Was getting done a shave at my barber, he was a bit rough around the edges, was half occupied in the TV Serial and half in the discussion about a Bandh following the death of some local politician. He almost applied some shaving cream on my lips and I was about to shout at him when he turned around and realized what he had done. Took the cloth nearby and quickly wiped off the cream off, smiled at me sheepishly and mumbled a week sorry. It got me thinking 'what is it that I have that makes me bigger than him?' It was hardly a mistake, and I was almost fuming at him, just because I was going to pay him? but what about the service he was giving to me? It's not like I am paying him for nothing, it's a perfect exchange of Money against Service for which the rate of exchange is been mutually agreed and accepted. Then why do I feel like being superior, Why should I be given the upper edge always?
If you remember the barter system, it was goods against goods or services or any combination of these 2. and the people exchanging these could never treat each other superior or inferior just because of the Good/Service they are catering. i.e. A farmer would always be superior to a milkman...Because he is exchanging a superior product.....Or a fisherman will always be superior to a Shoe seller.....not because of his caste but due to the product.....and if I am not mistaken with money replacing all goods and commodities in these exchange transactions, it should ideally be equivalent to these goods and hence the value of it should be exactly equal to the amount of goods/services you can buy with it. So if I can buy four mangoes with rs. 500 (I am talking about very high quality Hapoos mangoes here :) ) then the bearer of 500 and Hapoos should be equal and be grateful to each other for the transaction. Then why does the counterpart with Money always becomes the Customer and the other Vendor?
Something to do with the concept of Barter and Capitalism. though they go hand in hand as long as the definitions are considered. Coz both believe in Voluntary exchange of goods/service or Money. To bring more practicality and overcome the shortcomings of Barter, money was introduced. It represented Value and became very standard among transactions. But it did not remain as just a substitute for value exchange, it gained it's own place in the economy and people's lives. It became the very source of Power and started to shake the very empires that invented it and the rest is history as they say.
My Take: It's still barter that you are doing when you are getting a service or buying a product. The benefit is mutual and so should be your behaviour with the vendor. If he/she is polite to you, you can at least try not to be rude. So next time you go shopping Barter, don't Banter :)
If you remember the barter system, it was goods against goods or services or any combination of these 2. and the people exchanging these could never treat each other superior or inferior just because of the Good/Service they are catering. i.e. A farmer would always be superior to a milkman...Because he is exchanging a superior product.....Or a fisherman will always be superior to a Shoe seller.....not because of his caste but due to the product.....and if I am not mistaken with money replacing all goods and commodities in these exchange transactions, it should ideally be equivalent to these goods and hence the value of it should be exactly equal to the amount of goods/services you can buy with it. So if I can buy four mangoes with rs. 500 (I am talking about very high quality Hapoos mangoes here :) ) then the bearer of 500 and Hapoos should be equal and be grateful to each other for the transaction. Then why does the counterpart with Money always becomes the Customer and the other Vendor?
Something to do with the concept of Barter and Capitalism. though they go hand in hand as long as the definitions are considered. Coz both believe in Voluntary exchange of goods/service or Money. To bring more practicality and overcome the shortcomings of Barter, money was introduced. It represented Value and became very standard among transactions. But it did not remain as just a substitute for value exchange, it gained it's own place in the economy and people's lives. It became the very source of Power and started to shake the very empires that invented it and the rest is history as they say.
My Take: It's still barter that you are doing when you are getting a service or buying a product. The benefit is mutual and so should be your behaviour with the vendor. If he/she is polite to you, you can at least try not to be rude. So next time you go shopping Barter, don't Banter :)
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