Discussion task: Commodity Fetishism
PROMPT:
In Capital, Volume 1, Marx outlines the important concept of "commodity fetishism." To illustrate his point, Marx uses the illustrative example of a living, dancing table. As he provocatively writes,
It is as clear as noon-day, that man, by his industry, changes the forms of the materials furnished by Nature, in such a way as to make them useful to him. The form of wood, for instance, is altered, by making a table out of it. Yet, for all that, the table continues to be that common, everyday thing, wood. But, so soon as it steps forth as a commodity, it is changed into something transcendent. It not only stands with its feet on the ground, but, in relation to all other commodities, it stands on its head, and evolves out of its wooden brain grotesque ideas, far more wonderful than "table-turning" ever was.
How does the dancing table stand as a symbol of commodity fetishism? What effect does Marx's rhetoric have on you as a reader? More broadly, are you persuaded by this claim?