*

30.5.06

Meanwhile, 172 years later

That which is for me through the medium of money — that for which I can pay (i.e., which money can buy) — that am I myself, the possessor of the money. The extent of the power of money is the extent of my power. Money’s properties are my — the possessor’s — properties and essential powers. Thus, what I am and am capable of is by no means determined by my individuality. I am ugly, but I can buy for myself the most beautiful of women. Therefore I am not ugly, for the effect of ugliness — its deterrent power — is nullified by money. I, according to my individual characteristics, am lame, but money furnishes me with twenty-four feet. Therefore I am not lame. I am bad, dishonest, unscrupulous, stupid; but money is honoured, and hence its possessor. Money is the supreme good, therefore its possessor is good. Money, besides, saves me the trouble of being dishonest: I am therefore presumed honest. I am brainless, but money is the real brain of all things and how then should its possessor be brainless? Besides, he can buy clever people for himself, and is he who has a power over the clever not more clever than the clever? Do not I, who thanks to money am capable of all that the human heart longs for, possess all human capacities? Does not my money, therefore, transform all my incapacities into their contrary?

If money is the bond binding me to human life, binding society to me, connecting me with nature and man, is not money the bond of all bonds? Can it not dissolve and bind all ties? Is it not, therefore, also the universal agent of separation? It is the coin that really separates as well as the real binding agent — the [. . .] chemical power of society.

(Karl Marx, "The Power of Money")

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

He was a real po(t)et!

Perhaps that should be our socialist slogan:
Say no to money!

tøggy

May 30, 2006 3:22 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

en ny bok (Utopi, revolusjon, sosialisme fra forlaget News from NowHere) vier et underkapittel til temaet kalt Penger:kostbart, byråkratisk og tidkrevende sløseri! (tegnsetting påført av dem, ikke meg).

May 30, 2006 11:04 am  
Blogger mrtn said...

AAAH! Du tuller? Skal vi gå tilbake til en bytteøkonomi, liksom? It's the loony toony left.

(Takk for sist, forresten!)

May 30, 2006 1:11 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

jo, takk for sist! Jeg har ikke rukket å lese boka ennå. Andre undertitler: "Smågruppers uutholdelige letthet", "Selvforsyning som ideal?". Jeg tror anarkistene har begått en interessant bok. Også skal de oversette Debord.

May 30, 2006 2:30 pm  
Blogger mrtn said...

Her kommer vi inn på en interessant diskusjon, men jeg føler meg ikke istand til å ta stilling til den akkurat nå.

Når du sier interessant, mener du da interessant bra eller interessant dårlig?

May 30, 2006 2:32 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

interessant som i intriguing. besnærende, kanskje. å lese. antar jeg. bra/dårlig/hvorvidt det er virkelig interessant, vil vise seg. i mellomtida skal jeg svi av noen penger, til jeg får tid til å lese boka og eventuelt lar meg forføre av argumentene.

May 31, 2006 9:29 pm  

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