In Karl Marx's essay on Alienated Labor and Black Mirror's episode of Men Against Fire, we see the damaging effects that alienation and ostracization has on a society. Marx distinguishes four aspects in his discussion on the alienation of labor: alienation from the product of one's labor, alienation from the labor process, alienation from one's basic human nature, and alienation from other human beings. Ultimately, I feel the third and fourth aspects Marx uses to distinguish labor (alienation from one's basic human nature and alienation from other human beings) can be effectively and directly correlated to the Black Mirror's episode of Men Against Fire.
The third aspect Marx discusses of alienation from one's basic human nature focuses on human identity. Marx believes that work amounts to defining one's life purpose. The human being identifies himself in and through his work. Furthermore, Marx states that in the modern system of private ownership and division of labor, the worker is alienated from the essential source of identity and life purpose for the human species. Henceforth, this third aspect Marx discusses is focused on humans being alienated from themselves or their own personal, human identity.
The fourth aspect focuses on humans being alienated from each other. In this aspect, Marx discusses the root of the foundation of alienation between workers and the 'capitalist' or owners of the worker's product. By this alienation between the capitalists and workers, the worker consequently becomes alienated from the entire system of private property thorough which the capitalist operates. This ultimately results in a loss of the worker's sense of human identity.
In Men Against Fire, we see an example of this alienation of one's human identity and alienation of humans with other humans. In this Black Mirror episode we witness a group of government controlled soldiers, who seek to exterminate the 'Roaches'. In the beginning of the episode, the soldiers slaughter these Roaches who appear to be deformed, monstrous humanoids. However, later we find out these Roaches are just ordinary human beings. The only difference between these Roaches and the soldiers are that the Roaches are deemed genetically inferior, and consequently they are not 'fully' human.
This is an example of a type of class warfare that Marx is alluding to. The government controlled soldiers do not view these 'Roaches' as humans, they instead see them as expendable. This can be related to how Marx describes the capitalist's relationships with the working class. The working class is viewed as expendable to the capitalists. In other words, they are viewed as sub-human, and consequently this ferments a layer of animosity that contributes to alienation amongst human beings. Ultimately, this can result in the alienation of one's own human identity.
The third aspect Marx discusses of alienation from one's basic human nature focuses on human identity. Marx believes that work amounts to defining one's life purpose. The human being identifies himself in and through his work. Furthermore, Marx states that in the modern system of private ownership and division of labor, the worker is alienated from the essential source of identity and life purpose for the human species. Henceforth, this third aspect Marx discusses is focused on humans being alienated from themselves or their own personal, human identity.
The fourth aspect focuses on humans being alienated from each other. In this aspect, Marx discusses the root of the foundation of alienation between workers and the 'capitalist' or owners of the worker's product. By this alienation between the capitalists and workers, the worker consequently becomes alienated from the entire system of private property thorough which the capitalist operates. This ultimately results in a loss of the worker's sense of human identity.
In Men Against Fire, we see an example of this alienation of one's human identity and alienation of humans with other humans. In this Black Mirror episode we witness a group of government controlled soldiers, who seek to exterminate the 'Roaches'. In the beginning of the episode, the soldiers slaughter these Roaches who appear to be deformed, monstrous humanoids. However, later we find out these Roaches are just ordinary human beings. The only difference between these Roaches and the soldiers are that the Roaches are deemed genetically inferior, and consequently they are not 'fully' human.
This is an example of a type of class warfare that Marx is alluding to. The government controlled soldiers do not view these 'Roaches' as humans, they instead see them as expendable. This can be related to how Marx describes the capitalist's relationships with the working class. The working class is viewed as expendable to the capitalists. In other words, they are viewed as sub-human, and consequently this ferments a layer of animosity that contributes to alienation amongst human beings. Ultimately, this can result in the alienation of one's own human identity.
I think alienating one's own human identity was the most important aspect that Marx wrote about. It's one of the easiest things someone might accidentally hit on without even realizing it. Like you stated, those men didn't realize what they were doing to the other humans, they were merely doing what they were told. There's a huge classism between them that doesn't make them human. It definitely shows now, too, if you think about it. How easily people walk by a homeless man without stopping to help him. We are taught not to see people below our class as human and I think Men Against Fire really hit that on the head.
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