Is contemporary socialism a middle class movement?

[Cassandra]

Would love to here why you say so, and what your answer implies for US political economy and society.

[PSOL]

It’s best referred to as a Middle-Income movement in the United States and increasingly in Europe.

[Cassandra]

It’s best referred to as a Middle-Income movement in the United States and increasingly in Europe.

Is "middle income" for you distinct from middle class?

Also, I'd love to hear you take on this article!

[PSOL]

It’s best referred to as a Middle-Income movement in the United States and increasingly in Europe.

Is "middle income" for you distinct from middle class?

Also, I'd love to hear you take on this article!

Somewhat well-payed urbanites and suburbanites who hover a few paychecks away from precarity.

I definitely think there’s a lot of vital information in this article. What drives renter turnout down though is a lack of tenant unions to represent them and put their frustrations into organization and thus results politically. That may change as the precarity of renters gets worse year after year and more tenant unions spring up.

[HisGrace]

More like a middle class fashion trend.

[mileslunn]

Yes and no.  Most of the modern progressive movements in West are more about social justice and woke politics, not actually workers fighting against exploitation like in past and naturally people who join such movements typically tend to be upper middle class.  A lot of the things socialists wanted a century ago have been achieved in West like weekend, minimum wage, universal health care (US is an outlier here as most have this), pensions etc.  So they have to find other issues to fight on injustices.

Now in Latin America, it is still very much the poor who vote for socialist parties, but most there tend to be very left wing economically but socially conservative, not slightly left of centre economically while very socially progressive like in Europe and North America.