Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
>Many years ago a friend talked me into attending an Amway seminar - the
>impression I got from it was that it was a way of converting your social
>capital into cash. You use your social networks to peddle overpriced
>commodity, first yourself and then have your friends hawking them for you.
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Yes, yes, yes. That nails it. But then you go all pear shaped on the
cognitive shit. The diff between US and Europe I think hinges on the
value of the social capital question. In the U.S. making use of your
friends does not feel unusual because many people ONLY have
relationships as a means to something else. The social capital exists,
but it's mighty thin. This happens in other cultures too -- but in
other cultures, for a lot of people, there is something "sacred" about
friendships and betraying or using a friend is just about the worst
thing in the world to do.
Also, U.S.ers don't "climb" because they like hierarchies; they actually don't much like hierarchies at all. They climb because they are restless, starved souls and it gives them something to do and be.
Joanna
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