Marx Blog

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Holiday Cheer From the Onion...

From the Onion:

New Device Desirable, Old Device Undesirable
SEATTLE—With the holiday shopping season officially under way, millions of consumers proceeded to their nearest commercial centers this week in hopes of acquiring the latest, and therefore most desirable, personal device.

"The new device is an improvement over the old device, making it more attractive for purchase by all Americans," said Thomas Wakefield, a spokesperson for the large conglomerate that manufactures the new device. "The old device is no longer sufficient. Consumers should no longer have any use or longing for the old device."

Added Wakefield, "The new device will retail for $395."

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

In what ways are time wages and piece wages set up to mystify the relationship between the worker and the employer?

Why are workers actually worse off when given new labor-easing machinery to help them do their jobs?

what is the difference between rate of exploitation and rate of surplus-value?

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

review

In what ways to Capitalists expand the working day without it being obvious to the worker?

What is the only single life impulse of capital?

This is from Chapter 10...the working day...

Piece-wages

How are piece-wages more exploitative of the workers than time-wages?

Unemployment

Can someone re-explain why unemployment still exists as much as it does if capital has a constant need for an increasing number of workers?

From Becca...

Question:
What is the relationship between the efficiency of production and the value of labor power, in terms of wages?

Answer to Charles Webster's question on Constant K:
Even though the value of the means of production may vary over time, value is not added nor diminished during process in which they are used. Because the value of the MOP is not altered, it is constant, or Constant K.