| This question <97|89> overall <85|87> Jin: <86|86>. |
| Question 150: Describe a real or imagined situation (not necessarily related to Marx's text) 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 19 below). Describe exactly what is meant by this phrase in the situation you choose. |
| [86] Jin: A pair of shoes is a pair of shoes. As a person who owns about a dozen pairs of black dress shoes, I have often heard the phrase, “a pair of shoes is a pair of shoes.” And though my frivolous obsession over shoes makes me protest about the need for every shade of blackness to match my wardrobe, my bill-paying father sees no difference between my velvet slides and leather pumps. |
| Deep inside, I know that the essential purpose of a pair of shoes is to protect my feet. If I can put my feet in them and walk around comfortably, the shoes have served their practical purpose. Thus, “a pair of shoes is a pair of shoes” means that one pair of shoes has the exact same use-value as another pair of shoes. All other features are extras that do not add significant value to the basic commodity. |
| If I took one type of shoes back and exchanged it for some different types of shoes, then my father would be no happier because I still came back with shoes. To my father, they are essentially the same as what I had previously, and it is not worth, in terms of value, anything. However, if I traded my shoes with my friend's textbook, then my father would see a value in my shoes. They are worth a textbook. |
| Thus, “a pair of shoes is a pair of shoes” is similar to Marx's “20 yards of linen are 20 yards of linen.” A pair of shoes is nothing but a pair of shoes, until I find someone who would be willing to trade a textbook for them. |
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