one such example being diversity officers, gender studies
Capitalism absolutely did not create any of that shit.
You could argue that "free market capitalism" created an environment so successful that parasites were able to latch onto institutions and perpetuate themselves, but people did that, not "capitalism."
Parasitic losers do that in any environment. The stakes are just bigger here because the whole pie is bigger ... thanks to free markets.
And you also prove GP's point: these useless people provide "labor," but clearly provide no value. If every person on the planet labored as a DIE commissar, we'd all starve to death. Because "labor" doesn't have any inherent value.
Beyond that, debunking the labor theory of value also helps establish under what circumstances labor can have value.
Suppose you own a nice house. You worked hard to save up money for it and you cut your grass every weekend so it looks presentable. You are justifiably proud of your home.
One morning you wake up and there is a huge hole dug in your lawn. The man who dug it says that he worked all night digging the hole in your lawn, and it was really hard and therefore you owe him money. How do you respond?
No normal person will say that they pay the guy. Most people will respond by calling the cops or kicking his ass. The vast, vast majority of people will not pay this guy.
And why?
Because you didn't want a huge hole in your lawn. Labor must be desired.
Because the hole he dug now makes your lawn look ugly, where before it was fine. Labor must be warranted.
Because now you have to fix the hole and plant more grass. Labor must have a beneficial outcome.
All three of these things must be true, or else labor is inherently worthless.
Capitalism absolutely did not create any of that shit.
You could argue that "free market capitalism" created an environment so successful that parasites were able to latch onto institutions and perpetuate themselves, but people did that, not "capitalism."
Parasitic losers do that in any environment. The stakes are just bigger here because the whole pie is bigger ... thanks to free markets.
And you also prove GP's point: these useless people provide "labor," but clearly provide no value. If every person on the planet labored as a DIE commissar, we'd all starve to death. Because "labor" doesn't have any inherent value.
Beyond that, debunking the labor theory of value also helps establish under what circumstances labor can have value.
Suppose you own a nice house. You worked hard to save up money for it and you cut your grass every weekend so it looks presentable. You are justifiably proud of your home.
One morning you wake up and there is a huge hole dug in your lawn. The man who dug it says that he worked all night digging the hole in your lawn, and it was really hard and therefore you owe him money. How do you respond?
No normal person will say that they pay the guy. Most people will respond by calling the cops or kicking his ass. The vast, vast majority of people will not pay this guy.
And why?
Because you didn't want a huge hole in your lawn. Labor must be desired.
Because the hole he dug now makes your lawn look ugly, where before it was fine. Labor must be warranted.
Because now you have to fix the hole and plant more grass. Labor must have a beneficial outcome.
All three of these things must be true, or else labor is inherently worthless.
To Marxists, capitalism is simultaneously:
an all-encompassing human behavior so ubiquitous that it is literally responsible for everything bad about the world
something it is possible to abolish