The double thank-you of capitalism

en.wikipedia.org

5 pointsaminozuur3 comments

...when a merchant and a customer exchange money for goods, each thanks the other, showing that the transaction is not only voluntary, but mutually beneficial.

WTF? I'm friendly and thank cashiers because they're almost certainly minimum-wage, part-time, no-benefits, paycheck-to-paycheck folks dealing with unfriendly people all day long. I'm not thanking them or by proxy their bosses or their company for the transaction, I'm not genuflecting to capitalism, I'm recognizing the humanity of the individual.

You're not doing a transaction with the cashier. As you said yourself, you're thanking them for their service (or "recognizing their humanity" by your words) - but it's not what this article talks about.

A great principle. The problem is that very few exchanges are ‘free’.

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