commodities remix part 1 of 2

This is a remake of an old video on commodities- new script, new approach, new everything.

I hope to remake a lot of old videos as I get better at explaining these concepts and as my own understanding deepens.

For those still looking for more on crisis theory- fear not! More videos are on the way, though they will have to wait for the new year.

The complete text can be read at:
http://kapitalism101.wordpress.com/commodities-remix/

Category:

Education

Tags:

• capitalism
• commodities
• dialectic
• distribution
• feudalism
• hegel
• labor
• marx
• of
• production
• relations
• social
• theory

[Catholicboy4life]

Just a quick question, is your "abstract-concrete" method of analysing social relations taken directly from Marx? or is it your own creative take?

I find this a good way of looking at the social world, as I am a history student that often has difficulty linking all the complex detail of specific historical events to more abstract macro-theories.

[brendanmcooney]

This is mostly my understanding of Marx's methodology based on my own observations of his method and not an explicit analysis of his approach. I think a more explicit study would involve getting more acquainted with Hegel... an eventual goal of mine, but not something I am ready to undertake yet.

[Jpom22]

modern workers DO see each other, some have work-class consciousness, derive personal identity, sense of own social value from job! relate to co-workers thru that social value = social relation between people. something wrong with the term "social product"? the basis requires denying social relation between workers, only affirm relating thru commodities. mixing apples and oranges, social with economic, abstract with concrete. nothing abstract about work! dig a ditch, suffer real charlie horse!

[brendanmcooney]

I think you have missed the finer points of the argument. I have not claimed that commodity exchange doesn't produce class consciousness or inform personal identity. To the contrary commodity exchange is essential for understanding how these are formed. Commodity relations are social relations. The social is economic.

Work is concrete on the individual level but in order to be exchanged it also takes on an abstract value. If it weren't for this abstraction exchange would be impossible.

[thexjib]

I disagree with your economic conclusions for the most part but your analysis is always illuminating and I love your videos. You just motivated me to make a video challenging your abstract concrete conception. I think this is a really important point.

[brendanmcooney]

Thanks. I look forward to seeing this video. Please post it as a response.

[milt0nics]

I like your face Mr. B... Share it with the world!

[Ponuh]

This is one of the best videos I've ever seen on youtube. I rediscover it a few times a year and it impresses me every time. I've shown it to some people and it's been received really well; I've tried to explain commodity fetishism but I don't have the gift for reductive, expansionary explanation that you do. Well done.

[Ilikenuman]

is your mothers name Martha?

[Badwolf182]

VERY clear explanations which is not the norm on utube.

I watched this amazing vid called 'the magnificent deception' by robert menard (c google vids) and his info is fantastic BUT all over the place. hard to follow.

So well done here

[brendanmcooney]

I think you are projecting some other argument onto the argument I am making.

I am explaining the way different producing groups relate to each other in a society- how private labor implies a greater set of social relations. I am saying that we must understand economics through an analysis of the way different groups relate to the production of the social product, and how individuals relate to these groups. I am not saying that hunter gatherer societies had class hierarchy.