"before money there was only barter"
when i make dinner with my family:
- our labor is not bartered
- our labor is not bought or sold
so clearly there are modes of exchange not encapsulated in "before money there was only barter"
including mediums that societies have and still do use to function.
i'm starting to think that characterizing money as the sole successor and barter the sole predecessor serves a distinctly political purpose.
You get back to your apartment. The bar on the ground-floor is crowded and warm. The food is simple but tonight the chef is excited for everyone to try the new dish they’ve been working on.
The service is perfect, the servers are like family, and how can family possibly spoil a meal?
You plop your bag of apples on the bar, people come by and take a few. A few folks are arguing at the end of the bar, but no one pays them much attention.
The person to your right is a butcher, the person to your left is an archaeologist, the local sculptor selects an apple, shining it on a clay-covered smock.
Instruments come out, Shostakovich no.7 in C major, to remember the dead.
The strains of music drift out into the street, the busses and trains, running by. Some folks stay late, some folks leave early, there’s plenty of work to do, but somehow
more time
You live in a small cozy apartment. Your neighbor to the left is a brain surgeon, the neighbor to your right is a fry cook.
Across the hall, the daycare center looks after the kids, it’s usually full of retirees, they get a lot of joy from the children.
You go to work. Your boss, yourself, and the janitor all make the same pay. You work to do a good job. This seems sensible.
After work, you take the train out of town, there are collectives there with fresh veggies and milk. You bring them some canning supplies, and hang out for a bit. You admire their agrarian lifestyle, but you love the city. You leave with a big bag of apples, you try to pay, but they won’t let you, money seems cheap. Next time you’ll bring your fiddle, you promise.
You miss the train, but there are plenty of busses. You get on one and find a seat. The person to your left is a plumber, the person to your right designs satellites, a singer stands, and begins to sing.
That seems right
My wife vs. neoliberalism, story includes anti-poor attitudes
anyway, if you have any kind of juice or privilege at your work, use it to dismantle neoliberalism and the end the humiliation of poor folks. People got no right to make others bow and scrape to get something that should be freely given. No more kissing rings.
a bug, not a feature.
Genderless* cyberfae & co. at your service
assigned adult by the inexorable passage of time
don't use he/him or she/her pronouns for any of us without express permission
note that if we ever make you uncomfortable in any way please tell us so we know to stop. we're not always good at figuring these things out on our own