The root of all Evil by Rachael F

"However, that is in fact how it ‘works’, since wages represents only that part of the value produced by the expenditure of labour power which is indispensable for its reproduction: so indispensable to the reconstitution of the labour power of the wage-earner (the wherewithal to pay for housing, food and clothing, in short to enable the wage earner to present himself again at the factory gate the next day – and every further day God grants him); and we should add: indispensable for raising and educating the children in whom the proletarian reproduces himself (in n models where n = 0, 1, 2, etc....) as labour power."

In this passage, Althusser is unraveling the how to reproduce the conditions of productions while commenting on the struggles of the working class. In today's culture, we work for things, we work to buy new phones, new cars, to afford a new apartment and more. I would say that the people I am around do not work for survival, more so they work for status, approval and appliances or applications. Althusser talks about wages being used for the necessary things, food clothing and basically survival, "in short to enable the wage earner to present himself again at the factory gate the next day."

This paragraph opens my eyes to the wage gap today, in my opinion, one is either poor middle to upper class or filthy rich. The rich make money to keep them selves wealthy, and the poor make money to survive. We also put so much of our life energy working at job to make money, to make "wages" because without money, one cannot possibly have a life. This makes me think about the Black Mirror episode. Without merits Bing couldn't live life properly, he could so much as afford to skip annoying advertisements. Bing did not see anything worth spending his merits on besides the lovely voice of Abi. In this way money is the merit of today's society. If not for wanting an affordable lifestyle, many college students would follow their hearts and we would have more poets, writers, and artists in the world. While that might diminish our buildings and maybe save less lives (doctors), people would ultimately be happier following their dreams without needing to earn a living.

This passage is commenting on how wages or money is part of what makes labor valuable as it is completely necessary to replenish ones self so he or she can go back into the labor force the next day and earn more money. Over the years money has been the main motivating factor that attracts people to the labor force and as things become more expensive, people have to work longer and harder to afford the lifestyle glamorized to us in the advertisements shows on the things we purchase for example iPhones, laptops and TV. It is safe to say that society is only becoming more and more currency centered.