My siblings are working class. Most of my friends are from college and in the professional managerial class (PMC).
This is the dichotomy of living in America.
In the last decade or two, the country has been over-fascinated with the Silicon Valley tech-bros class. Technology is the new status symbol. Startups are the new darlings of the venture capital class.
We are in the midst of all things computerized and homogenized.
We are at the mercy of the “broligarchy,” a bunch of super-wealthy, super-smart tech entrepreneurs, who fancy themselves in leadership roles in running the government.
It’s just another layer or two of moneyed interests in the upper class sanctity of politicians and corporate power. Not exactly aiding the cause of representation of working class concerns.
As economic underpinnings get exposed, the real problem is not with robots, computer chips and AI, it’s that most of America’s stuff is shipped from overseas.
And now the entire supply chain is at risk.
Song Background:
My roots are working class. I was the only one out of five to finish college. Over the last three decades, I’ve watched the middle class disappear, wages remain stagnant and life get harder for workers and their families.
Political elections do not matter anymore. The Democrats don’t pay attention to their traditional base, it’s all PMC now. Some Republicans cater to the MAGA cause, but the realities differ from the campaign rhetoric.
Maybe President Trump’s tariff policies are valid for his working class constituency, but that economic revival will not happen soon, nor without pain and suffering.
The battle still rages on as Wall St. globalists clash with nationalist priorities. Wealth is addictive and the “greedy” train is still rolling through the heartland buying up everything from farmland to rental properties.
There is really no where for workers to go.
They have been abandoned in favor of professionals and artificial intelligence. There are no more journalists from urban streets, no more factory jobs to support a family, and no more manufacturing products labelled “Made in USA.”
I’ve spent the last 30 years in Asia. I’ve witnessed the family sweat shops in Guangzhou, the endless small business traders in Yiwu and the overall rise of global goods from China.
I’ve visited the annual Canton Fair four times and watched the big American box stores source their product lines from one place in one country. This is globalization on steroids.
The fight with China is in full swing. The trade wars, relocated factories and Trump administration are changing the supply chain landscape. There are far too many small to medium shops that will not survive the trade balance cuts with American consumers.
I was told back in 2018, by a Chinese businessman, that up to 40% of current manufacturers are not sustainable. I saw the devastation of the 2008 Economic Crisis, as I veered off the highway and rolled past dozens of closed stores across small towns in Texas.
I can’t account for the policies or methods of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), nor can I fully follow the economic logic of tariffs and the rapacious capitalism of the oligarch class.
No matter what happens, workers on both sides of the ocean will suffer.
It is up to workers to find their collective voice and fight for their lives.
Or as the World Economic Forum predicts, “You'll own nothing and be happy.”
Shout Out:
It’s rare to find groups focusing on working class issues. People are too enamored with rich folks. And in reality it’s all about looking up the economic ladder, not down.
During February, I watched the 2025 Organizing Conference: Fight the Rich & Their Two Parties, live-streamed by Workers Strike Back supporters.
As an independent, antiwar organization, they advocate for a new party to take on the billionaire class and entrenched warmongers. Thus, changing the two-party system.
I may not fully agree with their agenda, but I agree with their overall mission.
Their work and message inspired the song.
Their dedication to the cause gained my support.
Visit their website and get a working class perspective for once: Workers Strike Back
Copyright Notice:
This song and lyrics are released with no copyright, nor any registration with a PRO. Others are free to use it under the Creative Commons license 0.
Chords:
Verse: Em - G - D - Cadd9 Chorus: Cmaj7 - Cadd9 - G - D - E - Dsus2
Lyrics:
It's a struggle Between the rich and the rest of us But there's millions Against the millionaires Chorus: Workers strike back To fight the oligarchy Workers strike back To build a new mass party Capture the power Of a blue collar uprising Reject big tech And the death of the dream Workers strike back To fight the oligarchy Workers strike back To build a new mass party It's a revolt Against two-party stagnation Come together And join our liberation Workers strike back To fight the oligarchy Workers strike back To build a new mass party Bridge: Solidarity, solidarity Solidarity, solidarity Stand united Push back the elites Let them know Society is in the streets Workers strike back To fight the oligarchy Workers strike back To build a new mass party It's a struggle Between the rich and the rest of us
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