Skill circuits?
I've been talking for a while about skill as a measurable commodity. Is it possible to talk in a more systematic way? Is it possible to show flows and sources and sinks, in a hydraulic or electrical model?

Some unformed thoughts, to see what happens.

Four situations:

1. Sending skill outward and losing it, as US does to Mexico and China.

2. Bringing skill inward from elsewhere, as Mexico and China do to USA.

3. Banking skill, as unions formerly did and Russia still does. Training, protecting against loss, protecting against unfair competition.

4. Encouraging skill elsewhere without losing it here, as China does to Africa.

= = = = =

I can see immediately that the hydraulic or electrical model doesn't work. With water, a filled-up tank has potential energy which is used up by running the water through a turbine or toilet. The water returns sooner or later, recharged, via rain or pumping. With electricity, the negative end of the battery emits electrons with potential energy, which is used up before the electrons return to the positive end.

Skills can't be charged and discharged, can't carry potential energy. There's no circuit.

In situation (1) and (2), skill traveling from country A to country B, the return path is money going from B to A, but the money is NOT circuiting back to the people who lost the skill. The money comes back to the Tribe, the Bankers, the monsters who DESTROYED the local skill. Even then, it's not a direct return. Instead, the Tribal who shipped the skills outward has lower cost of production, so the money that Deplorables spend for the product no longer returns to other Deplorables in this country. It goes to Deplorables elsewhere, and much more money goes to the Tribal. Other Tribals appreciate this work of murderous art, and reward the out-shipping Tribal for his crimework by raising his Share Value.

Aha! The FACT that these models don't work tells me that I've got the variables backwards. Situations (1) and (2) are not circuits at all. They are stories about how the Tribe demolishes skill circuits. Country B is getting the best part of the deal, but this doesn't show up in a diagram of potential energy and flow.

A functional ckt doesn't involve any MOVEMENT or FLOW of skill at all. When skill is properly used as in situations (3) and (4), it stays in one place and works on one farm or factory, raising the value of seeds or iron or wood. The return path is money coming into the farm or factory.

Aha again. In other words, skill is voltage, not current. The current going out is products, raw material plus high potential skill energy, and the return path is money going back to the workers.

The metaphor is still weak, because the money is charged up with a different kind of potential. A good skill ckt, with value-adding work and proper storage and use of money, leads to a constant increase of both skill and money. It's not a closed circuit like the battery and light bulb.

Labels: Asked and partly answered, skill-estate

  ¶ 11:02 PM