# Eenerms is pitted **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 17, 2020, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299 "2020-12-17T23:47:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/41 "2021-03-02T17:45:11Z")
> [@digs](#): > > A common rallying cry was “Government is evil. Privatize everything, even the fire and police”. And competition is good for the free market, so if someone’s breaking into your house, you’ll remember the commercials for **Poe’s Protect’n’Serve Po-Po** , and their BOGO deal, and call them. Fire services did used to work like that in England and elsewhere - you would subscribe to a fire service and put a plaque on the outside of your house to indicate which one and that you were paid up. Sun Insurance (now, a few centuries on, part of Royal Sun Alliance) started out that way. It was not ideal, particularly as it didn’t take into account if the building next door (which may not have been insured, or insured with the same company) also caught fire. Even worse - back in ancient Rome Marcus Licinius Crassus, friend to Caesar and Pompey, had his own private 500-strong fire brigade. Fires were a daily occurrence in Rome, and when a house caught fire the brigade would rush to the scene…and offer to buy the property for a pittance. If the owner agreed, they put the fire out (often then renting it back to the original owner). If not, they let the building burn down and bought the land for even less. Crassus was the richest man in Rome. That’s what privatized fire services are like. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/42 "2021-03-02T17:49:37Z")
The film _Gangs of New York_ has a scene showing the then-private fire departments in NYC. Whoever put out the fire could charge for their services, so multiple gangs (and I use that term deliberately) would arrive with equipment, and get into a full-on brawl to determine who was able to put out the fire, meanwhile buildings are burning down. While a fictional movie, that is how things worked back then. After all, that’s good old capitalist competition and the fair market at work. With no regulations. I think capitalism is healthy in moderation (definitely better than anything else we’ve tried in human history) but it doesn’t work everywhere, and definitely doesn’t work for public services. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/43 "2021-03-02T18:20:06Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Whoever put out the fire could charge for their services, so multiple gangs (and I use that term deliberately) would arrive with equipment, and get into a full-on brawl to determine who was able to put out the fire, meanwhile buildings are burning down. The impression I got from the Gangs of New York fire fighters was more that they were fighting over who got to loot the place before it burned. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/44 "2021-03-02T18:28:26Z")
I should also point out that the film was based on a non-fiction book, and the movie did a pretty good job of setting an accurate setting for that time and place, but it wasn’t a documentary and for the most part the specific scenes in the film were fictional (and of course the dialog was all fictional). Even key characters were fictional; for example Bill “the Butcher” Cutting was a fictional creation but based on real life figure William Pool. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/45 "2021-03-02T18:51:25Z")
> [@digs](#): > > I went to a Libertarian private school. (I got better…) > > The students worshipped Ayn Rand and “The Virtue of Selfishness”, and divided themselves up into Randian Objectivists, Randite Objectivists and Randists. > [@Gyrate](#): > > Even worse - back in ancient Rome Marcus Licinius Crassus, friend to Caesar and Pompey, had his own private 500-strong fire brigade. Fires were a daily occurrence in Rome, and when a house caught fire the brigade would rush to the scene…and offer to buy the property for a pittance. If the owner agreed, they put the fire out (often then renting it back to the original owner). If not, they let the building burn down and bought the land for even less. Crassus was the richest man in Rome. “Did you ever hear the tragedy of Marcus Licinius Crassus the Firefighter? I thought not. It’s not a story the Libertarians would tell you.” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2021, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/46 "2021-03-02T19:25:06Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The film _Gangs of New York_ has a scene showing the then-private fire departments in NYC. Whoever put out the fire could charge for their services, so multiple gangs (and I use that term deliberately) would arrive with equipment, and get into a full-on brawl to determine who was able to put out the fire, meanwhile buildings are burning down. I think the real situation was worse than that. Private fire brigades operated as full-on protection rackets. They often set the fires themselves, targeting houses owned by people who could well afford to pay for their “services,” which might be re-negotiated on the spot, and who would have nice things that could be lifted during the “rescue.” Police operated in a similar manner, working hand-in-hand with burglars and fences. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2021, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/47 "2021-03-03T00:30:14Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The film _Gangs of New York_ has a scene showing the then-private fire departments in NYC. Whoever put out the fire could charge for their services, so multiple gangs (and I use that term deliberately) would arrive with equipment, and get into a full-on brawl to determine who was able to put out the fire, meanwhile buildings are burning down. > > While a fictional movie, that is how things worked back then. You may be overestimating the movie’s accuracy, which has taken a hit from historians on multiple points. Firefighting up until 1865 in New York was an all-volunteer affair, which produced many dedicated firefighters but also a number of rowdies who got into fights with competitors. Firemen were involved in the infamous New York draft riots, for bad and good. > **[The birth of the FDNY: How America’s worst urban riot gave rise to New York...](https://www.nydailynews.com/2015/04/26/the-birth-of-the-fdny-how-americas-worst-urban-riot-gave-rise-to-new-york-citys-bravest/)** > > New York City burst in flames on the morning of July 13, 1863 — a conflagration of rage and resentment that exploded next to a draft office in Midtown. A lottery to force able-bodied men into… You could say that capitalism was actually a major factor in ending the freewheeling days and compelling a professional force to be organized, by order of the state legislature. Insurance companies got tired of paying out claims because of limited effectiveness and disorganization on the part of volunteers. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2021, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/48 "2021-03-03T01:33:41Z")
Hell, in the US in the 21st century, firefighters let a [house burn down](http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2026445,00.html) because the county went to a subscription model. The firefighters only stuck around to make sure it didn’t spread to their (paid up) neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2021, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/49 "2021-03-03T01:41:42Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > the county went to a subscription model The fucked up thing is that the whole world’s already on a subscription model. We call it “taxes”. That Tennessee county and the Libertarians (ok, some Libertarians) just want to change it to an incredibly inefficient piecemeal subscription model that can fuck you in the ass. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2021, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/50 "2021-03-03T09:18:04Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > “Did you ever hear the tragedy of Marcus Licinius Crassus the Firefighter? I thought not. It’s not a story the Libertarians would tell you.” He was [minted](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wINLmGb4cbM), as the song goes. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2021, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/51 "2021-03-03T11:59:22Z")
Or to quote the late lamented sir Terry Pratchett > The Guild of Firefighters had been outlawed by the Patrician the previous year after many complaints. The point was that, if you bought a contract from the Guild, your house would be protected against fire. Unfortunately, the general Ankh-Morpork ethos quickly came to the fore and fire fighters would tend to go to prospective clients’ houses in groups, making loud comments like ‘Very inflammable looking place, this’ and ‘Probably go up like a firework with just one carelessly-dropped match, know what I mean? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2021, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/52 "2021-03-03T15:20:07Z")
Haven’t gotten that far. But seeing as that was exactly what happened when Twoflower introduced In Sewer Ants, it makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/53 "2021-04-02T21:43:09Z")
@eenerms gotta eenerm. > [@Cancelling the Obamas? WTF](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cancelling-the-obamas-wtf/939193): > > Go to say this is the bizzaro world! [https://grahamallen.com/2021/04/cancel-cultures-latest-victim-barack-obama/](https://grahamallen.com/2021/04/cancel-cultures-latest-victim-barack-obama/) Is this an April fools joke? ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/54 "2021-04-02T22:22:32Z")
Can we cancel eenerms? Just like the lefty communists cancelled Dr. Seuss and MISTER potato head? 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/55 "2021-04-02T22:25:21Z")
I’m pretty sure @eenerms is getting cancelled quite soon. Apparently slow learner and inability to follow mod instructions are NOT two great tastes that taste great together. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/56 "2021-04-02T22:26:14Z")
Trolls gonna troll. ---
**Author:** ![Dandan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@Dandan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2021, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/57 "2021-04-04T19:28:40Z")
Does “crass” derive from his name? Dan > [@Gyrate](#): > > Even worse - back in ancient Rome Marcus Licinius Crassus, friend to Caesar and Pompey, had his own private 500-strong fire brigade. Fires were a daily occurrence in Rome, and when a house caught fire the brigade would rush to the scene…and offer to buy the property for a pittance. If the owner agreed, they put the fire out (often then renting it back to the original owner). If not, they let the building burn down and bought the land for even less. Crassus was the richest man in Rome. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/58 "2021-04-05T01:55:32Z")
> [@Dandan](#): > > Does “crass” derive from his name? Not necessarily that person but yes, it is from the Latin word “crassus” which means “thick” or “gross”. > **[Definition of CRASS](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crass)** > > gross; especially : having or indicating such grossness of mind as precludes delicacy and discrimination; being beneath one's dignity; —used as a pejorative intensifier… See the full definition [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crassus](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crassus) ---
**Author:** ![Ranch\_Dip](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranch_dip/32/5238_2.png) [@Ranch\_Dip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranch_Dip)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2021, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/59 "2021-04-05T21:54:25Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > She says later she went to the hairdresser, so unlikely to be a gay male. A gay male would still go to a barber. Wait. What? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2021, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299/60 "2021-04-07T23:50:29Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Karens have always been around and have always been this bad. The only thing that’s new is a platform giving them a worldwide audience. [Harry Caray] Did you know that ‘Karens’ spelled backward is ‘Snerak’? [/Harry Caray] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eenerms-is-pitted/928299.md?page=2)