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naraburns  nihil supernum  2yr ago (text post)   33194 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of October 10, 2022

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Fair enough that you’re sad about it, but: 1) These people are free to do whatever they want with their wealth, even if they just inherited it all. If you disagree, I would have to ask you why you don’t believe in property rights; 2) It seems you think you know better than they do what is best for them, or society, and I have to ask you why that is, especially considering you’re assuming that at least some of them have some sort of age-induced wisdom that younger folk like you (I’m assuming) don’t have? and most importantly 3) Have you not considered that this group is a small fraction of the elderly population, that tens of millions of others are doing something else with their retirement, suggesting that this sample might be nowhere close to representing the elderly population at large? Always look for the unseen.

  1. These people are free to do whatever they want with their wealth, even if they just inherited it all. If you disagree, I would have to ask you why you don’t believe in property rights

We have all sorts of social standards and parables about what one ought to do in various life circumstances. Sure, the grasshopper was free to fiddle and throw parties all summer instead of working and saving like the ant, but then he was also "free" to enjoy the cold and hunger of the harsh winter that his lack of foresight and restraint left nothing to tide him through.

The problem isn't that these old people don't have the right to live like this; it's that the OP worries that there will be societal effects downstream from this kind of thing not unlike the grasshopper's summertime partying.

I have no problem with the OP worrying; I’m saying that the worrying is not helpful and won’t, and shouldn’t, change anything. I think any societal effects are almost impossible to predict and regardless, will be miniscule compared to thousands of other societal problems.

  1. These people are free to do whatever they want with their wealth, even if they just inherited it all. If you disagree, I would have to ask you why you don’t believe in property rights

Believing in property rights doesn't obligate one to not criticise how people make use of their property the same way believing in free speech doesn't obligate one to not criticise what people say.

You are correct. I should have not been so hasty to interpret it that way. I retract my assumption.

Just to answer 3) now- this is one of the other main points on the documentary (I didn't want to get into the inequality angle on this post). In fact it was exactly that part that made me think of the idea of "off-worlding" or escaping. Those who can afford to just nope out.

Sorry, I didn’t understand your point. Could you paraphrase?

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