In discussing Karl Marx, one can quickly distinguish him as the man behind this idea of an estranged or alienated society. We've come to understand this concept as "the separation from the process of work" (or that which is desired) meaning we no longer belong to ourselves but rather to someone else.
In a working America, this applies to the majority of the population in one way or another. We see that we become prime retailers and promoters of our own skill set and figure a way to thrive amongst the masses. We become highly competitive between ourselves because it is a race to who will get to the top quicker and stay there longer. Of course this is all highly dependent of what ones perception of "top" is. But the end result is that we all respond to a higher power, a person in a higher and more powerful position would basically determine the likeliness that you will succeed or fail.
We all have a value attached to us as the foot. Your use value is how valuable we perceive ourselves to be in a certain context, our exchange value seems to fluctuate on a case-by-case basis, and surplus is the gain or loss that stands between the two. In short, we've become a society of commodities roaming around to keep turning the wheels of a forever-evolving society.
In a working America, this applies to the majority of the population in one way or another. We see that we become prime retailers and promoters of our own skill set and figure a way to thrive amongst the masses. We become highly competitive between ourselves because it is a race to who will get to the top quicker and stay there longer. Of course this is all highly dependent of what ones perception of "top" is. But the end result is that we all respond to a higher power, a person in a higher and more powerful position would basically determine the likeliness that you will succeed or fail.
We all have a value attached to us as the foot. Your use value is how valuable we perceive ourselves to be in a certain context, our exchange value seems to fluctuate on a case-by-case basis, and surplus is the gain or loss that stands between the two. In short, we've become a society of commodities roaming around to keep turning the wheels of a forever-evolving society.