Seems to me that the perceived "value" in the video had nothing to do with shoes. It is all about being able to say, "I spent $600 on something I didn't have to, but I wanted you to know I could, so I did." So sad that this kind of thinking permeates the American psyche.
I suppose, looking on the positive side, that had those people been queueing for food (or shoes) under the other 'popular' governmental system, there'd have been nothing on the shelves and they'd have been arrested if they'd had the temerity to complain.
At least the capitalist system affords you the opportunity to look as dimwitted as you like while paying over the odds for 'shmatter'.
If you have the time and inclination, read the whole thing - not only is it a good window to how the romans actually thought and lived, the banquet part of it is hilarious in its over-the-top opulence and grandiosity.
It is a well known phenomenon among economists. Veblen goods (named after Thorstein Veblen, American economist): price-demand curve is upward whereas typically with normal goods it is downward; normally when price increases, demand falls. The perception being that pricier goods are more exclusive and appeal as a status symbol. A Veblen good is usually high quality, such as Rolls Royce. Value being subjective shows nothing has intrinsic value, which torpedoes the nonsensical Socialist argument that it is labour that puts the value into goods and the Capitalist bosses are trousering the profit from the labour and cheating the workers of their rightful share. Therefore ‘the workers should control the means of production’ - Comrade.
We would have to subscribe to them all, and generate the summaries. Might get expensive. And I don't know how many stacks there are or their volume, but I'm guessing it's a lot. I do apps, but not very well. Lots of work do do them well. Seems like substack would be interested as a way to generate new subscriptions. All of my subscriptions were because somebody pointed me to them.
I advised freelancers for years about how to respond to job postings, how to write proposals and how to price their work. Many would complain that "I'm worth a lot more than that," and cite some professional association's suggested billing rate. I informed them that only the buyer can determine your value. A horse may be worth millions to some buyers because it just won the Kentucky Derby. You want the horse to plough a field. Now it's worth (to you) less than a tractor.
Yes, and it works the other way as well. I happily work for less if I'm interested in what I'm doing. Maybe I'll work for less to convince a new client of my value in order to make more later. Maybe I just want to help out a new business get off the ground.
If you have to tell people how much you're worth, you probably aren't worth much! ;)
Very astute. I spent the last 20 years of my working life essentially trying to promote entrepreneurism. I was last charged out by my employer at $500/hour in 2002. I offered first-tier global management consulting services to people willing to work for as little as $25/hour.
I disagree about charging less than standard to get work in the future. In my experience, once I've hired you I'm an established customer and expect a price break.
They're (hopefully) realizing the error of allowing the insane wing of the crazy party call the shots. Turns out all those 'oppressed minorities' are pretty culturally conservative.......
That's why Stacy Abrams has to get ahead of the bad news and call black men stupid
The Story’ host Martha MacCallum on Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams’ claims that her low polling is due to 'misinformation' and Democrats’ messaging in the final days before the midterms.
"democracy" on the "ballot" is a logical contradiction.
Just how many Americans would check a box that said, "Check this box if you want this to be the last box you will ever be allowed to check."
To listen to Democrats (those "democrats"), one would think all Republicans would. But then again, just how many Democrat lay voters actually do so (listen to their "democrat" Democrat betters). I think too many automatic-Dem voters are un-informed, and believe, for example, that the Republican Party is still run by neo-cons. We informed Republicans have terminated that cancer.
Excellent angle on the *individual* value of informed voting, M. Sim.
Edit (of course): Here's my add. It's along read, but worth it.
If democracy is on the ballot every 2 years (or even more frequently), then we no longer have constitutional structures for our governments. It's arguably just as "denying" to claim that democracy is on the ballot constantly as it is to claim that every election that doesn't go your way was stolen.
The midterms face a bevy of digital threats, from stolen Twitter accounts to hacked election websites, that could spark chaos, confusion and unrest that last long after the polls close.
The 2020 presidential election was rife with allegations of voting machine hacks that were later debunked. Yet there are real risks that hackers could tunnel into voting equipment and other election infrastructure to try to undermine Tuesday’s vote.
You haven't been on a booze cruise until you've seen a woman in her twenties having alcohol-induced diarrhea (the kind you get when live on whine and bourbon and vodka and cigarettes for 48 hours) on the can, while she throws up in her underpants, and then just stands right up, pulls up her undies - still seething with 40% proof vomit/bile cocktail - and then she just ambles off out in the corridor on the ship to be greeted by her equally drunk one night stand.
Worked as a cleaner: ye gods of Earth and Sky what sights one has beheld!
David Hogg says he'll continue wearing a mask outdoors so people don't mistake him for a conservative
“I feel the need to continue wearing my mask outside even though I’m fully vaccinated because the inconvenience of having to wear a mask is more than worth it to have people not think I’m a conservative,” the Parkland shooting survivor tweeted Friday.
In a follow-up tweet, Hogg said, “I feel like this is something you can especially understand if you’re in a very liberal area where 99% of the people you see are wearing masks.”
------------
People find value in just about everything. In this case, virtue signaling is more important than the effectiveness of the mask. Even though everybody who knows who David Hogg is KNOWS that he's the farthest thing from a Republican, Hogg is worried about the judgement of people who DON'T know who he is.
We can call this a lot of things, but Hogg is the only one who understands his personal value system, so he's not incorrect about his valuation -- as crazy at it looks to all of us.
ABC has already posted a reminder that, although GOP candidates will APPEAR to be ahead when we go to bed, we will wake up to something completely different again.
Regarding the t-shirt picture, I too, vote libertarian. ;)
My condolences.
Seems to me that the perceived "value" in the video had nothing to do with shoes. It is all about being able to say, "I spent $600 on something I didn't have to, but I wanted you to know I could, so I did." So sad that this kind of thinking permeates the American psyche.
I suppose, looking on the positive side, that had those people been queueing for food (or shoes) under the other 'popular' governmental system, there'd have been nothing on the shelves and they'd have been arrested if they'd had the temerity to complain.
At least the capitalist system affords you the opportunity to look as dimwitted as you like while paying over the odds for 'shmatter'.
Not only that, but "You can't get them any more because the store is gone."
Consider Trimalchios' banquet from Petronius' Satyricon.
1900 years ago, same thing as today.
I just read the description of the banquet and came away with a feeling of emptiness. Thanks for the reference.
You're welcome (didn't mean to cause discomfort).
If you have the time and inclination, read the whole thing - not only is it a good window to how the romans actually thought and lived, the banquet part of it is hilarious in its over-the-top opulence and grandiosity.
It is a well known phenomenon among economists. Veblen goods (named after Thorstein Veblen, American economist): price-demand curve is upward whereas typically with normal goods it is downward; normally when price increases, demand falls. The perception being that pricier goods are more exclusive and appeal as a status symbol. A Veblen good is usually high quality, such as Rolls Royce. Value being subjective shows nothing has intrinsic value, which torpedoes the nonsensical Socialist argument that it is labour that puts the value into goods and the Capitalist bosses are trousering the profit from the labour and cheating the workers of their rightful share. Therefore ‘the workers should control the means of production’ - Comrade.
We would have to subscribe to them all, and generate the summaries. Might get expensive. And I don't know how many stacks there are or their volume, but I'm guessing it's a lot. I do apps, but not very well. Lots of work do do them well. Seems like substack would be interested as a way to generate new subscriptions. All of my subscriptions were because somebody pointed me to them.
I love the cat party t-shirt, by the way.
I suppose it's one way of subtly signalling that one votes libertarian... ;)
I agree, though I think libertarians are technically porcupines. :-)
I advised freelancers for years about how to respond to job postings, how to write proposals and how to price their work. Many would complain that "I'm worth a lot more than that," and cite some professional association's suggested billing rate. I informed them that only the buyer can determine your value. A horse may be worth millions to some buyers because it just won the Kentucky Derby. You want the horse to plough a field. Now it's worth (to you) less than a tractor.
Yes, and it works the other way as well. I happily work for less if I'm interested in what I'm doing. Maybe I'll work for less to convince a new client of my value in order to make more later. Maybe I just want to help out a new business get off the ground.
If you have to tell people how much you're worth, you probably aren't worth much! ;)
Very astute. I spent the last 20 years of my working life essentially trying to promote entrepreneurism. I was last charged out by my employer at $500/hour in 2002. I offered first-tier global management consulting services to people willing to work for as little as $25/hour.
I disagree about charging less than standard to get work in the future. In my experience, once I've hired you I'm an established customer and expect a price break.
Buck Williams..! Cherish that card...
Btw, Democrats need to vote Republican (maybe just this once, or twice) in order to save their party.
They're (hopefully) realizing the error of allowing the insane wing of the crazy party call the shots. Turns out all those 'oppressed minorities' are pretty culturally conservative.......
That's why Stacy Abrams has to get ahead of the bad news and call black men stupid
-----------------------
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6315111413112
The Story’ host Martha MacCallum on Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams’ claims that her low polling is due to 'misinformation' and Democrats’ messaging in the final days before the midterms.
-----------
This also extends to Hispanics:
-------------
https://www.denver7.com/news/national/new-report-shows-younger-latino-men-more-susceptible-to-consuming-misinformation-about-immigration
New report shows younger Latino men more susceptible to consuming misinformation about immigration
---------------
Weird how this was only a problem when these voting blocs started abandoning the Ds.
Another example:
https://twitter.com/WokePreacherTV/status/1589653707838615552
Ha! Funny, isn't it that Blacks and Browns are just like Whites, er...funny to some Democrats, anyway.
Somehow it's not racism to honestly believe that everybody in a race has exactly the same thoughts and values.
"democracy" on the "ballot" is a logical contradiction.
Just how many Americans would check a box that said, "Check this box if you want this to be the last box you will ever be allowed to check."
To listen to Democrats (those "democrats"), one would think all Republicans would. But then again, just how many Democrat lay voters actually do so (listen to their "democrat" Democrat betters). I think too many automatic-Dem voters are un-informed, and believe, for example, that the Republican Party is still run by neo-cons. We informed Republicans have terminated that cancer.
Excellent angle on the *individual* value of informed voting, M. Sim.
Edit (of course): Here's my add. It's along read, but worth it.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2022/11/08/avoiding_another_gettysburg_148442.html
But here's a short one (*Always* read Margot Cleveland of the Federalist):
https://thefederalist.com/2022/11/07/democracy-isnt-at-risk-democrats-are/
Africa was famous for "One Man, One Vote, One Time".
Wasn't Napoleon "elected"? Then came, "L'etat, C'est moi."
I don't think Africa began, nor has a monopoly on, the common problem of nascent democracies falling victim to usurping Authoritarian Socialists.
No, Napoleon came to power in a coup. Hitler was "elected" (with several very heavy caveats).
Nor did I mean to imply that "One Man One Vote One Time" was unique to Africa. Merely that it was common.
Thank you, M. Eric. I ought to do a better search for examples that actually support my argument!
Totally agree on your clarified point.
"Check this box if you want this to be the last box you will ever be allowed to check."
--------
That is awesome.
I heard it said that Fundamentalist Muslims would "vote once - to end all future voting".
No, they wouldn't.
Turkish president Erdogan's defintion of democracy:
"It is like travelling by tram; when you arrive, you get off"
And he is far from fundamentalist, compared to saudis or afghans.
Turkey, Arabia, and Afghanistan have as weak a claim to democracy as Russia does. (With apology to Ataturk, whom I believe was sincere.)
That's an interesting quote, but I wonder exactly what it means!
Edit: Or rather, exactly what *Erdogan* meant by it!
If democracy is on the ballot every 2 years (or even more frequently), then we no longer have constitutional structures for our governments. It's arguably just as "denying" to claim that democracy is on the ballot constantly as it is to claim that every election that doesn't go your way was stolen.
Suddenly Politico is worried about election integrity!
------------
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/07/6-election-security-threats-to-watch-for-on-election-day-00065277
The midterms face a bevy of digital threats, from stolen Twitter accounts to hacked election websites, that could spark chaos, confusion and unrest that last long after the polls close.
The 2020 presidential election was rife with allegations of voting machine hacks that were later debunked. Yet there are real risks that hackers could tunnel into voting equipment and other election infrastructure to try to undermine Tuesday’s vote.
Ha! Ha! Talk about fence-sitting, covering all bases, and a dozen other annoying traits of the Politicos-of-the-media.
Every night, and with champagne!
Honestly, though, that video seemed so fake. Not fake by Payless but overall fake. Like everything about it. But then again, Derelicte!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVscQYjuq_s
Still waiting for my Booze Cruise.
You haven't been on a booze cruise until you've seen a woman in her twenties having alcohol-induced diarrhea (the kind you get when live on whine and bourbon and vodka and cigarettes for 48 hours) on the can, while she throws up in her underpants, and then just stands right up, pulls up her undies - still seething with 40% proof vomit/bile cocktail - and then she just ambles off out in the corridor on the ship to be greeted by her equally drunk one night stand.
Worked as a cleaner: ye gods of Earth and Sky what sights one has beheld!
Damn. And I thought shit I saw working in bars was bad.
Ew
So even my worst jobs were not as bad as I thought.
You should hear the wife tell her stories about when she - age 15 - worked extra at a crematorium.
Quite the fireside reminiscing for the grandchildren, whenever/if.
Yep. I'm waiting to get to say "You've heard about what grandma and grandpa got up to in their youth? You have? Good. Now see you don't!"
That was exactly the principle upon which I instructed my kid. "See all the ways mommy fucked up in her wastrel youth? Don't do that!"
Suddenly I am far less interested in the booze cruise.
Likewise.
BOOZE CRUISE!!!
I'm starting to get a sense of what my subscribers value........
not for me.
I hate being out of control .... or sick for that matter
Now there're the ads I wouldn't mind. (But NO gifs!!)
I find value in not being forced to shoot the death shot into my arm to do a job that doesn’t involve interacting with other people…
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/hogg-keep-wearing-mask-conservative
David Hogg says he'll continue wearing a mask outdoors so people don't mistake him for a conservative
“I feel the need to continue wearing my mask outside even though I’m fully vaccinated because the inconvenience of having to wear a mask is more than worth it to have people not think I’m a conservative,” the Parkland shooting survivor tweeted Friday.
In a follow-up tweet, Hogg said, “I feel like this is something you can especially understand if you’re in a very liberal area where 99% of the people you see are wearing masks.”
------------
People find value in just about everything. In this case, virtue signaling is more important than the effectiveness of the mask. Even though everybody who knows who David Hogg is KNOWS that he's the farthest thing from a Republican, Hogg is worried about the judgement of people who DON'T know who he is.
We can call this a lot of things, but Hogg is the only one who understands his personal value system, so he's not incorrect about his valuation -- as crazy at it looks to all of us.
I love the masked.
It is really helpful. Sometimes I cough or sneeze near them
but either case, I know who they are
He is providing valuable signals to sane people: AVOID! AVOID!
He mask up cause he ugly
At least they're finally acknowledging the simple fact that the one and only purpose of masks was virtue signaling. I call that a win.
If we could only get them to virtue signal with gagballs, welder's masks and oven mitts...
Uh…have you ever seen a pride parade?
Oh yes.
They're pretty tame.
Yeah definitely don't want a replay of that show....
It's like a holiday today! And now apparently we should be saying Happy End of Democracy Day! Lol lol
Seriously looking forward to my planned evening of wine and watching the returns come in!
ABC has already posted a reminder that, although GOP candidates will APPEAR to be ahead when we go to bed, we will wake up to something completely different again.
Yea, I've seen this movie before! Let us hope the ending is different this time.