Miles Jackson wrote:
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> The problem with the distinction is that everyday discourse
> tends to valorize "work". Yeah, it's a cliche, but every mom's
> a working mom. To label wage labor "real work" is an effective
> strategy for trivializing a lot of the human activity that makes
> even a supposedly capitalist society function.
I would agree the distinction is no good for agitational material, but it has value in theoretical analysis and understanding. For example in your next paragraph:
>
> --I think a general nonwage labor strike would be very interesting:
> our supposedly capitalist society would grind to a halt without the
> diligent, unpaid work--yes, work!--that we do in our homes and
> communities.
Precisely -- I agree most of that is _work_ within the labor/work distinction. Also a good deal of what (in terms of Cap. III would be "nonproductive labor" is work: it does something useful but does not produce value or surplus value. But again we are operating at a level of theoretical analysis, not description of specific instances, which can't be caught with precision in a general theoretical net.
Carrol
> Miles