Reciprocity vs. Baseline Communism
- (He says the bright line that tells you when you are dealing with baseline communism, in egalitarian societies, is that keeping accounts concerning x is not merely not done but would be offensive.
- Also, in any work environment in which someone is constantly asking co-workers/fellow team members for help and never putting in much – due to persistent weakness/inability – the norm is not that everyone else will carry the extra weight forever, like good communists.
- But this creates an expectation that they will do better in future; and in the meantime it produces a status inequality, with experienced campers effectively acting as patrons and others as parasites (in the Roman sense: sitters-by around the campfire.)
(Source: crookedtimber.org)