tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4844458687369955274.post5808167347248775291..comments2018-07-15T00:14:54.349-07:00Comments on mapHead: Problematic Fundamentalsnatcasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18058664776852941599noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4844458687369955274.post-36681817379976811702011-03-07T19:31:26.554-08:002011-03-07T19:31:26.554-08:00Marx's analysis in _Kapital_ still buzzes in m...Marx's analysis in _Kapital_ still buzzes in my head, particularly when I think about "value." The value you are describing, Nat, is certainly the one I'm most accustomed to, and believe is most ultimately "valuable."<br /><br />But what Marx pointed out so well is that while other people are looking to exchange their time or goods for other things they value, through the medium of capital (wages), the more powerful aggregations of capital are playing the game differently. They are seeking to exchange their capital, through the medium of almost anything else, for more capital.<br /><br />That shifts the game for those of us playing the game in the way you describe it.<br /><br />The second thing that occured to me was after reading "The Millionaire Next Door," a facinating study of a failed marketing research study on people worth a million dollars or more. It failed because these folks never actually buy anything, they keep reinvesting in their business, their investments, whatever.<br /><br />But what became clear was that these folks didn't actually EARN a lot of money, from a wage standpoint; they just figured out how to grow their wealth without being so tied to a wage. These folks usually thought outside of the "box," often didn't have a lot of school, and were willing to work hard and smart without a lot of trappings of wealth.<br /><br />Both good foils against "jobs" as a holy grail ...Joe Banksnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4844458687369955274.post-21439417584764825632011-03-07T09:08:35.048-08:002011-03-07T09:08:35.048-08:00This post really speaks to me. I'm educating ...This post really speaks to me. I'm educating my children at home and I'm also helping to educate older adolescents and adults in a community college. I feel strongly that an emphasis on education as a tool for "getting a job" impoverishes our entire approach to education. Of course, I want my kids and my students to find employment that will help them toward financial stability, but I also want them to see education as an entire lifestyle enriching their lives and relationships. Skills training, while certainly useful, can only be one aspect of an education that we see an ongoing and diverse, and often occurring in unexpected times and places. Additionally, I am concerned that "work" is too narrowly defined to mean work that one does for a paycheck. Parenting, homemaking, community work, advocacy and spiritual work are also critical to the success of our communities. By focusing so narrowly on "skills training" for "meeting the needs of a changing economy" we seem to be ignoring the great need our economy and culture will have for people who can work together to create just, humane, and sustainable societies.Hysteryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02044678910937934731noreply@blogger.com