>kelley wrote:
>
> > and it was indication to me
> > of just how the open source movement would end up being coopted by c
> apital.
>
>This is an endlessly repeated illusion, going back to various movements
>in the 17th c. and earlier. One cannot escape capitalism inside capitalism,
>and the attempt to do so is always futile and usually (e.g. worker
>ownership) aggressively reactionary. The concept is so old and so
>banal that it is really not worthwhile even arguing against it. Anyone
>who can believe it is probably immune to education.
>
>Carrol
well, on a quick read of some of the claims that have been made here and elsewhere, i'd say that a lot of this is "the new class" debate resurfacing. it plays off of marx's claims about "floating intellectuals" who don't have an attachment, per se, to capital in the same way laborers do. marx examined this in the 18th brumaire suggesting that intellectuals could go either way. so there is this endless hope that there is a savior class that will explode the capital-labor standoff and tip the scales toward the revo. as sennett and cobb suggest in _hidden injuries of class_ (iirc), it is an essentially hostile view of the blue collar working class.
caveat: not everyone took this position and some were arguing that the "new" class was a new or perhaps additional center of power for capital. how so? the argument is that "knowledge" workers or the "scribbling class" have the power to shape ideas and beliefs in powerful ways. in this sense, as iris marion young argues, they may not "exploit" others and are, in fact, exploited just like everyone else. but what they do is participate in one of the five faces of oppression which work in tandem: exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, violence.
"Domination in modern society is enacted through the widely dispersed power of many agents mediating the decisions of others, even though they lack the power to decide policies or results. the powerless are those who lack authority or power even in this mediated sense, those over whom power is exercised without their exercising it. Powerlessness also designates a position in the division of labor and the concomitant social position that allows persons little opportunity to develop and exercise those skills. The powerless have little or no work autonomy, exercise little creativity or judgment in their work, have no technical expertise or authority, express themselves awkwardly, especially in public or bureaucratic settings, and do not command respect. <...>
This powerless status is perhaps best described negatively: the powerless lack the authority, status and sense of self that professionals tend to have. The status privilege of professionals has three aspects, the lack of which produces oppression for non-professionals.
First, ...being a professional usually requires a college education and the acquisition of knowledge that entails working w/ symbols and concepts. ... The life of the nonprofessional by comparison is powerless in the sense that it lacks this orientation toward the progressive development of capacities and avenues for recognition.
Second,...most (professionals) exercise considerable day to day work autonomy. ... Non-professionals, otoh, lack autonomy, and in both their working and consumer/client lives often stand under the authority of professionals. (have argued here before, that a source of "class warfare" today is in consumer-client resentment of professionals power to define their lives. anyone who has been a client of the welfare state and subject to its surveillance is subject to the power of professionals to decide what constitutes "good" and "proper" behavior, comportment, attitudes, speech, etc.)
Third, the privileges of the professional extend beyond the workplace to a whole way of life. I call this way of life "respectability." To treat people with respect is to be prepared to listen to what they have to say or to do what they request b/c they have some authority, expertise, or influence. The norms of respectability in our society are associated with professional culture. Professional dress, speech, tastes, demeanor, all connote respectability.
from justice and the Politics of Difference, Iris Marion young.