A Victoria man has gone two decades without money • Hacker News Board

Re: A Victoria man has gone two decades without money

#221

Post by okareaman » Sun, Jul 25, 2021, 7:04 PM UTC

missedthecue wrote: post #199

okareaman wrote: post #100

Money is only one kind of power as I learned from going from working stiff to millionaire (thanks software biz!) to homeless broke person (cursed alcohol.) There is the shamanic-like power of a deeply spiritual person. There is the leadership power of a good manufacturing supervisor or ship captain. There is the moral power of Martin Luther King or Solzhenitsyn. I've come to the conclusion that accumulating money is…

Usually those "rich people's" thoughts are interesting not because they're worth millions or billions, but because they've built something impressive over their lifetime and probably have gained valuable insight as a result. Most people wouldn't be very interested in an interview with a Walton heir for instance, but Sam Walton himself would have no problem drawing an audience.

He cultivated those other powers before he became rich, or he most likely wouldn't have been able to build what he did. I think a good example is Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Jobs went to India, practiced Zen and experimented with psychedelics before he built Apple. He found his power and used it. Bill Gates was born rich and is having a tough time inspiring people at the moment.

Re: A Victoria man has gone two decades without money

#222

Post by pbourke » Sun, Jul 25, 2021, 7:09 PM UTC

watwut wrote: post #109

Ekaros wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And the same is still true. Something that I hear no feminist talking about is the gap in occupational injury deaths, which is massive. We should really start working on it for more equal society.

I have seen feminists to push for women to be allowed in combat roles. I have seen them also promoting less gendered toys and occupations in child stories. Meaning also more cars for girls. Meaning driving, being cop as occupation for women too. More equality here would mean exactly that - women driving and being on the streets more, women working in late money handling shifts, women in combat positions. Then there a…

> More regulation about how much you can drive would do a lot.

Isn’t there already a ton of quite stringent regulation around how long you can drive? Or do you mean outside of the context of activities regulated by the FMCSA in the US?

Re: A Victoria man has gone two decades without money

#223

Post by Chris2048 » Sun, Jul 25, 2021, 7:11 PM UTC

brudgers wrote: post #208

noduerme wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're talking to someone who lived on the road for 10+ years and spent plenty of time in music circles on beaches discussing the nature of the universe. All of which came to very little. I don't work and earn to chase a new car. I do it to give my life meaning and to afford a good future for myself and my family. And yeah, I have every right to look down at the people who think they're being so smart by "not getting…

Is that logically distinct from sitting at a desk muttering to HN?

Is lying in a ditch distinct to sitting at a desk?

I'd venture yes.

Re: A Victoria man has gone two decades without money

#224

Post by s1artibartfast » Sun, Jul 25, 2021, 7:12 PM UTC

mikem170 wrote: post #162

s1artibartfast wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Before money, people traded services and power. In this sense, money is just an accounting tool to track the same

Not exactly the same. Money changed a lot of things, much more than just an accounting tool. The use of money drastically changed the scale in which goods and services could be traded. Before money people kept track of who owed who a favor amongst the people they dealt with. Family, friends, and others learned who they could trust not to be a mooch. Money made possible much larger scale projects, enabling the industr…

I think we agree that the accounting tool changed the possible scale, but we are still trading the same thing. For example, I use currency to track and buy favors from some laborer in China I have never met.

Re: A Victoria man has gone two decades without money

#225

Post by Chris2048 » Sun, Jul 25, 2021, 7:13 PM UTC

Retric wrote: post #213

leephillips wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“People have different values.” That’s for sure. The values of the poster you’re replying to are better than the values of a professional parasite.

A parasite he may be, but people can do a lot more harm as part of the economy than that. It’s simply a question of leverage, even something as seemingly pleasant as Disney World causes significant direct and indirect ecological harm in ways a homeless person doesn’t. And frankly you can find plenty of far worse examples than Disney World.

This is pure whataboutism.

Re: A Victoria man has gone two decades without money

#226

Post by miles » Sun, Jul 25, 2021, 7:15 PM UTC

xondono wrote: post #164

Aeolun wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the post money society doesn’t need philosopher poets scavenging cigarettes from trash cans Supporting the odd philosopher poet is the exact function of society, in my opinion. Some good things come out of having them that do not come out of having another corporate drone.

> Some good things come out of having them that do not come out of having another corporate drone. False dichotomy much? Name one odd philosopher poet that has brought anything to the table

Buddha

Re: A Victoria man has gone two decades without money

#227

Post by coldtea » Sun, Jul 25, 2021, 7:18 PM UTC

helsinkiandrew wrote: post #74

I’m not sure living in the city off handouts, charity, and free tax payer provided facilities exactly promotes his no money philosophy. His life relies on the things he despises, if the economic collapse he predicts comes he will be among the first to starve to death. Go into the wild and grow/hunt food or trade some skill - the post money society doesn’t need philosopher poets scavenging cigarettes from trash cans

>if the economic collapse he predicts comes he will be among the first to starve to death.

Or among the last, being used to it by now. Beggars have existed under all regimes and all kinds of economic collapse. Cushioned middle class people however, didn't do as well under the latter...

Re: A Victoria man has gone two decades without money

#228

Post by jamincan » Sun, Jul 25, 2021, 7:23 PM UTC

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #64

guerrilla wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate arguments like this. People who want clean dishes will do dishes. And no there's no free-rider problem because they don't have to do dishes for anyone else.

> People who want clean dishes will do dishes. And people who want to eat will farm their own food? And people who want medicine will craft their own medications? Self-sufficiency and moneyless societies are pure fantasy, unless they include giving up all modern amenities. I don’t think these people really want to return to the days of hunter gatherer lifestyles or even the days of homesteading. It’s an extreme amoun…

It also almost always requires a lot of land. You could not feed the globe if everyone was self-sufficient.

Re: A Victoria man has gone two decades without money

#229

Post by Retric » Sun, Jul 25, 2021, 7:28 PM UTC

Chris2048 wrote: post #225

Retric wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A parasite he may be, but people can do a lot more harm as part of the economy than that. It’s simply a question of leverage, even something as seemingly pleasant as Disney World causes significant direct and indirect ecological harm in ways a homeless person doesn’t. And frankly you can find plenty of far worse examples than Disney World.

This is pure whataboutism.

“you can't produce anything new to help anyone.” Suggests only economic activity is a benefit, as if talking to another person or giving a hug can’t enrich their lives.

Pointing out a moral standpoint is more harmful than what’s being criticized is hardly whataboutism. It’s a demonstration that taking part in the economy is not inherently superior rather than the posters personal preference. Which therefore directly counters their morality argument.

Re: A Victoria man has gone two decades without money

#230

Post by jamincan » Sun, Jul 25, 2021, 7:29 PM UTC

CydeWeys wrote: post #56

bellyfullofbac wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny, he'd fit more in a hunter-gatherer society because guess what they also don't have... (to spell it out: money). I mostly agree with what you write, but "You have to contribute productively" is such a capitalist mindset that it draws for me the picture of you being a Gordon Gekko type. I wonder if he'd agree to do some work like cleaning the city parks in exchange for some "gifted" groceries and a room. Obvious…

> Funny, he'd fit more in a hunter-gatherer society because guess what they also don't have... (to spell it out: money). His refusal to use money is really a lampshade on a refusal to do anything useful period. Plenty of people don't interact with money yet still manage to provide useful goods and services in exchange for necessities. He's not doing any of that either. > "You have to contribute productively" is such…

He could easily volunteer his time and return some of what he has received in labour, but he doesn't even do that.