“Friends”

Lily is an interesting character – she acknowledges that people use each other for different reasons, but she does not realize that she does the exact same thing. She used Gus Trenor for his money and she uses the Dorsets for her social status. “What she required at the moment, of the Dorsets’ friendship was simply its social sanction” (130). It seems to me like she assesses potential “friends” by what they have to offer her. She doesn’t see actual friendship or caring or kindness – she very coldly assesses her peers and sees just what she can extract from being “friends” with them. Sounds like a very lonely life.

Bridge – Scandalous?

I’ve never really thought of bridge as being such a scandal. “Mercy, cousin Julia, don’t look at me as if I were trying to turn you against Lily! Everybody knows she is crazy about bridge” (127). I usually think of bridge as a kind of elderly activity. Apparently not. Lily’s “gambling debts” are attributed to “playing cards for money”, but I was imagining black jack or poker – not bridge. I never knew bridge could become such a problem.

House of Mirth - Marriage

The descriptions of Miss Bart attempting to woo Mr. Percy Gryce are incredible. It's like marriage and the becoming of being married is an extreme sport. The boredom that she endures on the train to the Trenor's party - all in the name of wooing a man who can sustain her expensive lifestyle. I love the way that she talks about other women not having the "skill nor the patience to effect his capture"(26). It's like she's trying to psyche herself up, trying to replenish her confidence. How she is "almost sure she had 'landed' him; a few days' work and she would win her reward" (29). I kind of feel bad for her - working so hard to convince someone with whom she doesn't even have the slightest emotional connection. Sustaining her lifestyle must be very important if she is to go to all measures to secure it.

House of Mirth - Miss Bart

Miss Bart...hmmm. I can't decide if I like her yet. She's a little judgmental - "It isn't a bit hotter in here than in Mrs. VanOsburgh's conservatory - and some of the women are not a bit uglier" (4), "Oh, I know - you mean Gerty Farish. But I said marriageable."

She is definitely a "victim of civilization", some of the things she says are almost unbelievable - "If I could only do over my aunt's drawing-room, I know I should be a better woman."

She seems rather insensitive and unaware of the feelings and connections of others - when she makes fun of Gerty Farish and when she laughs at Mr. Selden for trying to "make love to her".

Maybe it's just the time period. Maybe everyone of her status was like this and accepted it as normal. But to me, I don't think I'd want to hang around her. She sounds rather mean-spirited in a naive sort of way.

Tax System + Marx = .....

This blog is a comment on Isa's blog about the people at the top getting all the benefits, while the workers at the bottom get none. In micro, we're just learning about the tax systems that have been put in place around the world, specifically in the United States.

Apparently, the principle of tax analysis is this : that "the burden of a tax is ultimately borne by individuals or households." The wage-earners and and laborers are the ones who must pay the tax. The burden of taxes that must be paid by a firm or an institution is actually shifted onto the consumers or workers.

I wonder what Marx would say about this. He'd probably fervently argue for the rise of the proletariat, but would that work as well as the system does today? Understandably, the tax system we currently have in place is extremely controversial and does not have the ability to satisfy everyone. But what can we replace this with? What else can work as (reasonably and comparably) well?

Any thoughts, Marx?

More Marx

I'm reading our assignment for tonight and I'm being assaulted by references to Hegel. Who is this person? Apparently he has a system - "Hegelian System" - that has many different categories - "Substance", "Self-conciousness" page 105. I wish I could get some sort of background or introduction before Marx just jumps in. Although, if Hegel was an extremely important character during Marx's time period, perhaps the audience of this work would understand the references.

I do like to read these sorts of excerpts, though. It makes me feel involved and in the moment. I definitely like Marx's style of writing much better than Gandhi's or Neitzsche's. It is much more urgent and passionate. He italicizes his words quite a bit - that definitely adds to the importance of the matter that he's discussing.

Marx

The most prevalent theme that I've been getting out of these readings is Marx's attachment to economics. I'm taking Principles of Micro and it definitely helps. I can understand what Marx is saying - I get the principles he's discussing.

I have also seen a lot of discussion on family values and the family unit. "The bourgeoisie has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation." I can definitely see how he would infer this from the industrial system. I never really thought of any other disadvantages to industrialization besides the obvious environmental percussions. The idea that industrialization destroyed the family unit is definitely plausible. I'd just never thought of it that way.