While reading, I was interested most by the discussions of the material-semiotic relationships of blood and its presence as a laboring commodity. I found the connections between bloods status as an indicator of corruption (what the reading calls negative valuation) and as a racial allegory to be a convincing argument for the pervasiveness and continuation of anti-Blackness. Biocapital is founded on laboring commodities such as blood- it creates the idea that not only are laborers producers, but their bodies are as well. Because blood is an object outside of us,’ but also an extension of the laborer, it is expected to fill both roles of laborer and commodity. Bio/necrocapital is the ultimate form of commodification of laborer- it does not require a physical laborer to continue producing and is both inherently valuable and the producer of value.
I think that the arguments related to the metaphysical and capitalist significance of blood are also interesting to think about in the context of eggs. I have looked into egg donation before as the compensation can be quite high (into the tens of thousands of dollars). I think that while blood and the idea of corrupted blood can be seen as negative valuation, eggs are an example of positive valuation. Most websites explicitly list that Asian, Indian, and Jewish egg donors are in high demand and might be compensated more. I believe this to be an overt example of meaning-making and bio-ontologization, especially the bio-ontologization of Jewish. Asian, Indian, and Jewish people have all been subject to the model minority myth- the belief that they are intrinsically smarter, more hard-working, better at STEM subjects, etc. The fact that eggs from these groups are in high-demand demonstrates a belief that their eggs will somehow contain genetic material that possesses these traits and can produce children who will be more intelligent and hard-working. There is also an unstated negative valuation- while eggs from Black, Latino, or Indigenous egg-producing people are not prohibited, they are low-demand. Eggs go even further than blood as a laboring commodity- it is an infinitely replicating laboring commodity that can produce not only value but more laborers who can produce this commodity in addition to labor and value. There are also feminist and queer implications- the commodification of reproductive organs and the heteronormative implications of eggs as a site of reproduction between a man and woman. There is a lot to write about here, but I dont want to make this discussion post too long so I would be really interested if anyone has thoughts theyd like to share on this!