Re: justice, justice... Was: Anti-Semitism in the Neo-Confederate movement.


"Steve Goldfarb" <slg@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:dpi7ti$rap$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> In <dphgb3$5rks@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> hrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Herman
Rubin) writes:
>
> >In many African tribes, wealth is stuff. That we have
> >a more portable means of exchange does not make it any
> >different. A person's wealth is not the amount of money
> >he can control, but includes other aspects.
>
> Wealth is often stuff, but not all stuff is wealth. I think wealth
> involves verbs, not just nouns - that why I'm saying that without markets,
> there is no wealth, only stuff. And I don't follow Rafael's
> differentiation between money-based trade and barter, I don't see how it
> makes any difference.

Firstly, barter is the exception rather than the rule in foraging societies
(which, again, represent about 99.9% of human history or prehistory).

Secondly, barter is usually informal - not the kind of stand or shop one
normally expects of a market.

Thirdly, (as the saying goes) money changes everything. It's a wonderful
convenience, but those who have the power to create it and lend it are not
'producers' in the traditional sense (as Aristotle warned).

Rafael


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: justice, justice... Was: Anti-Semitism in the Neo-Confederate movement.
    ... But what I mean here is that wealth isn't just "some thing that ... >>I agree that it's a very cool idea, but it reduces down to barter. ... One of my definitions of money is "a proxy for, ... for six apples today, that's a loan, and it's still barter. ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: justice, justice... Was: Anti-Semitism in the Neo-Confederate movement.
    ... >>> Wealth is often stuff, but not all stuff is wealth. ... barter is the exception rather than the rule in foraging ... >>(which, again, represent about 99.9% of human history or prehistory). ... Many more did not (e.g. neighbors exchanging wares in a tribal village ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: justice, justice... Was: Anti-Semitism in the Neo-Confederate movement.
    ... A person's wealth is not the amount of money ... barter is the exception rather than the rule in foraging societies ... a weight of precious metal as a medium of exchange. ... Herman Rubin, Department of Statistics, Purdue University ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: Diesel Price Slide
    ... the Laws and their position in the Marketplace such that they have a bite of every dollar spent in every transaction except for barter among individuals. ... Then let's put a 20% excess wealth tax on whatever net worth they have at the end of each tax year, and a 50% conspicuous consumption tax on their luxury items, including trophy wives and private airplanes. ...
    (rec.outdoors.rv-travel)
  • Re: Anyone seen the new Sirius/Cadillac commercial?
    ... promoting symbols of wealth to people who measure their worth and the worth ... I think all Treadleson was saying was who better to represent a symbol ... of wealth and success than the wealthy and successful Bob Dylan. ... That was a smile-making bit of news in the paper. ...
    (rec.music.dylan)