployed. i find it hypocritical to condemn a class of people based on what they do to survive in a capitalist society (or in the case of the unemployed, the fact that the bourgeoisie won’t give them a job). but more than anything, i’m just thoroughly confused by this concept. i feel like i’m missing something major.
I am by no means an expert, and don’t presume to know what they originally meant, and I wouldn’t use the term myself, but not because I interpret it as condemnation, because I see it more as a (perhaps slightly misguided by modern standards) understanding that people in those groups, groups that are on the fringes of capitalism and “proper” society (by design, as a “warning” to those who don’t/can’t participate in the “proper” capitalist grind), often have greater and more urgent and pressing needs and concerns than organising, and less available resources to organise with, which makes them more vulnerable not only to further exploitation by capitalists, but also to manipulation by their propaganda.
This is of course a broad generalisation, and within these groups there are people who can and do organise, and within other groups are people who don’t, which is why I don’t think it’s a good term to use, but what I think is an important take away from it is to recognise that those who are struggling the most and are facing the worst material conditions need support and solidarity before they have the time, energy, and resources (not just material, but physical and mental) to spare for the cause, rather than ire and hostility for potentially acting against their own interests (insert “we live in society” meme here).