User:Grrrreat/research/notes-20-05-12-2

"There are some interesting lessons here. First is that in the marketplace both commodities (porn and toilet paper) are connected to commonplace activities involving human private parts. "

Commodity trading. just like McDonalds. Chicken McNuggets and the (for Europe) German-only McRib Sandwich are comparable to the porn-magazines and the toilet paper.

"What nation was the source of the wealth was unimportant, what nation was the final market was irrelevant, what marketable product was produced was insignificant — the only thing that mattered was that capital could be more efficiently expanded."

If a company is big enough it seems to be all about going with and gaining from the global flow of capital.

Also interesting is the perspective on Richard Florida's perspective on the creative class.

"The appeal was obvious: for politicians it meant adding low cost amenities such as bike lanes, more trees, flower-filled traffic dividers, farmer’s markets, summer music and art festivities, etc. rather than adequately funding city schools, making major infrastructure improvements such as roads and public transport, and improved housing for the lowest income citizens. "

Lowest income citizens or no-income citizens may be people of whom the state and its economy do not profit so much, while they definitely do from the creative class which is basically ready to put itself by free will into a precarious life-situation while still going on working hours above average.

"Florida’s counterintuitive imagination reverses the commonplace wisdom that improving the economic base of a city will lead to a better cultural superstructure. Instead the order is reversed: change the cultural environs and an economic miracle will follow: “Build it and they will come.”"

That is a strategy commonly employed. I am not sure but it seems for example Zizek uses arguments like these, turned around commonplace wisdom, the exact opposite of the obvious, a lot to find new perspectives. Does improving the economic base of a city always help? In Berlin for example it seems that this worked, though not in a planned way. There was a lot built at some point, then there was a lot empty for some time and then they came. Now it is the creative city in Germany, maybe even Europe. Maybe the question is rather if the creative class or the work in the creative industries are something desirable (for a city and for the individual) themselves.