on marx and fetishism

Umair Haque writes:
"Commodity fetishism. A fetishized object is one which is more than a symbol: it's believed to have actually the power the symbol represents (like an idol, or a totem with magical properties). Marx claimed that under industrial age capitalism's rules, commodities became revered talismans, worshipped through transactional exchanges, imbued with mystical powers that give them inherent value — and obscuring the value of and in the very people who've worked labored over them in the first place. It's one of Marx's most subtle and nuanced concepts. Does it hold water? Again, I'll merely pointing to societies in furious pursuit of more, bigger, faster, cheaper, javascript:void(0), nastier, now, whether it's the retail temples of America's mega-malls, or London rioters stealing, not bread, but video games."

To put this in a more modern context: Brands.

The brand as a tribal god. Now there is a concept for ya!

-------------
Ok, you might have spotted the html error. Decided to leave it in because I like the effect