How to unlearn reactionary tendencies?

Ever since I started studying Marxism, I've become increasingly aware of my class position (petit bourgeoisie) as well as the reactionary tendencies in me. I understand that materially speaking, my class position is not and will not be that of the proletariat, but does that mean that there is an inherent limit to how much I can come to take on a proletarian understanding of the world? For instance, I derive enjoyment from consuming bourgeois art, or from socialising with my fellow petit bourgeois. I desire to love and be loved, even though in theory I understand that love, for my class, under capitalism, cannot transcend class position. I seem to find meaning or at least enjoyment in self-expression, even though in theory I know it is meaningless and reactionary. Is there any way to talk myself out of these feelings and desires, or do I just have to live with them?

Posted Sep 6, 2026, 3:23 AM UTC

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