SpongeBob free and proud of it!
Jack:
What scent?
Elucidator:
You have my pity.
Fantastically funny, Scylla. Econ major, USC, and I got it the first time.
The thing some people seem to be missing here is this: yes, you can play skee ball for no tickets, and yes, skee ball rocks. But to simulate the economy, you must take the POV that children must have tickets (money) to support their existence (toys). This is an essential part of the economic model.
If you feel that you only need x number of tickets to survive (for example, you decide that the medium Spongebob Squarepants is sufficient, and that the large one would just take up too much room), then you are welcome to only keep enough tickets to get the medium. Since you are fortunate enough to love your job (playing skee ball), you are willing to continue playing even after you have met your needs (the medium Sponngebob). After that, any tickets you win are YOURS to distribute as you see fit: either by getting the big Spongebob and pleasing yourself, or by sharing your tickets with the less fortunate (losers who suck at skee ball, or never tried hard enough to learn, even though they know they need those tickets). Sharing your tickets is like contributing to charity, a worthwhile endeavor as we all know.
But suppose for a second that you have a set of fraternal twins. Momma wants the twins to feel that they are equals, but one twin is a lazy twat who’d rather spend her time checking out the boys romping in the “ball” pit than by diligently playing skee ball. Twin #2 finds joy in her work. While looking at boys may be pleasurable, she understands the importance of balancing easy, unproductive pleasure (looking at boys; the FEC equivalent of sitting on your fat ass watching daytime tv), with the slightly more challenging but ultimately more rewarding pleasure of playing skee ball, earning tickets, and getting all the boys to leave the ball pit and come to her when she totes around that freaking enormous Spongebob. Now twin #1 has nothing to show for the time she spent checking out the boys, no tickets, and now no boys (also known as being unemployed and having the power cut off so you can no longer even watch tv). Twin #2, who worked a little harder had more fun overall, and ended up with the boys anyway by settling for delayed gratification.
So mom, seeing twin #1 alone and crying while twin #2 brags to the boys about the enormous Spongebob Squarepants that just entered her life, seeks to placate (eg: shut up) crying twin #1 by forcing twin #2 to share her tickets (taxes). Now twin #2 can only get the large Spongebob Squarepants, which is not nearly as impressive and causes the boys to seek more exciting activities/girls, and twin #1 now has enough tickets for a plastic spider ring. Both have something, neither is satisfied. Twin #1 feels she should have exactly what twin#2 has. Twin #2 thinks twin #1 is a lazy twat who cheated her out of the big reward of the mega Spongebob. Now instead of one extremely unhappy twin who deserved to be, there are two fairly to quite unhappy twins, one who deserved more and on who just feels she did.
However, if twin #1 can compensate for her lack of effort with skills and brainpower, she can still get what she wants, and make twin #2 happier in the process. This is known as investment. Twin #1 makes a deal with twin#2. Knowing twin #2 loves to play skeeball, and would continue to do so if she had more coins, twin #1 offers twin #2 the use of her coins in exchange for prizes. Ah, but twin #2 won’t just give all the tickets back to twin #1, so a bargain is reached (market price) in which twin #2 is granted use of the money to play a game she already likes (and invest in improving her skill), and is allowed to keep 10% of the extra tickets earned. Now twin #1 has enough tickets for a large Spongebob, and twin #2 has more tickets than ever, allowing her to get the mega Spongebob SHE earned with her own money, plus an insulated car cup with the FEC logo on it, purchased with the tickets earned through her effort, and twin #1’s coinage. Meanwhile, twin #1 is happy, because not only was she able to stay at the ball pit watching the boys, she was also able to put her money to work (invest) with someone willing to put in the effort (work) to earn it. Twin #2 did more than she could on her own coinage, twin #1 did too. Twin #2 is better off than twin #1 in terms of tickets (wealth), and twin #1 has equalled that level of satisfaction in quality of life (like taking a lower paying job in order to spend more time with your kids). In this fair market situation, all the money was put to work, and both twins are happier than they could be on their own. They are dramatically happier than they would have been had they dealt with taxes and handouts.
Damn… I’ve really gotta get out more.
Great post Scylla!
Oh, and those SPongebob free and proud people? Bitter. Or trying to justify their laziness by playing down the value of that which they don’t have. Truth is, they just suck at skee ball, or they’d be bragging about the giant Scooby Doo they picked instead of Spongebob.
That’s what ruins it. Kumquats.
That’s what ruins it. Kumquats.
Sour grapes.
You probably suck at skee-ball…
Well, it is a sea sponge. Probably Eau d’ Low Tide.
I did what now?
Nah, I won a giant Pink Panther (taller than I was, actually). Pink Panthers are waaaaay cooler than sponges. That was just one of many prizes I’ve won at skee ball. We won’t even talk about the prizes I’ve won at Fascination. Basically, I’ve DONE skee ball, and I have moved on to other games. After a while, any simple game/activity gets boring. Then it’s time to go check out a new game. There’s a limit as to how good one can get at throwing a ball, and there’s also a boredom limit to throwing a ball.
Good OP, Scylla. That’s why I take my son(s) to Scandia to golf instead…