Yes, or the "bourgeoisie", but really we ought to be evolving our language to get the meaning across. Why bother repeating 19th-century cliches that cause more heat than light?
it's established terminology, and much of whatever "heat" comes from its use has more to do with simply talking about class, not because of the word. (i'm not sure i understand the meaning of the expression, "it causes more heat than light." my take is that it rankles people more than it expresses an idea.)
Well also, "bourgeoisie" denoted a 19th-century "middle" class who were above the proletarians (owned means of production) but below the aristocracy (did not necessarily own land or have the power to tax anyone). Nowadays we have very few aristocrats, and those who retain great power and wealth do so as burghers (owners of the means of production) and land rentiers rather than as aristocrats, per se. So the class system has actually changed to put the bourgeoisie on top, where they were once the upper-middle, while also merging them with the landowning caste of the aristocracy.
So I do think it's appropriate to change terminology.
