The Proletarian Investor: A Modest Proposal for Modern Times
- The proletarian investor has realized that the most practical way to “own the means of production” today is to buy shares in them. Why stage a revolution when you can just purchase a piece of the company?
- As Marx famously said, the goal is to “own the means of production.” Thanks to modern global financial markets, we now have the ability to do just that. You can own part of the company you work for, and if they misbehave, you can sell their stock as a form of protest. It’s a quiet but effective method of holding them accountable.
- Modern consumers and voters (the new proletariat) face the challenge of navigating sophisticated marketing—essentially an advanced form of deception. These techniques are so refined that it’s difficult to tell which politician is lying or which product is flawed before trying it. Two voters can back entirely different candidates, both believing they’ve picked the one who will best serve their interests. In this game of dueling deceptions, the winner is often whoever has the most money to “lie better.” By owning shares in these companies, we can have a hand in influencing the political process.
- Of course, it’s crucial to make the right investments. By supporting the right companies, the proletarian investor can increase their wealth, and with it, their influence over decisions that truly matter. The world, after all, runs on numbers.
- Curiously, the markets don’t care much about race or gender. Women, often living longer and inheriting wealth, tend to hold more financial power than men. A quiet advantage in a system that otherwise seems indifferent.
So, let’s log on, make our investments, and do our part to make democracy a bit stronger—and the proletariat a bit wealthier.
BUY, SELL, KEEP 
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