Wake up, Marx!

By Oh young-jin

Karl Marx would turn in his grave, if he knew the interclass struggle is spreading like an infectious disease and reaching global proportions. The problem for the father of communism is he wouldn't know whether to be happy or upset by this belated flourishing of his prediction.

He may most likely get choked on this part: his movement's poster child (considering him to be puerile) is Donald Trump, the U.S. real estate mogul, who under his theory is supposed to be the very target for a Marxian revolution.

Then, Britain's embracing of an exit out of the European Union or Brexit can't be explained simply by the inequity of wealth distribution. So Marx may be right and wrong at the same time, so to speak. Here it is even less materialistic as Koreans are gathering their force to oust their unjust leader, Park Geun-hye.

Trump's presidential election victory is the show of discontent by people who feel left behind.

The popular effort to oust Park looks to be a search for poetic justice ― punishing the leader for wrongdoing of colossal proportions. But a look underneath the surface also shows it is also the revolt by the disaffected.

Although Trump's supporters were thought to be composed of white uneducated rural people, the outcome of the Nov. 8 vote shows Trump's support base is much broader than thought.

Anti-Park groups are just about everybody.

Polls show her disapproval ratings surpassed 90 percent and support dropped to 4 percent.

Looking at the population of protestors in Gwangwhamun, one would feel that they are from every walk of life ― mothers with babies in strollers, fathers with young children, young couples and others.

Trump is behind Clinton in popular votes. His victories in swing states helped him win in the winner-take-all Electoral College system. Undeniable is a strong element of surprise because Clinton was heavily favored in the very lead-up to the election.

Trump acted indecently. He associated with white supremacists, called Mexicans rapists and treated Muslims as terrorists.

He talked about preposterous ideas ― erecting the wall along the Mexican border, deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants. He said that he would not accept it if he lost in the election. He threatened to send Hillary to jail.

For all horrible acts and remarks, Trump got away unharmed, and won.

Why? It's public antipathy against the establishment. Hillary Clinton's email scandal and her speech to Wall Street fat cats only consolidated her establishment image. The voters dumped her and chose Trump.

The June 23 pro-Brexit vote finds the same root of dissatisfaction with the establishment.

In the lead-up to the vote, the Financial Times, the mouthpiece for mercantilism and plutocracy, had tried to tell what's wrong with it but its columns and editorials showed unbridled passion that readers could cry in sympathy, albeit not for their cause.

But the voters didn't buy it. The process was also dramatic. Soon after the vote was finished, Boris Johnson, the leading Brexiteer, made a concession. Prematurely, it turned out.

Here, the candlelit protests drew millions of people. The biggest crime by this supposed corrupt leader is that she thought she could be her father. Park Chung-hee led Korea's rise from ashes, masterminded its industrialization. He wanted to be a king, president for life. He treated chaebol as if they were private coffers. After all, he helped them grow.

The incumbent Park was like a princess in the Sleeping Beauty. She spent those 20 years as first daughter and then acting first lady after her mother was shot to death. Her father was killed by his aide. When Park was out of touch with the real world, the real world has changed. Park lived in a cocoon, being taken care of by people like Choi Soon-sil, Korea's Resputin.

The people are upset to see their leader privatize her mandate and her proxies line their pockets illegally. The revelation that Park was an avatar being controlled by Choi, hit them hard with the double whammy of disillusionment and betrayal.

Greatly contributing to it is tough life seizing much of the nation. The word, Hell Joseon, well captures it.

In Hell Joseon, young people can't get jobs, marriage is too expensive and saving for the rainy day is not possible. There is no future so people want to escape. This hellish sentiment provides the foundation for the uncommon unity of people against Park.

This neo-class struggle is haves vs. have-nots as shown in occupy Wall Street movement, establishment against anti-establishment as shown in Brexit and Trump, the ruled against the ruler as in the Park case.

What is the common denominator?

It's enormous energy of people who are eager for change. Can we convert this mega energy and beat our status quo that has reached its critical mass? So far, the success is least assured.

Trump obviously has been overwhelmed by his own victory. Left to his own device, the Trump change will likely cater only to the viewpoints of anti-globalists, isolationists and people with minimalist agendas.

For Brexit, Brits are hobbled by court in their move out of EU. Even if it is given the go-ahead, the process could be stymied again.

For Korea, the fear is an enormous state of chaos to be followed by Park's ouster and the absence of competent opposition as alternative leadership.

Do these hurdles mean the new class struggle is destined to end in failure?

We may need to wake Marx up to answer, unless anybody has a better idea.

Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times' chief editorial writer. Contact foolsdie5@ktimes.com and foolsdie@gmail.com. This column was rewritten on the basis of a speech that he gave during a lecture at the Linton Global College at Hannam University, Tuesday.

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