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How The Barter Myth Harms Us
(youtu.be)
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this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2025
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Is there a transcript of this? I don't really have headspace for a video but I could dip in and out of reading some text.
tl, dr.
Back in the day, economists thought that tribal people used straight up barter to swap goods and services. This guy suggests that it's more likely that people would just share/give each other what was needed. Spearmakers would make spears and let anyone in the tribe grab one, and the spearmaker would be fed by all. From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs.
That’s inside of a tribe. Between tribes might have been different.
If there are no benefits to hoarding surplus, then people don’t.
I have the impression you are mixing up topics. This video is talking about the myth of barter as the predecessor of money.
This was not communism. This was carefully enforced fairness. People gave the spearmaker food in return for his efforts, and when he wasn't making spears he was expected to fend for himself.
Well I think it's communism
Sees bottom up, emergent organization.
Communism doesn't have to have to be top-down. I honestly don't believe that it ever can be, and that people who try to do things that way are either naive and doomed to failure or liars doing a great job manipulating everyone.
20th century Marxism polluted the word Communism. even Marx said he would not call himself a Marxist.
The administration of things is still a state no matter how much they wish it wasn't.
I think the key difference is that good behavior was facilitated and enforced by personal relationships. It’s not clear how this social arrangement could exist at larger scales.
At had a few things that look similar, but it was nothing like what Marx imagined.
Marx isn't the only communist philosopher
Thanks!
This link is not a transcript but it's on this topic and is referenced in the video description:
Graeber 2011 The Myth of Barter
Thank you, I appreciate this!
I copied the YouTube transcript via PC since the mobile version didn't show for you:
https://pastebin.com/vvmw8f6y
Thank you, I appreciate you 😊
Hard same - I noticed this option:
It's not pretty but will probably work fine enough.
Oh I don't get that on mobile view in a browser. I might have to dig a bit deeper for this, but thank you!
Oh goodness you are correct, I don't see it either! It won't let me select and copy it either. What a bummer that it's so inaccessible.
Economist think that before the use of money barter was the main tool for economical exchange.
In reality, barter is close to inexistent in tribal society, early society relies on the gift economy rather than barter.
Rather than trading apples for spears, a person would distribute the extra apples they got to their neighbor, then of they need a spear they ask their neighbor of they can borrow their spear or if they could make one for him.
I'm not sure of our was in the video or not but there is also a social expectation of reciprocity, so once a person give something to their neighbor, the neighbor then feel a responsibility to give something back. It works between tribes as well.
(Talking about that, my neighbor has been giving me tomatoes all summer, I should make a cake for them)
Thank you, that makes sense. In the communities I participate in I've experienced a slight preference towards gift economy rather than explicit bartering, so this resonates with me.
Your neighbor sounds great. If you do make them a cake, please let us know what you made!