I was mostly reading this with the ongoing widespread redundancies in “tech” in mind, and in that context, this passage of pt.2 stands out:

This is not my main critique. I am much more concerned by the fact that it has never been made clear why immiseration should itself lead to revolutionary consciousness. This misidentification of immiseration with radicalization seems to rely on the false notion that lower strata have a natural predilection towards progressive consciousness, and ignores the dynamics of privileged strata in decline.

When elevated strata fear their reincorporation into the broader working class, it seems to be their tendency to bloc together much harder, organize themselves into exclusionist formations, and find allies among the powerful, pulling out all stops to prevent their decline. This was the origin of many craft unions, as skilled workers feared reabsorption into the mass of unskilled labor. When the whole class is in a period of immiseration, privileged strata do their utmost to make sure those below them bear the greater burden. While it is true that in a situation of crisis, many workers of all strata will turn towards revolutionaries, it is just as true that many will become attracted to fascism and other reactionary politics. Immiseration should not be seen as necessarily leading to re-proletarianization, much less a proletarian politics.

Looking forward to reading this, thx.