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Fuck you, Money

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Re: Fuck you, Money

#111

Post by steveklabnik »

joeyo wrote: post #110
steveklabnik wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because your in a better situation, and are on the way to pulling yourself up out of wage slavery doesn't mean that you're not still in the situation that you're in. I had an analogy here to drug dealers working their way out of a ghetto, and decided it was slightly hyperbolic.

So your definition of wage slavery is anyone who is not independently wealthy?

THE definition of 'wage slave' (from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wage_slavery) is:

> Wage slavery refers to a situation where a person's livelihood depends on wages, especially in a total and immediate way.

So, yes, someone who's independently wealthy is not a wage slave, but someone who is self-employed or who owns a significant stake in the business they work for is also not a wage slave. It's about the boss/worker relationship, the power an employer has over an employee.

Re: Fuck you, Money

#112

Post by danbmil99 »

one thing he doesn't factor in is that when you get FU money, you suddenly find that you have a cadre -- a virtual entourage -- of friends, family, and hangers-on who you never realized were (according to them) supporting you for years with your crazy dreams, and therefore are morally justified in expecting you to enrich their lives along with your own.

This can happen in more subtle ways than "yo gimme some cash for dinner". You find that scads of folks have their own zany startup ideas; your wife is ready to fulfill her dream of big-home ownership; your peers expect you to send your kids to the same fancy schools they send theirs to (and your kids agree).

People have written about this, esp. wrt lottery winners, but the same mechanics apply to the Silicon Valley lottery.

Re: Fuck you, Money

#113

Post by afterburner »

steveklabnik wrote: post #56
afterburner wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can leave anytime though. Slaves can't.

You can leave your job, sure. And then default on your mortgage. Or be unable to pay your rent. And not be able to buy food. (or, if you mean "leave America," then you can move somewhere else... and you _still_ have to either work for yourself, or for someone else.) There's an illusion of choice, but choosing to work between McDonalds and Burger King isn't really a choice.

You equate the chains of oppression with the completely voluntary choice to excel in life?

Re: Fuck you, Money

#114

Post by btilly »

Retric wrote: post #106
btilly wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For a short time, yeah. But when you have a long-lasting change in life circumstance, as I did, your savings cushion suddenly changes dramatically for the worse. A cutback in the 2008 financial crisis cost me a few months of paychecks. The result? A decade ago I had your attitude. I now have a very different view of the world.

There are insurance policies that cover a lot of these situations. Depending on your coverage they can go from reasonable to ridiculously expensive but it's really a question of how much risk are you willing to take? Edit: This assumes you will find work while capable of working. But, 6 months of savings does not have to be a ridiculously large number and six months of savings + low paying job can last you for a long…

How large a number 6 months of savings is depends greatly on your expenses.

But, 6 months of savings does not have to be a ridiculously large number and six months of savings + low paying job can last you for a long time.

How large a number it is depends on expenses.

What would have been 6 months of savings back for my wife and I when we were in our 20s might last us 2 months now. Adding a low paying job would not help much since I'd be paying more in child care than I am earning. Getting rid of the child care I have would make finding new good child care very difficult - been through that already, don't want to do it again.

At this point we have several months of savings and are slowly saving again. But what used to be a good cash surplus fund now isn't.

Re: Fuck you, Money

#115

Post by steveklabnik »

afterburner wrote: post #113
steveklabnik wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can leave your job, sure. And then default on your mortgage. Or be unable to pay your rent. And not be able to buy food. (or, if you mean "leave America," then you can move somewhere else... and you _still_ have to either work for yourself, or for someone else.) There's an illusion of choice, but choosing to work between McDonalds and Burger King isn't really a choice.

You equate the chains of oppression with the completely voluntary choice to excel in life?

Where did I say that? At all?
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