[lbo-talk] the gains from variety

BrownBingb at aol.com BrownBingb at aol.com
Thu Mar 11 18:35:02 PST 2004


From: "Michael Dawson -

Michael Perelman's new book ms:

consumer sovereignty turns out to be a quite constricted form of
> sovereignty

Of course, consumer sovereignty is a double myth: People aren't consumers, we're product-users. And ordinary people are not sovereign over their product choices. We merely have a veto.

While I'm at it, I'd also say that the costs of choice overload, replacement searches, etc., are all good reasons to criticize capitalism, which actually (despite its propaganda about maximizing choices) obsolesces some products people might prefer to stay on offer. It is not, however, a good argument against wide product variety. People should be allowed to vote with their wallets, right? Socialism should strive to increase, not decrease commoners' abilities to do this.

^^^^

Yes , and as well we communists (commonerists) want the greatest abundance , this and this and this,not either/or, ,not choice, we want it all, all 57 varieties at once, the whole thing. We are holists. We are not barracks or hairchested _only_. We are that and all the rest.

Charles

All power to the People !

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