| This question <71|92> overall <90|92> Gus: <35|92>. |
| Question 84: Think of a real life situation (not necessarily related to what Marx is speaking about here) where someone says, “a pair of shoes is a pair of shoes,” or “a car is a car,” or “20 yards of linen are 20 yards of linen,” or “I am I” (compare footnote 18 on page ... below). Describe exactly what is meant by this phrase in the situation you chose. |
| [91] Gus: A rose is a rose, or is it? The first situation I chose is that of a relationship between a man and a woman which had been platonic for years when a kiss changed the relationship. While other exchanges of physical affection had been exchanged in social settings over the years, even other kisses, this one kiss changed everything. The man in the relationship discounted it's importance with a Casablanca-esque thought of “a kiss is just a kiss”. As the memory of that one extra-special kiss stayed in his thoughts however, he was forced to admit that saying a kiss was just a kiss was in fact a negation of the same statement. This kiss had been different from other kisses. While most kisses consist of two pairs of lips meeting, the feelings and passion behind a kiss are the actual essence of the kiss. While both are still kisses, one would not compare the kiss of friendship with a kiss of passion. This initial denial by the man in comparing it with all other kisses was in fact a negation of any similarities. This sort of self-deprecating statement is often used to minimize the power of an event and its differences with other events. |
| As another example from “real life”, last year, a local company underwent massive layoffs. As many people were laid off, some dealt with the change by becoming upset or angry, and some became more cynical, saying “a job is a job, I'll just get another one”. The truth to that, as they well knew, is that the jobs they held and the jobs available in the current market were not equal. While both fill an 8(+) hour work day, some jobs are more enjoyable or better suited to an individual. Sometimes the pay is better. Perhaps that individual particularly enjoyed their co-workers, or the perks, or the job itself. Whatever the reason, the jobs they got could fill the 8-hour work day void, but they could not all fulfill the same needs. Some have to be better and some worse in all different areas. While both are jobs, few would say that the work of a teacher and that of a farmer are the same job. |
| The above two examples show that comparing something to itself does not necessarily create an equal comparison but rather emphasizes the differences between two similar objects or events. |
| Hans: See my submission to the class. |
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