The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) openly called on the working class to “seize the means of production” on Tuesday, sharing a video on Twitter that was designed to foment class warfare.
We all need to seize the means of production. ???? ???? #1u pic.twitter.com/Tx2nxybn4S
— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) May 14, 2019
The video was made by MEANS TV, described as the “world’s first anti-capitalist worker-owned streaming platform,” and featured a roofer breaking down the idea of lower, middle and upper class.
He claimed that the “middle class” label is a myth designed to lull people who have achieved some relative financial stability and success into contentment, and that in reality there were only two classes: those who owned the means of production and those who sold their labor to the owners, the working class.
“Viewing class in its proper context allows us to present the argument that the middle class frequently alluded to in conventional media and politics is a fiction that deliberately obscures the relationship between workers and the owners of society,” he explained.
He then went on to argue that the idea of making it to the middle class would somehow lift people out of that conflict was that lie that capitalism wanted people to believe, promoted by the rich and the media to keep the “middle class” from identifying themselves as workers, which would necessarily lead them to dissatisfaction with the overall system. (RELATED: Marxists And Extreme Radicals Seek To Take Over The Democratic Party)
The AFL-CIO, which appeared to fully endorse MEANS TV’s assessment, represents over 12 million workers and retired workers, and includes members from 55 unions in the United States and worldwide. It is the largest federation of labor unions in the U.S.