Everything has a price tag; whether it’s food, clothes, toys,
or transportation. What gives anything
value? What makes something worth more than another thing? Do the prices range
from least useful to most useful, or are some items conditioned by the public?
Karl Marx says, “Nothing can have value without being an object of utility.” It
is true that value comes from utility, but prices don’t always match its
usefulness.
Who is to say an iPod is worth more than a $5 Sub sandwich?
iPods aren’t even edible, and I could buy 100 sandwiches for that price. If I was on a stranded island, I would take
the sandwich any day, because dying of starvation is not a good idea. So, under
those circumstances, would a sandwich be worth more than an iPod? I guess that
is why we use gold as a currency; its value is fairly consistent throughout the
world. Wait no, how is gold useful again?
Why do we buy purses that cost $1000, when there are purses
of the equal quality, and size for just $30? (My mom does this -__-) Their only real difference is that $1000 purse
has Coach or Louis Vuitton printed on it. The two purses have the same utility
value, so why such a large gap in price? This is because consumers pay
outrageous prices, so they can flaunt their “name brand quality.” They pay a
hundred dollars for each letter stitched onto their purse.
Value is very subjective; for as the saying goes, “One man’s
trash is another man’s treasure.”
Aren't people weird, fickle creatures? Like you said, we back everything with gold(or used to anyway). Why? Because its shiny and natural; well that SURE makes sense! It brings to mind the Spanish conquistadors who killed millions of indigenous people in the name of gold; apparently it was more valuable and useful than human life. Its sad to think that, in the scope of the world, we haven't moved our value system very far beyond that. I like how your post brings to light the gross discrepancy between 'value' and 'use'. Maybe it exists in America because the things most useful to our survival are so abundant, we take them for granted. I agree that value is subjective but I also think we ought to take a step back and recalculate what we see as valuable.
ReplyDeleteWhen you stated ,"What makes something worth more than another thing?" it really did get to me. And the contrast of an ipod and a sub sandwich was an excellent example to get your point across! In our modern world, value is contorted...food is much more valuable when compared to technology. Sure, technology has helped us evolve, but without food, we wouldn't have a source of fuel to keep our bodies alive and moving. You've brought up a really good point; how IS gold useful and WHY is it valuable? :D
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some interesting concepts. The value of mainstream objects depend on different factors. The cost to advertise, the cost to produce, the cost to ship and the cost of man hours. But most of all, the cost people are willing to pay. The first four points make sense, and so does the last one, except the last factor has less to do with running a running a successful business and more to do with exploiting the general public into getting the largest amount of monetary sums possible. After all, people are naive and won't think to much about it anyways.
ReplyDeleteAh economics... I love your examples to describe this phenomenon. My mom also did the purse example a few months ago(or maybe a year....?) and by the end of it, I shivered every time I saw a purse. It didn't help that after this event, my sister decided she needed a new purse. And it began all over again.... >.< Although I did like your purse example, my favorite is your Sub Sandwich vs Ipod example. I would also rather have the sandwiches too since they're more practical rather than an Ipod. Perhaps that's the problem: people forget to think practically and realistically. It's like a choice between 7 in. high heels or comfortable flats. Unbelievably, so many people choose the heels... then pay for it when they have to get foot surgery in 3 years.
ReplyDeleteThe way you tried to go about this quote was quite intriguing. I loved how you questioned about how our economy and currency works as well as the example of our materialistic world. Many do not grasp the idea that a bag is a bag whether it has a brand name written on it or not. They do equivocate when it comes to what their purpose is. Your sandwich to iPod example was a great one especially when you added being on a stranded island and having to choose one. We have a mighty fine world we live in choosing electronics over food.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you question man's value towards currency and name brand products. There are much more important things to to buy than name brand purses or clothing, modern society has too much of a classist attitude towards generic needs such as: purses or shoes. Having the most expensive brand does not make anyone better.
ReplyDeleteWhile a bit of a cliche this quote is still one that holds a lot of truth. As residents of a first world country the hardship we face are near blessings to those in truly impoverished countries.
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