I think you do the Denny's girls a disservice by assuming that their mothers all live in trailers. Kate Sullivan
-----Original Message----- From: William Conger <[email protected]> To: aesthetics-l <[email protected]> Sent: Fri, Aug 17, 2012 8:50 pm Subject: Re: Is art/aesthetics/this listserv just part of the irrelevant minutiae of life? I'm not opposing the concept Marx had but I am claiming that 'mere existence' is not a demonstable condition for a large number of people. Raw capitalism -- capitalism in its pure amoral state -- will drive a huge segment of the population into abject poverty and degradation. We stopped to eat on the interstate last week The only place was a Denny's (I'd never been to one). It was very crowded. We chose to sit at the counter directly in front of the kitchen serving area. It was mayhem. The waitresses, all plenty tough looking country girls (who I imagined had three kids at mom's trailer and an absent husband, either run-off or in jail), were running and bumping into each other, slopping the food, dropping utensils, and rinsing containers for quick reuse. The cooks, all scraggy looking, skinny boys, literally threw the food onto the frying surfaces, scooped the butter or lard, and slammed it all onto big plates. The floors were littered, the counter stools were wobbly. When we had finished our leathery lukewarm grilled cheese sandwiches and received the check (rather steep I thought). I cautiously asked our waitress how she was paid. She said $4.90 an hour plus tips. I guessed that she probably averaged $400 a week take home, if that. Her face was covered with sweat. Now that, to me, is exploitation. The girl is working like a beast, the restaurant is like a farm where animals are fed by the scoop, and the prices are actually high for that type of place. Something is very wrong.The dignity of hard working underclass people is being abused. They will not easily escape their hard-times poverty. And this waitress is probably among the lucky few in her societal group. She's likely in deep debt as well. I gave her five bucks on a twelve dollar bill. I should've given every girl there $100 and put it on my credit card just because I don't like what chain restaurants and stores do to (mostly small town) workers. They need unions. wc ----- Original Message ---- From: saulostrow <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Fri, August 17, 2012 7:03:57 PM Subject: Re: Is art/aesthetics/this listserv just part of the irrelevant minutiae of life? actually he does define mere existence - it is existence at the level at which one may fulfill their productive function - minimally renews them so that they may work another productive day - as for proving his thesis I think all we need to is look to today's economy - capital has proven it can profit with aglobal poverty rate of about 60% On Fri, Aug 17, 2012 at 7:14 PM, William Conger <[email protected]>wrote:
Marx was no scientist. Besides he doesn't define 'mere existence'
which
at best is a subjective opinion. Also for him mere existence was the basis
for his
arguments, the lower it was the better for his thesis. The bottom line is that people do what aids their survival. It's been shown that primitive tribes that have a stronbg storytelling vtradition fare better than those who don't. wc ----- Original Message ---- From: saulostrow <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Fri, August 17, 2012 6:01:51 PM Subject: Re: Is art/aesthetics/this listserv just part of the
irrelevant
minutiae of life? according to Marx life lived and enjoyed does not begin until we are
freed
from the burden of mere existence On Fri, Aug 17, 2012 at 3:42 PM, William Conger
<[email protected]
>wrote: > If that's what humanity does then it's not irrelevant because
humans have
> succeeded evolutionarily. Species that go awry and do stuff that's
not
> important to their survival don't survive. > wc > > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: joseph berg <[email protected]> > To: aesthetics-l <[email protected]> > Sent: Fri, August 17, 2012 2:35:23 PM > Subject: Is art/aesthetics/this listserv just part of the irrelevant > minutiae > of life? > > "...Society, once freed from the burden of merely existing, begins
to
focus > more on the irrelevant minutiae of life?" > > > http://kaganof.com/kagablog/2012/03/02/5-suna-no-onna-woman-in-the-dunes
-hiroshi-teshigahara-1961-jap/
/ >/ > > -- S a u l O s t r o w *Critical Voices* 21STREETPROJECTS 162 West 21 St NYC, NY 10011 [email protected]
-- S a u l O s t r o w *Critical Voices* 21STREETPROJECTS 162 West 21 St NYC, NY 10011 [email protected]
