301–310 of 500 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Also the extra usefulness of a car is much lower. In SEA you can transport the whole family on a scooter.
You can transport your family on a motorcycle or scooter in the US too. You'll just be on a first name basis with all the cops everywhere you go regularly because even if the cops themselves dgaf there will be no shortage of people calling them on you.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was visiting some temples in Bangkok recently and was amused to find there was no dual pricing; rather, there was an admission charge for foreigners and no charge for Thais. (I don’t mind this system actually, but if I were paying taxes in Thailand and still had to pay foreigner entry fees everywhere it might bug me.)
The train between Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes) and Cusco had three classes, the lowest of which was restricted to Peruvian citizens and residents. To be clear, Peruvians were free to use the second and first classes if they were willing to pay, too, but only they were allowed to use the very cheap third class. If I recall correctly, the second class one-way was about US$35. It struck me as being a bit fancier (and…
The only exception was where people insisted on being paid in American dollars. I'm not American so it never occurred to me to buy and bring American dollars to any country outside of the USA. We treat American tourists with a certain amount of eyerolling when they try to use their money in my country, but I have learned my lesson that it is a good idea to have an emergency stash of the currency of dishonesty when travelling abroad.
I have a different conclusion. The article mentions that the car would have cost her 3 months of income. That doesn't sound too much and is roughly about the same what people pay for cars today, maybe even more. The reason she thought about the car as a luxury and not a necessity is that then the society wasn't dependent on cars like we do today. They travelled less, worked closer to home, milkman brought milk to hom…
She lived in central(ish) London, where today still a car isn't a necessity or particularly useful other than for travelling to the greater UK or specific jobs.
The fact that she could afford a maid and nurse, maybe was because she was wealthier than majority of population. If she was in 1% of income bracket (that would be $421,926 per year in the US), then it is not unusual for those people to hire cleaners or baby sitters on regular basis even if they don't employ them full time.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> (I will avoid the more complicated subject of the maid...) I'm really curious now. Why is the maid a more complicated subject?
Given our history, I was assuming there was some expectation that duties might also include requests of a sexual nature. I really hope that's not the case. But we (rich white people) don't exactly have a good track record in these types of situation. :(
Curiously, you said “rich white people” forgoing the one prejudice that actually does predict sexual exploitation - men!
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> (I will avoid the more complicated subject of the maid...) I'm really curious now. Why is the maid a more complicated subject?
Given our history, I was assuming there was some expectation that duties might also include requests of a sexual nature. I really hope that's not the case. But we (rich white people) don't exactly have a good track record in these types of situation. :(
I do not think that behavior is or was restricted to skin color.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can transport your family on a motorcycle or scooter in the US too. You'll just be on a first name basis with all the cops everywhere you go regularly because even if the cops themselves dgaf there will be no shortage of people calling them on you.
So not a realistic option, isnt it?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In countries like that I just don't buy anything. Life is too short for haggling.
Haggling is fun. I’m convinced the modern aversion to haggling in first world countries is because people grow up avoiding all direct confrontation. They think it’s somehow how rude to disagree with someone about the price of the article at hand. The next level of it is when they justify this “politeness” by claiming that haggling is inefficient or a waste of time.
The article is good, but the comparison to cars might not be exactly apt. You might ask why can J.K.Rowling afford a maid and a nanny but not a Falcon X rocket today. Perhaps her great grand children will.
Nobody is selling "Falcon X rockets". Space X sells rocket launches , because that is what other people want to buy. And JK Rowling could most definitely afford a couple rocket launches if she were so inclined.
You don't need to be so nitpicky.
> And JK Rowling could most definitely afford a couple rocket launches if she were so inclined.
Yes, that was the point of the comment. Agatha Christie could have had a car if she wanted. Only 3 months of income, even!
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In Egypt, that's true unless you haggle. You can always haggle to get close to Egyptian prices, but if I didn't have my friend with me to show me how to do that, I would have paid American prices the whole trip. I'm sure a lot of places work similarly. At the end of the day, they want to make a sale, doesn't matter who you are just what they think you'll pay.
In Egypt, it also helps to be able to read the arabic numerals — eastern arabic [0] that is. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_numerals#Comparison_of_... Eastern Arabic ٠ ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩ ١٠
“While working, I suddenly heard a noise and looked up to find Robert Hughes, the art critic of Time magazine, staring at me in disbelief. ‘But you’re Philip Glass! What are you doing here?’ It was obvious that I was installing his dishwasher and I told him I would soon be finished. ‘But you are an artist,’ he protested. I explained that I was an artist but that I was sometimes a plumber as well and that he should go away and let me finish.” [1]
He also says "I was careful to take a job that couldn't have any possible meaning for me." [2]
In contrast, people stick at Bullship Jobs, which are unsatisfying and unproductive, because they come with self-referential status [3].
I might argue that is we eliminated a lot of bullshit jobs then labour would be cheaper.
[1] https://improvisedlife.com/2014/06/11/phillip-glass-world-re... [2] https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/interviews/... [3] https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-bullshit-jo...