by PenultimateManStanding » Tue 12 Sep 2006, 22:26:55
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ElijahJones', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'A')re they, EJ? Maybe they are just a well connected, pretty, empty bunch of vain and silly nothings. They stumble out of bed in a haze to reach for their morning coffee and tabloids to see what is said about them. They scream and get their blood flowing to face the day before their meds kick in by reading what is said about them. So why does this work: they are attractive, and in the spotlight, good enough. Plenty of vain attractive people would kill to take their place. Why? Good question. Strange world. It has long since been common knowledge that celebrity is a trap, but people would rather die than face life just seeing what their own internal development might bring without society giving them the fish to reward their trained-seal act.
Ok, ok, would that be a fair amount of animosity or more pity for people who are stupid enough to take the bait? One reason I bring this up is that the poor are equally condemned by hatred as the rich are by vanity. The poor and unknown who waste their time and energy hating the rich are likewise accomplishing nothing with that time and effort.
Do you think that a society an income distribution between lower, middle and upper class of say 6:88:6 would work? I know that the distribution is continuous and that it is somewhat arbitrary, but can we produce a society that is predominantly middle class and stable. Right now we see the rich taking off at light speed while most of the middle class is getting poorer and the ranks of the effectively poor (underemployed, underinsured, uninsured) is growing. What is the right mix and how do we make it happen?
Is that why you bring this up? income distribution? We all have our heros, EJ. You know who mine is? Henry Fielding, the author of
. I named my son for him. English society had enormous income disparities, so what. I couldn't care less. A vibrant culture is what matters, not this crap about income equality. Screw that, it was never an impetus to anything but bloodshed and strife. Envy and hatred comes from such invidious ideology. We are supposed to want natural arrangements here in peakoil.com. Well, an arrangement where secret police enforce "equality" aint natural. Give me Henry Fielding.