The Devil's Miner Analysis

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Capitalism, a mode of production based on wage labor and private ownership of the means of production, can allow entrepreneurs to turn a profit while wage laborers suffer from long hours and little pay. In Cauca Valley, Colombia and Cerro Rico, Bolivia, wage laborers may resort to pacts with the devil or baptize money in hopes of making extra profit. These desperate methods expose the dark side of capitalism.
The documentary, The Devil’s Miner, tells the story of fourteen-year-old Basilio who works in the silver mines with his younger brother, Bernardino. The brothers work in the mines to support their family while also trying to get an education. The miners risk their lives every day, but they hope that by giving offerings and sacrifices to Tio, the devil, they will be spared. Another concern for the miners is the low pay. Wages can vary based on the quality of the minerals extracted and how many hours a miner worked. Basilio sought work at a different, more dangerous mine so that he could earn more …show more content…

The Godparent to be hides a bill in his or her hand during the child’s baptism. The baptized bill is believed to bring its owner interest at the expense of others when it is used in transactions. This process, however, put the child at risk as their soul will not be able to escape purgatory (Taussig 137). Money baptism represents how those who have been negatively affected by capitalism resort to desperate and wicked deeds in hopes of making a profit. Furthermore, one develops a commodity fetishism. One who commits money baptism believes that they can make a profit from their blessed bill without addition of labor. The money will create capital on its own. While the examples in the article appear to be people committing thievery and not the work of a magic bill, it goes to show the dark side of capitalism. When people feel cheated by a system, they will sometimes go to great lengths to get what they feel they

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