Yes, this so much. Neoliberal capitalism frames all human relations as an exchange of goods or services between strangers. Turning our interactions into transactions necessarily means treating our friends as strangers, which is alienating. It's deeply human to be distressed by that.
i swear that was a big change for me when i moved from a "third-world country" to a "first-world" one. back home, my friends and i would treat each other all the time, pay our bills, buy food etc. etc. without even a hint of ever "paying back". even if you're poor, money is nothing between friends. then, bam, i'm in the capitalist west and every transaction down to the last freaking cent is being calculated and divided in our bills. at first i'd joke about this with other immigrant friends but as the years went on, i too became like that. shit's toxic.
the debt book is great for going over the history of that process, especially during the medieval period. tonnes of functioning informal credit relationships between neighbours and friends just ripped apart by the spread of bullion
Transaction-izing basic human social interactions is one of the greatest evils capitalism has let loose upon the earth. That and climate collapse
Yes, this so much. Neoliberal capitalism frames all human relations as an exchange of goods or services between strangers. Turning our interactions into transactions necessarily means treating our friends as strangers, which is alienating. It's deeply human to be distressed by that.
i swear that was a big change for me when i moved from a "third-world country" to a "first-world" one. back home, my friends and i would treat each other all the time, pay our bills, buy food etc. etc. without even a hint of ever "paying back". even if you're poor, money is nothing between friends. then, bam, i'm in the capitalist west and every transaction down to the last freaking cent is being calculated and divided in our bills. at first i'd joke about this with other immigrant friends but as the years went on, i too became like that. shit's toxic.
the debt book is great for going over the history of that process, especially during the medieval period. tonnes of functioning informal credit relationships between neighbours and friends just ripped apart by the spread of bullion