One might put it this way: capitalism has not failed in the West, but the West has failed at capitalism.
It’s not beyond hope, though. Not by far.
Regarding the millionaires - keep in mind that the vast vast majority of millionaires are still businessmen. The movie stars and porn magnates are the minority.
In any case, engineers should be getting paid the most IMHO - they make the world go round :lol:
Wages are a price and all prices are subject to the law of supply and demand.
If engineers are not in short supply relative to demand then they will not get paid very much.
Star footballers are in short supply relative to demand and that’s why they earn a fortune.
So what you’re saying is that we need to run some sort of engineer to football player conversion scheme…?
That’s most illogical.
<spock>
…this thing you humans call humour… it is highly irrational…
</spock>
I hope you were kidding there, BlackSabbath 
<spock>
…this thing you humans call humour… it is highly irrational…
</spock>
I hope you were kidding there, BlackSabbath
Kidding?
Why woiuld i be kidding?
Your post was most illogical, Jim.
Supply and Demand - exactly
It is the fact that Footballers, rather than engineers, are in high demand that demonstrates societies lack of perspective…
Supply and Demand - exactly
It is the fact that Footballers, rather than engineers, are in high demand that demonstrates societies lack of perspective…
No. Footballers are in shorter supply, relative to demand, than engineers and men with very big wallets are willing to pay for them.
Nothing wrong with that in my view.
Then are views differ considerably.
The price of a product will be relative to its demand; the demand is relative to peoples values.
Even though Availability might be scare one can still correlate a link between the price of a certain product and the values.
Even though Availability might be scare one can still correlate a link between the price of a certain product and the values.
Yes, but this is not to say that their is no corrolation between availability and price. Price actually depends on both the amount of value placed upon it by consumers and the amount of the product that one may get ahold of.
Note, also, that the primary reason footballers are paid so much is becuase of their resale value. They get paid so much because so many people are willing to pay a couple of bucks to sit at Old Trafford and watch them.
It is the fact that Footballers, rather than engineers, are in high demand that demonstrates societies lack of perspective…
Sporting events, much like art, have value in what they represent. You wouldn’t say the above about great sculptors, why about footballers?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with placing value in a sporting event. In fact, I would argue that our society’s love of sports is revealing of its great sense of life.
Yes availability is as important as value. In the case of football I still have reservations.
Yes availability is as important as value. In the case of football I still have reservations.
What reservations?
Why?
And I take that to mean all sports stars and pop stars.
I think all of you are missing something important in the salary calculation here, which is the number of positions available for a given job. Only a very small number of football players will be able to support themselves playing football. At the same time, the amount of revenue generated by football as a sport is fairly large.
Notice that the amount of revenue generated by engineering as a profession is vasly (VASTLY) larger than by football, but because the number of engineering positions available (and necessary) is also fairly large, the total amount of money generated by engineers divided by the number of engineers out there will give a salary much lower than that of football players. I don’t really think it’s really a question of bad values in our society.
Why are there so few positions available for football players? simple. Because having too many positions would defeat the whole enterprise of celebrity, which is a crucial part of being a football player. There is no way you would be able to keep track of the sport if there were a million teams in the US - the most you could handle is maybe a hundred (I don’t know how many there are? is a hundred professions teams about right?)
Axiom:
Based on our terminology, I think we were talking about soccer, not american football. There are 32 professional american football teams.
I don’t really think it’s really a question of bad values in our society.
You are correct, it is not. Enjoying a sport is not an indicator of bad values but of good ones.
Based on our terminology, I think we were talking about soccer, not american football.
Same idea, different sport…
I was originally talking about soccer in the UK, where stars become idolized media icons and get paid more than they know how to spend.
Just take a look at the entertainment industry - it is a culture machine that spurns out abysmal packaged crap that we are conditioned to ‘appreciate’ through a constant media drip. In the world of the media, happiness becomes mere recoginition of popular music/film. To be ‘happy’ people just have to be connected, plugged into these popular mediums. This isnt true aesthetic appreciation, it isnt even happiness, its just the negation of fear, the reassurance from big mother that as long as we’re up to date things must be ok.
It must be understood that happiness can be moulded, and moulded to bring great profit, but in some of these cases at the expense of some pretty basic principles. One should never compromise anothers humanity to make a profit.
Nobody’s compromising another’s humanity; the other has compromised it himself already.
I accept the responsibility falls on the individual, but you can encourage indivuality or you can exploit their weakness; the latter makes the quicker buck.
If a person refuses to think, he deserves what’s coming to him. Not only is he responsible, but “justice” (the justice of bad music) is served.
If you refuse to pick your own taste in music, then if another person picks it for you, you deserve no more than what he picks for you. And he deserves all the money you’re willing to shell out for it for placing on him the responsibility of picking.