I, like most people in US society, enjoy shopping for clothing, especially if they are on sale or clearance. Of course it’s always a joy to see that you have saved much more than you spent. However, I always wondered how I could pay $5 for a cute sweater while the company still profits. If you think about it, shouldn’t there be some form of fetishism such as the cost of fabric, wages for the individual making the piece and shipping it to the stores? Unfortunately, we are able to get these ‘deals’ on clothing because they are made overseas in sweatshops where workers are often underage and surrounded by a poor work environment that is almost always negatively affecting their health. That’s why just about every article of clothing we own comes from places like Indonesia, China and Mongolia just to name a few. Companies, like Nike for example, go overseas to pay residents there very low wages to work for them. In fact, these wages are often times not enough to support a family, let alone provide one meal for oneself. Companies that participate in this type of business use inexpensive materials to make an object, pay low wages to workers and then sell the product in the United States at astronomical prices all just to profit from it themselves. I chose to use Marx’s theory of use and exchange and his theory of alienation to show how this is still ongoing in our society.
Even though Karl Marx’s theories were created in the 19th century, they are still relevant to society today. His theory on use and exchange value can help us understand why money complicates thing for humans. Marx describes use value as the intended use for an object, while exchange value would be described as the value of an object that has been created through trade. Majority of the time, we use money to exchange for commodities, which are objects that can be bought or sold. However, Marx points out that money does not necessarily have to be involved in an exchange.
The value of the materials used to create products sold in the United States does not have much use value to anyone since it is not yet a completed product. However, the finished product is more valuable to consumers because this is what is traded for money in stores, now giving this product an exchange value.
Marx also mentions how workers working for the bourgeoisie sometimes suffered alienation and or exploitation. Of course in society today, the bourgeoisie are now the big corporations that own just about everything. He named four types of alienation which are: alienation from the process of work, the object of production, from other workers and from species-being, meaning oneself.
A worker may not have experienced all for types of alienation and it also varies depending on the degree and that specific day of labor. Individuals that work in sweatshops though are exploited and alienated every day. Workers have become commodities themselves because they are selling their time and labor to a boss in return for a small wage. Workers who work under poor conditions are often depressed because even though they may be assembling Nike shoes, or sewing a blouse for Neiman Marcus, these objects do not have much value to them. They are also working long hours and probably every day. This means these individuals do not have time for leisure activities, which we all know is what keeps us sane in our busy lives.
Marx’s theories can still be applied to society today. As far as solving this problem, all products used in the United States would have to be made here. This would mean an increase in prices on everything because of the hidden costs on each product created. It’s very hard to think about children sewing your favorite pair of designer jeans, and it would also be difficult to have to pay almost an arm and leg for the things we buy…So is there really a solution to this problem or does in never end?
Even though Karl Marx’s theories were created in the 19th century, they are still relevant to society today. His theory on use and exchange value can help us understand why money complicates thing for humans. Marx describes use value as the intended use for an object, while exchange value would be described as the value of an object that has been created through trade. Majority of the time, we use money to exchange for commodities, which are objects that can be bought or sold. However, Marx points out that money does not necessarily have to be involved in an exchange.
The value of the materials used to create products sold in the United States does not have much use value to anyone since it is not yet a completed product. However, the finished product is more valuable to consumers because this is what is traded for money in stores, now giving this product an exchange value.
Marx also mentions how workers working for the bourgeoisie sometimes suffered alienation and or exploitation. Of course in society today, the bourgeoisie are now the big corporations that own just about everything. He named four types of alienation which are: alienation from the process of work, the object of production, from other workers and from species-being, meaning oneself.
A worker may not have experienced all for types of alienation and it also varies depending on the degree and that specific day of labor. Individuals that work in sweatshops though are exploited and alienated every day. Workers have become commodities themselves because they are selling their time and labor to a boss in return for a small wage. Workers who work under poor conditions are often depressed because even though they may be assembling Nike shoes, or sewing a blouse for Neiman Marcus, these objects do not have much value to them. They are also working long hours and probably every day. This means these individuals do not have time for leisure activities, which we all know is what keeps us sane in our busy lives.
Marx’s theories can still be applied to society today. As far as solving this problem, all products used in the United States would have to be made here. This would mean an increase in prices on everything because of the hidden costs on each product created. It’s very hard to think about children sewing your favorite pair of designer jeans, and it would also be difficult to have to pay almost an arm and leg for the things we buy…So is there really a solution to this problem or does in never end?