Re: Sweden

[Carrol Cox <cbcox@xxxxxxxxx>]

Michael Perelman wrote:
>
> Roman mentioned absolute vs. relative surplus value.  That is indeed the
> key to discussing Social Democracy.  If the capitalists need to rely on
> brute labor to produce their commodities -- where workers have no
> discretion -- then Social Democracy will not have much of a payoff.  In
> this sense, Rakesh is definitely correct.
>
> If however industry relies on workers' skills and discretion, then SD
> will work better. [clip]

What was "brue labor" as opposed to "workers' skills and discretion" at
one point in history can change rapidly. I would, for example, consider
chain-restaurant management and cranking out computer code as really
brute labor today. In both the emphasis I believe is on absolute surplus
value. A few decades from now, who knows what "brute labor" will consist
of.

Carrol

P.S. Chain restaurants should be cosidered under industry rather than
"service." (Calling them service is as silly as calling a flour mill
service. Hence the extreme overwork imposed on their local managers
becomes an important source of surplus value -- absolute surplus value.)