Kerrin on Marx (for Beginners)

Rius presents an interesting first glimpse into Marxist theory… though at times the grammar is a little shoddy and some attempts at humor fall painfully flat. The good news is it’s a lot more entertaining to read than a lengthy & lofty piece of prose (which Marx was prone to write!) 

Just as an aside, I found it interesting that the author seems to give away his own political sympathies through his linguistic choices. It was not an unbiased presentation of Marx’s work, and the hastily illustrated summary of some heavy ideas did leave gaping holes in the presented theory. Maybe the “reader’s digest” presentation accented existing contradictions in socialist thought… I can’t be sure, being a neophyte to all of this and such!

Insofar as to what we discussed in class: what does this mean in regards to being an artist? Are we part of the proletariat even though Marx portrays artisans as “conservative,” as struggling to maintain our precarious places in a shattered middle class? Surely the idea of wage labor and capital is of direct concern to the working artist looking to sell a piece of work. That makes it a little more clear as to why an artist must never *decrease* the value of their work, and only increase it. To do otherwise would be to position oneself dangerously close to becoming a commodity.

It also underlines the fact that artists must fight cheap duplication of work by capital conglomerates, such as Wal-Mart. Every time I go to an artist show, there is inevitably a booth or a stand set up, showcasing one artist’s original work (usually a sculpture or a textile fabric of some sort) with a cheaper twin beside it. Much cheaper. Try 90-98% cheaper. This is usually done to raise awareness about artist “knock-offs,” but it makes me sad that I really only see such awareness being roused at a convention full of… well… artists, or artist vendors… most of whom are already aware of the problem. Talk about preaching to the choir!