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Value from Ingenuity and Elbow Grease
Let’s talk about the hyper-productive mindset of capitalism. You know that relentless drive to churn out more and more stuff, faster and faster, until we’re all buried under a mountain of… well, stuff. It’s like we’re on a never-ending treadmill, running towards a finish line that keeps moving further away.
Take clothing, for example. We produce so many clothes that we could probably dress every person on the planet ten times over. Yet, somehow, we still have people who can’t afford a decent pair of shoes. It’s like we’re playing a twisted game of Monopoly where the goal is to own all the properties, but half the players are still stuck on Baltic Avenue.
And what about generic, affordable medication? We’ve got the technology to produce life-saving drugs at a fraction of the cost, but instead, we see prices skyrocketing. It’s as if the pharmaceutical industry is saying, “Sure, we can save lives, but only if you can afford the price of admission.” Meanwhile, people are left choosing between their health and their rent.
Shift towards Labor of Love
So, the capitalist buys the worker’s labor power for the day. The cost of this labor is determined by the amount of socially necessary labor required to produce it. So, the value of a day’s labor power is the value of the commodities needed to keep the worker alive for a day. Profit, then, is the result of labor performed beyond what’s necessary to create the value of wages. This is the surplus value theory of profit. It’s like saying, “Hey, thanks for the extra hours, but I’m keeping the bonus.”
As we begin to see the redundancy of production, the focus shifts to recycling and preserving the planet. How can profitability be incorporated into recycling? Take clothing, for example. Recycling cars and appliances—Threads, anyone? Branding might be a thing of the past. A brand-new engine can easily rev up an old Thunderbird, or a part of an old washing machine can make it work smoothly for several more years.
What if surplus products are devoid of added utility? What if the aggregate of all products produced thus far is adequate to meet demand? Will advertising slogans fall on deaf ears? Will coercing customers to buy compatible parts manufactured by the same company be the norm? Think Apple’s ecosystem or the craze around Ozempic.
How much is Enough?
On the topic transcending Capitalism, will the tension within the existing social order through technological and organizational innovations in production as Marx said, do the trick? If Ai fits the measure of technological innovation, what might be the extent of organizational innovation needed? Are laborers keeping their end of the bargain by revolting against their exploitation, to further overturning capitalism?
In the current global climate, we’re witnessing a shift in the paradigm of value. People are starting to realize that endless production and consumption aren’t the keys to happiness or sustainability. We’re beginning to see the importance of quality over quantity, of community over competition, and of sustainability over short-term gains.
To put this into perspective, 50% of people are considering leaving their jobs in 2024—more than during the 'great resignation' In 2022, at the height of the "great resignation," a record 4.5 million workers each month — about 3% of the U.S. workforce — were quitting their jobs. Is move towards transcending Capitalism already in motion? It is high time to take a step back from the treadmill and rethink priorities. Because, in the end, it’s not about how much we produce, but how we use what we must create a better world for everyone.
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