Talk:lumpenproletariat

Is this really derived from Lump? The word Lumpen is not just the plural of Lump, but also has a meaning of its own - namely, "rags", "tatters". (Lumpen is both the singular and the plural then.) It always seemed to me that the Lumpenproletariat got its name because it's literally the class of people so poor that they can't afford even descent clothes; I may be wrong, but I'd be surprised if it derived from Lump ("scallywag", "losel"), as that would imply rather negative connotations for "Lumpenproletariat" - which seems unlikely if it's indeed a word coined by the Marxists.

Just a thought - maybe someone can clear this up? :) -- Schneelocke 22:08, 21 November 2005 (UTC)


 * Corrected - Lumpen = ragamuffin SemperBlotto 22:24, 21 November 2005 (UTC)


 * It is indeed from the word for "rags", nevertheless the connotation of "scallywag" may not be entirely undesired, because it is infact a very negative word within Marxist theory. The lumpenploteriat are those strata of the proletariat who've deterioted so much that they've become useless for the revolution. It includes criminals, madmen, alcoholics, prostitutes, etc. 90.186.83.177 20:32, 12 June 2021 (UTC)

this omits something
Lumpen can be useful to reaction and recruited under it. thanks 73.179.196.78 15:24, 17 June 2021 (UTC)