[lbo-talk] Boy detained for Facebook insult murder in London

[c b]

Wojtek S
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/10372678.stm
[WS:] What makes this case interesting is that it is a clear-cut
demonstration of what I believe is one of the most fundamental
principles of human behavior - construction and maintenance of one's
own dignity i.e. a desirable image of the self projected to others.
Not to maximize profits or pursue his material interests - as
variations of the rat-choice paradigm want us to believe - but to
construct, maintain, and defend if necessary a dignified image of the
self, even at the expense of one's material interests and personal
freedom.

-clip-

To use an example, the natives in Joseph Conrad's story "The Heart of
Darkness" serving the Europeans in exchange for pieces of copper wire
are not ignoramuses who do not understand the concept of value. They
understand it it perfectly - to them, the possession of shiny metal,
such as copper wire, is a manifestation of one's social status, and
thus dignity, which is of ultimate value. They act quite rationally
when they go to great lengths to obtain objects manifesting that
value. It is the Europeans who are are ignoramuses, as they fail to
grasp this simple principle of human social behavior, and confused the
principle with its manifestation.

^^^^^^^
CB: If some people value having shiny metal, isn't it understandable
that some people value virtual gaming or just gaming ?  In the society
of computer gamers, playing games or winning more games gives social
status.  So, the virtual game time has use-value for them, just as
pieces of copper wire had use-value for the Africans in the novel.