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Despite a privileged background and education, Marx chose poverty and critique over participation in the economy. This reflects the 'overproduced elite' phenomenon: highly educated individuals whose resentment of a system prevents them from using their skills within it, even to their own benefit.

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Contrary to Marxist theory, revolutions are often initiated by an excess of educated elites, not the working class. Unable to find a suitable place in the economy, these elites adopt a resentment-fueled ideology of "oppressed vs. oppressor" learned in academia.

The energy in modern leftist movements often comes not from the oppressed but from an overeducated and underemployed class. Their resentment stems from the large gap between the life they expected and their actual circumstances, making them susceptible to revolutionary ideas.

The thesis that AI will displace labor, drive down prices, and hollow out consumer demand mirrors Marx's analysis of capitalism. Firms boost profits by replacing labor with machinery, but this ultimately destroys the purchasing power the system relies on.

The French Revolution wasn't a workers' uprising but was led by an 'overproduction of elites'—educated individuals who felt entitled to high-status jobs they couldn't get. This suggests social upheaval is often driven by downwardly mobile, educated classes whose expectations are unmet.

It's rarely the workers who rise up. It is the "overproduced elites"—educated individuals whose high expectations are unmet by their economic reality—who spearhead revolutionary movements fueled by resentment.

When a society produces more highly-educated people than there are elite jobs, this class creates unnecessary bureaucratic roles to sustain itself. This administrative layer becomes a tumor, feeding on the working class and hindering economic productivity under the guise of helping.

Historian Peter Turchin argues that when a society creates more credentialed elites than it can place in high-status roles, the disillusioned group forms a "counter-elite." This faction then uses its skills to challenge and destabilize the very system that it feels betrayed by, potentially leading to revolution.

When society pushes more people into higher education for roles the market doesn't demand, it creates "overproduced elites." This leads to a class of resentful, highly-educated but under-employed people—a historical precursor to social and political instability like the French Revolution.

The 'overproduction of elites' theory suggests that societal unrest is driven not by those truly suffering, but by highly educated individuals who feel the system has denied them the power and status they deserve. Their personal frustration, not objective hardship, fuels their desire to dismantle the establishment.

When society produces more highly-educated graduates than there are suitable jobs, a large group emerges whose high expectations are unmet. This "elite overproduction" creates a sense of grievance and entitlement, making them receptive to socialist ideas that promise to rectify perceived injustices.