i keep editing the second post over and over again; i hope i got it to be a good place now

the tricky bit about SNLT is that it's the measure for abstract labor, which is predicated upon generalized commodity production, and concrete labor is merely the manifestation of abstract labor. SNLT isn't just a way to dodge mudpies, it's integral to understanding how and why capitalism works.

the only reason why concrete labor takes place at all is to be the mediated form of abstract labor, which is the way capital gets valorized. in this way, random expenditure of human powers (i.e. mudpies) isn't even concrete labor as such,

because the expenditure is not the manifestation of abstract labor, and therefore not valorizing anything (hence why it has no exchange value).

i'm not totally happy with this last bit, because valorization is not synonymous with exchange value, but idk how else to describe it