We are, you dolt. By working hard and moving up the income ladder, we allow ourselves more disposable income. I shop at a store, the store stays in business, the people working in the store get paid, the suppliers who supply the store their goods get to stay in business…yeesh. Go take Econ 101 and get back to us.
That said…Americans, by and large, are some of the most generous people on earth. Anytime there’s a catastrophe we’re there before the news crews. The Red Cross had to turn away blood donors after Sept 11. After the OKC bombing, there were three doctors for every victim. I saw Shepard Smith flagging down police in New Orleans to help a collapsed child.
Quit your whining and go be productive. That’s the best thing you can do.
Actually, your example sheds some light on the matter; some goods are not purchased because people desire (never mind need) them, but because the purchaser wants to be known to have them to demonstrate Status.
Others want things that are actually destructive, like lawns and Hummer and diamonds.
There are people who consume less than they could; I think that’s a good thing, because there is so much waste associated with consumption.
Frankly, golf courses are Evil; they use huge amounts of resources in maintenance, poison aquifers with pesticides & herbicides, nearby water with excess fertilizer, and some damned fool is alway plunking one down in the middle of a desert.
Anything that assumes clover should be irradicated is just wrong.
Spending very large proportions for health care for asthma and other allergies for children whose immune responses are compromised.
If they earn that much.
If they live in places with sophisticated health care.
However, in the global race for the cheapest, most companies produce in areas with the lowest wages and worst workers’ rights.
Did I specify “inherently”? Nope. (Don’t misquote someone when there’s a record that close; it’s … unattractive.)
I find things destructive when maintenance and production public costs outweigh the public good (that would be wages; not stock options, salaries, and golden handshakes).
As will Econ 201. That’s when those pesky little facts start to interfere with theory.
Actually, it won’t; but neither is brushing your teeth, and both are good for you.
And I didn’t misquote you, I attributed meaning to your statement- the SAME meaning you gave it.
Did you actually think this was a valid debating tactic?
I assume that you’ve got backup for this. It’s probably a faulty assumption, but I’m going to make it anyway. So let’s see it.
As a blanket statement, this could not be any more incorrect if you tried to make it so.
Developing nations with horrible workers’ rights records rarely have the manufacturing infrastructure in place to churn out large quantities of luxury goods of commercially acceptable quality. it’s a blanket statement, but the fact is that they make Nikes in Malaysia, not Escalades.
Of course you do. Because your worldview does not take into account nuances and necessities involved in complex economies.
Why am I bothering? Anyone who would condescendingly nitpick about the difference between “actually” and “inherently” is unlikely to be prepared to debate or do much more than spew talking points.
And the fact they make these products in these underdeveloped nations is good for bringing people out of poverty. Workers in these countries are quite happy to have these jobs which are so demonized by comfortable Westerners. Without “low paying” jobs stitching Nikes those workers would be doing much, much worse work. It’s a good thing, as far as the OP should be concerned, that this type of work is being sent to these countries. That means fewer kids starving.
Oh, by all means DO explain.
This ought to be GOOD.
I’m with you up to a point, despite my jingoistic union-borne protectionist leanings.
There are plenty of jobs that aren’t worth it to the manufacturer to keep here, either because it would negatively impact profitability or it would force prices too high- thus, over the seas go those jobs. Intellectually, I don’t have a problem with this. While I am the first to admit that government oversight of corporate action is dangerously lax in certain destination countries, it wasn’t so long ago that such was the case here as well. A nation will not develop if it doesn’t have the impetus to do so.
This piece of paper in front of me actually has writing on it, but does not inherently have writing on it. Someone had to put the writing there.
Are you stupid?
Lawns, Hummers, and diamonds may not be inherently destructive, but the means by which they come into existence can be. I’m not going to make those arguments. I just wanted to point out that you look like a fool for insisting inherent = actual.
I would just like to point out that you look like a fool for not reading for comprehension.
He said the THINGS are actually evil.
As a matter of fact, I am not stupid. Nor may you be, but your post is hardly the best evidence. j666 should know better than to spout a talking point and then attempt to weasel out of it when called on its stupidity. And you should know better than to try to help.
If you’re going to split hairs, he said destructive, not evil. Anyway, he can speak for himself, but in my view those things are destructive because of what people have to do to bring them into being.
God, I hate you cutesy pie retards with your stupid ass “sammich” joke hijacks. If this thread is so fucking painful for you, you should not read it - not bump it so you can join the “funny”, you stupid unfunny cunts. Fuuuck.
Awww, is somebody jealous that I didn’t make him something to eat? If you’d bothered to read the whole thread, you’d see that I not only didn’t accuse 2.5" of trolling, but I agreed that more needs to be done to help the people of te world, and that I’m trying to come up with a way to do something about it. So fuck yourself.
The sammich jokes are valuable to show that, despite some debate, the OP and his ilk are worthy of ridicule.
You just essentially did the same thing, minus ham and American.
The idea that you’re trying to preserve the integrity of a thread that consists entirely of a black-turtleneck wearing, clove-cigarette-smoking, got-halfway-through-the-comic-book-Communist-Manifesto, white-guilt idiot rambling on and others stopping to make fun of him, is pretty funny too.
