Why was merchant being treated as the lowest class in many cultures?

>CONFUCIANISM ITSELF IS CONDUCIVE TO MERCANTILISM.
Evidence? I highly doubt you have a firm understandning of Confucianism.

Merchants in China sometimes enjoyed high socioeconomic status because they had money and were able to weasle their way up the social hierarchy. However, Confucianism is very much opposed to them. Conservatives did not accept them.

Four classes

Artisan
Farmer
Scholar
Merchant

Merchant is the lowest class in Confucianism structure

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_occupations

This.

They didn't fit well into the the societal order and of lords and peasants

I know the Chinese society (Confuscian) believed that because they didn't actually create anything or work with the land, only sold the fruit of other people's labour, they were worth much less.

I mean, they still lived better than the peasants. It's the thought that counts.

No difference.

>Evidence?

IF YOU ACTUALLY KNEW, IT WOULD BE SELFEVIDENT.

>I highly doubt you have a firm understandning [SIC] of Confucianism.

YOU HAVE THAT DOUBT, BECAUSE YOU ARE IGNORANT YOURSELF.

>Conservatives did not accept them.

THAT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF CLASSISTIC CHAUVINISM, NOT BECAUSE THEY DESPISED THE ETHOS OF THE TYPICAL MERCHANT.

THAT CLASSISTIC CHAUVINISM IS ITSELF HYPOCRITICAL, SINCE THE VERY VALUES OF THE RULING ELITE'S DEAR CONFUCIANIST IDEOLOGY IS WHAT ALLOWS FOR THE CREATION, AND THE RISE, OF A "MERCANTILE CLASS".

VIDELICET PREVIOUS PARAGRAPH IN THIS POST.

SOCIOLOGICALLY, MERCHANTS WERE REGARDED AS LOWER THAN THE OTHER THREE BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT PRODUCERS, NOR CREATORS, NOR WORKERS, AND BECAUSE THE MERCANTILE OCCUPATION ITSELF ALLOWS FOR EASY PROFIT VIA DECEIT, BUT ALSO DUE TO CLASSISTIC CHAUVINISM FROM THE RULING ELITE.

THAT DOES NOT ENTAIL THAT THE SOCIOECONOMICAL AND SOCIOPOLITICAL SYSTEM ITSELF WAS NOT CONDUCIVE TO MERCANTILISM —ACTUALLY, THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE.

The French hated merchants. Peasants considered them thieves, the Nobles considered them pretenders.

Romans regarded merchants as greedy.

Usury is a sin everywhere; merchants were the only lenders who collected interest.

Also, Jews did not "naturally" tend towards financial pursuits: their religion allowed usury and were often foisted to metchantile endeavors because honest farmers, noble politicians and brave soldiers were reserved for the native populations

>The French hated merchants. Peasants considered them thieves, the Nobles considered them pretenders.
>Romans regarded merchants as greedy.

YET, THEY PROSPERED, WHICH IMPLIES THAT THEY WERE NOT TREATED "AS THE LOWEST CLASS", AS THE "ORIGINAL POSTER" CLAIMS.

"TO BE TREATED AS", AND "TO BE REGARDED AS", ARE TWO MUTUALLY DIFFERENT THINGS.

>Usury is a sin everywhere...

I DID NOT DENY THAT —I DID NOT EVEN MENTION USURY.

>... merchants were the only lenders who collected interest.

JEWISH MERCHANTS —NOT ALL MERCHANTS WERE, HAVE BEEN, NOR ARE, USURIOUS, BUT ALL JEWS ARE USURIOUS, REGARDLESS OF THEIR OCCUPATION.

>their religion [ALLOWS] usury...

ONLY TO NONJEWS, BUT NEVER TO OTHER JEWS.

>... and were often foisted to metchantile [SIC] endeavors...

NOONE "FOISTS" THEM ON MERCANTILE ENDEAVOURS; THEY NATURALLY TEND TOWARD THAT KIND OF ACTIVITY.

>... because honest farmers, noble politicians and brave soldiers were reserved for the native populations[.]

NO; IT IS BECAUSE JEWS ARE NATURALLY REPELLED BY GENUINE WORK, AND MANUAL LABOUR.

Well, that is likely what the public opinion was. Of course they actually did provide a service; relocation of goods so that the farmer or artisan doesn't have to travel far and wide to find a potential buyer, or wait for one to show up. Instead they can sell their wares to the merchant immediately and get back to what they're best at.

Thanks for providing a credible source. Oh wait, you didn't provide a source because you dont have one.

Bye

You are a fucking idiot.

what is with Veeky Forums and attracting tripfag autists who love to post in all caps?
and why do you all keep responding to them?

Because like now, the economically wealthy are generally associated with exploitation, especially bankers and moneylenders.

This is also one of the main reasons for antisemitism in Medieval Europe. You'd be amazed what the pressure of debt can do to someone's mind

>WHICH IS WHY JEWS NATURALLY TEND TOWARD MERCANTILE OCCUPATIONS
Jews in Europe became merchants because they weren't legally allowed to own land, which very much restricted their choice in careers.

Hehe that'll teach 'em to kill the Son of God

THEY WERE DISALLOWED FROM OWNING LAND BECAUSE THEY WOULD TREAT IT AS A COMMODITY, AND WOULD EXPLOITATIVELY USE IT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE LESSEES ACTUALLY WORKING THE LAND.

Well looks like some dumb tripfag has killed this thread

Are you a Jew?

>SOCIOLOGICALLY, MERCHANTS WERE REGARDED AS LOWER THAN THE OTHER THREE BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT PRODUCERS, NOR CREATORS, NOR WORKERS, AND BECAUSE THE MERCANTILE OCCUPATION ITSELF ALLOWS FOR EASY PROFIT VIA DECEIT, BUT ALSO DUE TO CLASSISTIC CHAUVINISM FROM THE RULING ELITE.
>THAT DOES NOT ENTAIL THAT THE SOCIOECONOMICAL AND SOCIOPOLITICAL SYSTEM ITSELF WAS NOT CONDUCIVE TO MERCANTILISM —ACTUALLY, THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE.

This is just pointless verbosity. You have no actual counterpoints.

You also seem to misunderstand the point of being a low social class. Being a low or a high social class has NOTHING to do with wealth (see: Hindu Brahmin, the highest social class - or caste, largely populated by ascetics, monks, and hermits), it is about how you are perceived by society and how your role in society is viewed. Merchants in many societies (such as Confucian China) were viewed as of lesser repute than citizens of other classes. That does not mean the society was not conducive to mercantilism and it does not mean they were poor, simply that they were viewed as of lesser value to society than other classes, sometimes even going as far as pariahs (see: Jewish moneylenders in medieval Europe).

If you're going to use a trip and type in caps, at least restrict your posting to topics you understand and/or to which you can add some useful discourse.

tripcucks on suicide watch

Jews were actually forbidden to be merchants in many instances. In the famous "Merchant of Venice," for example, it is Antonio (the guy who pledges his pound of flesh to Shylock) who is the merchant running speculative ventures.

Remember when you used to play risk on /pol/ and /int/ and consistently getting your ass kicked, only for you to then whine and claim the game hoster was biased or some bulshit? Good times

Societies back then didn't work the same as they do today.
In a small town, for example, there's a network of people with similar values, and they communicate almost like a body; those who move to small towns may find themselves hard to fit in, for the simple fact that they don't yet have honour in those towns. In a small town, your loyalty is always questioned in some way; they need to know that you're a functional member of the town. If you're a passerby, people will probably either be exceedingly generous to you or ignore you.

Likewise, many older societies feared merchants, because they were an international element; they had no loyalties, and their lack of title in society, itself, was disrespectful of the people in society.

The only difference in some societies that praised merchants, is that these societies had man made laws to protect merchants and the people equally.

Everytime I see this capslocking turbonigger I immediately refrain from reading anything in the thread close the page. This post is an exception, a farcry so that this cunt gets what he deserves. I'm not saying that he should be banned for writing capslock on, but he should be if he insists on such preposterous niggerdry.

Sorry for the irrelevant shit.

>you have to be mentally unstable to hate bankers
Nice try

I've known this faggot since 2 years ago, when he played risk on /pol/ and /int/ (never went on pol myself, just wanted to check if he did and confirmed so). He was caps locking and using the same exact trip back then too. He also has a tumblr blog thingy where he spouts new age tier pseudo philosophy. He's also mexican and has made a couple mediocre sound tracks. That is to say, he'll never stop

>he'll never stop

this makes me sad

PLEASE STOP SHOUTING

You know you've been on /pol/ too long when you recognize this

go away

Merchants are creators. If you find a better way of distributing goods you are adding value.

For example you predict that cattle farms in a region will need more salt as their herds move away from natural sources in a particular season and you find an underemployed bargeman to transport the salt and build up stockpiles over a long period of time. Instead of carrying their own salt or hiring other merchants at greater expense to bring tons of salt to the location, they buy it at cheaper prices from you. They benefit by getting cheaper prices. You have benefited the economy overall by reducing the effort needed to transport salt.

fuck you, you capslock-using attention whore

ayy, captard tripfag BTFO

>being wrong
>getting this mad about it

Because they never made things themselves, only profiting from what others had made. This is seen as greedy and taking advantage of others, both the person who made the item as well as the person who wants to buy the item.

because greed propelled them, not the pursuit of a better life for humanity, just selfish greed which pushed temptations onto others to further propel their fake stature and to temporarily satiate their appetite which called for them to possess all things.

i'm beginning to like this guy

This.

Anyone who says China is wrong.

Soldier was lower than merchant.

The correct answer is Japan.

What, youve been on /pol/ for a fucking week? Fuck off newfag, and come back when you can recognize a merchant from a few, abstract, seemingly unrelated lines.

except they weren't the lowest class

>it's a capslocking tripnigger gets blown the fuck out episode
>it's a capslocking christcuck that keeps copy pasting bible verses gets blown the fuck out episode
>it's a /pol/ retard enters Veeky Forums and gets blown the fuck out episode

I like these episodes

Samefag once more, maybe then you'll believe that you "blew him the fuck out". Jew.

but I'm not a kikeand I didn't take part in this thread.

Cry more at my relative objectivity, these eyes see clear and they see that someone with a trip and a broken caps lock key desperately "type shouting" is probably doing so because he's wrong, so I don't even need to get into the meat of why you're wrong when you're playing the part of someone who is wrong already.

There is a difference between comfort and social standing. caste systems are often independent of wealth, you can be a rich jew that owns half the land in europe and you'd still be a lower class until you literally bought/bribed a position for yourself, which is what the powerful ones did.

success breeds jealousy

They were literally the royal family in Mayapan (The late postclassic Maya league in the Yucatan peninsula)

Post link to the blog.