“Was not their mistake once more bred of the life of slavery that they had been living?—a life which was always looking upon everything, except mankind, animate and inanimate—‘nature,’ as people used to call it—as one thing, and mankind as another, it was natural to people thinking in this way, that they should try to make ‘nature’ their slave, since they thought ‘nature’ was something outside them” — William Morris


Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Socialist Feminism

Here's what it is:

Here's a front door viewed sideways on:


          *
          *
          *
          *

Now on the left side of this door, people get paid for their work. On the right side of it, they don't:

             *
             *
Paid      *     Unpaid
             *
             *

Seems absurdly arbitrary when you look at it sideways on, no?

Anyone should be paid for working.

Discuss.


3 comments:

Ed Webb said...

Here's how I would elaborate on that admirably simple diagram. All labour, including reproductive labour, should be recompensed, since it contributes to production that is necessary for social/species survival. ("Paid" seems to signify capitalist relations, but that may be a misreading on my part.) The household as the basic unit of the economy, with a patriarchal head of household implied, is fundamental to liberal economics and politics and the distinction between public and private spheres, so that front door is antithetical to both socialism and feminism. Liberal feminism is false consciousness. If the means of production are socialized, then this distinction will need to be broken down in the interest of supporting socialized reproduction of the labour force.

Ed Webb said...

Here's how I would elaborate on that admirably simple diagram. All labour, including reproductive labour, should be recompensed, since it contributes to production that is necessary for social/species survival. ("Paid" seems to signify capitalist relations, but that may be a misreading on my part.) The household as the basic unit of the economy, with a patriarchal head of household implied, is fundamental to liberal economics and politics and the distinction between public and private spheres, so that front door is antithetical to both socialism and feminism. Liberal feminism is false consciousness. If the means of production are socialized, then this distinction will need to be broken down in the interest of supporting socialized reproduction of the labour force.

cgerrish said...

Gillian Welch's song "Everything is Free" really gets to this issue. Not only do we (as a culture) treat objects like women, we treat musicians, painters, writers, poets, etc., like women. If you derive any pleasure from your work, it will be deducted from your compensation. The version of the song that just kills me is sung by Amelia Meath and Jenn Wasner, backed by Nick Sanborn on an episode of the AV Club. Meath and Sanborn are Sylvan Esso. Jenn Wasner in solo mode is Flock of Dimes, and with Andy Stack is Wye Oak.

Everything is Free



Everything is free now
That's what they say
Everything I ever done
Gonna give it away

Someone hit the big score
They figured it out
That we're gonna do it anyway
Even if it doesn't pay

I can get a tip jar
Gas up the car
Try to make a little change
Down at the bar

Or I can get a straight job
I've done it before
Never minded working hard
It's who I'm working for

And everything is free now
That's what they say
Everything I ever done
Gotta give it away

Someone hit the big score
They figured it out
That we're gonna do it anyway
Even if it doesn't pay

Every day I wake up
Hummin' a song
But I don't need to run around
I just stay home

And sing a little love song
My love, to myself
If there's something that you want to hear
Fuckin' sing it yourself

'Cause everything is free now
That's what I say
No one's got to listen to
The words in my head

Someone hit the big score
And I figured it out
That we're gonna do it anyway
Even if it doesn't pay