[lbo-talk] meanwhile, the US working class......

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

Joanna:
> 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.

Yes and no.  Friendships and social connections are indeed seen as something
"sacred," but at the same time people use them as stepping stones for th9ier
own advantages.  The whole informal economy of Eastern Europe is a living
proof.  To illustrate, a high-school friend of mine with whom I have not
exchanged a word since I left Poland some 25 years, called me a few days ago
asking if I could "loan" (the word "donate" would be more accurate here) him
an equivalent of $6,000 (sic!) because he is in financial dire traits.  I do
not think many people in the US would  ask for such a favor even close
friends or family members, let alone an olf high school buddy.

I think that European friendships and social relations are more
multidimensional - they can entail many levels, emotions and expectations,
some of the conflicting other congruent.  People often activate these
different levels and emotions at different times.  In the US, on the other
hand, these relationships are pretty one-dimensional and flat: either
business partnerships, or "small-talk acquaintances,"   or romantic
involvement - and there is usually a wall that separate these three.
Because of that wall, using small-talk acquaintances for crass commercial
purposes seems so unusual.


> 
> 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.
> 

You are right.  I did not think about it, perhaps because it is so obvious.

Wojtek