I do know that the clothes I make and the stuff I knit are of better quality than anything I can find at the store for under a fortune.
And I don't possess unusual talents. I just enjoy knitting/sewing/cooking etc. and have had some practice.
Also, I don't think you have to have hand-made vs industrial. But I think the practice of working round the clock to earn the money to get the things that you need is not necessarily superior to making some of the things that you need.
I think making a beautiful sweater that lasts twenty years is preferable to working some crap job and then compensating yourself for your suffering and non-being by buying a sweater ever year.
I do understand your critique of the Crusoe economy; but I don't think that alienated labor under capitalism is an improvement.
J.
----- Original Message ----- From: "Doug Henwood" <dhenwood at panix.com> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2011 11:57:44 AM Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Politics of DIY
On Jan 23, 2011, at 2:46 PM, 123hop at comcast.net wrote:
> In this model, you have less, but what you have is much better than the mass produced stuff.
Really? You think Lauren Weber's homemade detergent is better than Tide? My mother's towel dresses better than what you can get at Target for fifteen bucks? Sure there's some handmade artisanal stuff that's really good, but the odds are against you unless you really know what you're doing.
Doug ___________________________________ http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk