SCOTT- Wharton

In chapter 1, "Economics and Sociology of Subsistence Ethic," Scott immediately describes the peasant family of Southeast Asia essentially as a "unit of consumption and production." While at the core, any family unit of any culture may represent a unit of consumption and production, it seems as if this is all that such a peasant family represents. These people exert significant amounts of physical labor to reap the bare minimum for survival from the land. Personally, just reading the first few pages of this source stressed me out. How can an individual or a family unit enjoy a lifestyle such as this? If on a day to day, year by year basis the family unit is worried about growing the bare minimum of a crop to survive, what enjoyment does such a group of people get out of life? Can one mentally adapt to this lifestyle so as to eliminate day to day stress, or is it constantly looming over these people that if they do not produce enough food, they may not be able to support their family? How does this acknowledgment impact their interactions with family and community members? Does it depend on their personal constitution- be it optimistic or pessimistic- to determine how much enjoyment they are able to get out of life? While I am aware this is an economic-based source, it raised questions in my mind as to the decisions made, extracurricular activities, and modes of enjoyment within the peasant community that existed completely outside the realm of economic and subsistence decision-making.

In terms of economics, there were some terms such as "opportunity cost" and "implicit wages" that I was not familiar with, and was hoping that we could go over.