The Fetish Speaks - Fredy Perlman

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fihe F=ETISHspea,ks! It is an enchanted,

'in rAtrA

l'1. CaPital /'/r". Lord,

//.o { hetr g/zos/ .a/king as orl o( lAc social "Aoro"/.r" 4s mere ame /i*e

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a+ ,l

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\,\crlc, a carnrnod i+7 1s

So fo'

c,-bor.,ndin5 '|,nj ?ueer rrigrn pity sicai si*t *is.tie s qnd

VefY

nice*ies,

*Leo iogico"I

\al ue

a.s it is q.

i n uS e, * 1,* n9.

is no*Lin3 rnysieriou5 oboq.t it, wheiller we tonrsider it $ron *l,e point oS view ttat

Uy its propeties it i5 capoble o{ sa+14tinqJ- hurnon tarnnts.

*1.'e poiat *i''at -l-l.rose ptopertieS are *he pndrrct of t^moh lo.Aor F4 by

lha/ as noon-dd.y a.s clca-r /h.e change..s his industry, . *-"

{he rnale.rra/s

if

fernished

such

in

4

na, lure 4s to 'rake "Joy dhe"t, u.se{or/

bv

-/

fet, for a/l lAat

{o ht.rz. ,/7

fo rm

6taod,

t-"!r"S

rnan'

"larr",a

i"

af

,

{o*

tn' a/lered ly

lalle out of it.

the ta6le certinues

comtnon

ev?rydoy l/ting,

-/

cs it s{eps $orth
50 .[,o

b"t, i" rclation *" /

it

with it:

rorn *[,cir

\

r.t o''lY

A\

feet

moment *Lqi men in o.ny woy labor q.ssumes o. socio-l {o.rn t!..

work

rn.rtual relo-tions of *he produ.ers b.*"ce.n

"-ll o+hJ

co--odities. it stonds oh it= h.oJ, ond evolves orrt of *":d'" brain grotesl're

{o"

one

t"ke *he S.m

of

*he

is th.re.$ore o- r',ys*'riotr A co.-Jity *hinq, si-ply be.o.ute in it *he 56)qy cho.ricter 'o$ Yn"n's labor. o-pPeqrs ,/ to *hem

q's o.h obje.live

chotr ter

up,on the. prJ".i $o.mpgd

of

7

beco-use *he relction of *he proJucers |o the srrrn *otol of *l-,eir own l.bor rs presented to fl.m os a s oci al rel oti on exi s+ i nq rot belween i|=r,...fr*s] brr"t L..fween *1,. prod*.i=

of *J-,err lobon

It is a. d efin it e s oc is . ] relation between men t}.a assu mes, in t heir ey e6 t}.e fanIn order to .find ta stic an aJla]-ogy we fo rm of must trave recourse a re].ato the mi.st-enve]-o tio n regions of t he betwe en reJ * igioue wor J - d. things

So it is b he wo rld in of commo dithe with p rod uct6 of me nrs kran dg .

n that world ttre productions gf the human brain appear as independent beings endowed with J-ife, and entering into re]-ation both rrith one another and the human race.

This I ca.].]t he Fet is his m whi- c h at t ac hes its el- f t o t k r e pr oduc ts o s o s oon as t h e y J . abor , ar e pr odueed as c om m o d i t ies , and whj- c h is t}.erefore inseparabl-e m t he pr oduc t ion of

i s l 'e t i s h i s m }"a s i t s origin in t pecuJ.iar socia]cl:aracter of thre ].abor tl.rqf

n-n-

co m m o d f_ t]- e s.

AUTHOR fhe ]-abor of the inctivj-dua.l aseerts itsel-f as a part of th e ].ab or of s oc iet y onJ . y by m e a n s o f t L r e r e 3 . a tions which t he ac t of ex c hange es t a b J - i s h e s directJ-y betwe en the pr oduc t s , and j- ndir ec t ly, tl.rough them, betwe en th e uc er s .

The money form of the worJ-d of commodities actual-J-y concea l-s, instea d of dis c J - os i-ng, t} e sociaJc}-aracter of private l-abor and the socie']. re].ations between pr oduc er s . ind ivid ua l.

When I state tha.t coats or boot6 stand in a ref.s.t io n to J-inen, beca.use it is the universa]. incarne.t io n of abstra.ct human J.a.bor, the absurdity of the statement is se]-fevident -

what is the or, same thing, wi-th gofd as or silver, the universa] equival-ent e they e5press the rel-ation between their own private ].abor end the co].]-ective la b o r of soci-ety in the sa:ne absurd

t

o T}.e categoriea eoonoqy bourgeois o f su c h cons ist forms. l-ike

of thought They a.re forms socie.3- val.iditY with expressing of a,rrd rel-ations the conditions dehis t o r i c a l ] - y a def inlt e, mode of productiont termined

of commodities The who].e mystery and necromancy a3-l the magic of tlre Produets surrounds that the as theY take J.abor as long f orm of co mmod it ies t

't .:l il i't It :)l

I

F or

a. societY

bas ed

"tr

tfr"

which t}. e producers int enter in generalwit}" relati-ons eocialbY treatone errother a's their ing Products wa'].uee and commodities

'--fo t such a s oc iet Yt it s wit h Ch ristia litY man of abstract cultus

productJ-on

of

commoditiee,

tLreY red.uce their wbereby aa'bor individualPrivate of honoto the standard b.uman 13!ergeneoue

especi'a3.J-Y in its hote deweloPmente t bour geo i s etc' Deismr ?r ot es t a n t i s m , form j-s the most fj-tting of

r el.i g i o n .

hhey b.lot,q to o- slo-t ' ' '[ I -whi.h *Le Proces: s*llty ir, of y'odu.tion. ht' T":t:'Y rns{"^d of beit'3 ou.J -on lled contro

e vi dent heeessr| y rmyosed by noture o.s produ.five.

lcbo. rtse lf

Hence {orms of socio'I produciion thq-t pre ceded ' t h e bo u r g o is torm *t9.

treo-ted Ui +t.,. bourgeoisie ir, m,^ch the some wtrY as of the CL**h *l.. F**h..s treoted gre- Cl'rislorin religions'

; lhr5 |

-;l\ DerSOnltrI-

.

.l

co-tlon ot thrnSs

trnd qonversion o f p ro d u c * io n \ rc lat ion s into eritities l s(L

re lig io n ot

everrldc.y

.\..-.t

l;fc.

The q.t,^o\ aqgr,ts ot proJuctio. {."1 c"mpl"tely at home in i.t,e-ti.,.,o-l

otid

esl.c.ng-d

{ormS-

#,/ \.

E.ono-i.s is no more *Lo.., o- dido.tlc, of rrbre or l.ss doqrotic trc.nslotion qvervoo.y (rcl of or *he o.tuo-l the conceptions U(LI \eVerydov eonCePIlOnS .

\lfll

J-

c,gents of prod,.c-.

It sees in this TRINITY, whi.h is derniJ of "-ll inn.r connection, the nctur*l ond i"d,.bitable lofty bo-sis Sor its sho-l* lou PornPousness.

.

r^,.n ls

I

r--ormu-La

\

simu]-tsJ1eous]-y sorr es po n d s to the int er e s t s of the rr.rl-l_ng oaasses

t he phy s i- ea1 necessity and b y pro ela im ing jus t if ic at j- on sourees of ete rna lof t heir tkiem to a, dogma. r.evenue and elevating

F i r s l p r in le d n Bla ck & Re d No . 5 , Ja nuary 1969 Re p r in te d in 1 9 7 3 b y Black & Red Bo x 9 5 4 6 De tr o it, M ich ig a n4 8 2 0 2