Posted on 01/23/2007 12:42:29 PM PST by kipita
Q. "Nobody was ever born of one’s own free will, therefore everybody must have the same right to life."
A. Yes/Relative Yes. A baby born to Bill Gates has the right to live just as a baby born to an isolated tribe in Brazil.
Q. "Bill Gates´ intelligence (precondition for being him a millionaire) was not created by himself, but was given to him by genetic and/or environmental influences during his childhood?"
A. Yes, I tend to agree. A conservative response would be to say that he has benefited due to his ancestors, who are 5,000 years more advanced (based on Western values) than the tribe from Brazil.
Q. "A garbage man’s low intellectual level was not caused by his own personal negligence, but is rather based on genetic and/or on environmental factors."
A. Yes, I tend to agree. A conservative response would be to say that he has NOT benefited due to his ancestors, which are LESS advanced (based on Western values) than Bill Gates family. However, in a capitalist society, he could work hard and raise kids that could receive a FREE education to the best schools in a capitalist country. He would also be able to eat, buy a home, get married and live a productive life in a capitalist country. He could also start a business with a government loan. In a communist country, he WILL do the same job for his entire life with NO chance of mobility. The same can be said of his children. The tribe from Brazil has to basically live the same life as their ancestors.
Q. "It’s easier for Bill Gates to do the job of a garbage man than vice-versa, but the garbage man is needed much more by Bill Gates, than Bill Gates by the garbage man (as well as our fathers’ and forefathers’ life was completely liveable without informatics, but not without garbage collection!)"
A. For every Bill Gates, there are at least 100 failures. It would be easier for the other 99 to not study, to never think about contributing to society, to expect to be "taken care of for life", and drink, party and have a good time. If this philosophy had been followed, Western Society would be at the same level as the tribe from Brazil.
Q. "If asked Bill Gates, if he’d prefer to do the job of a garbage man or his own, even on the condition of earning in each case the same money, would always give preference to his own job."
A. If I had to be a garbage man for the rest of my life, I'd prefer to do so in a capitalist society. Thanks Bill Gates and your ancestors for creating the best environment on the planet for a low intelligence person like me!
Q. "Now, if your guys’ intelligence is not much below that of a garbage man, you will have ticked ten times on the left. If so, let me ask you, why Bill Gates gains soooooo much more money than a simple garbage man?"
A. European capitalism is much better than American capitalism. American capitalism is much better than any other forms of government.
Q. "Please note, that I have not been drawing on millionaires like Britney Spears, Paris Hilton or Mr.Beckham for the above test, but on one Bill Gates, who has really done a good job!"
A. What do Mike Tyson, Leon Spinks, Evander Holyfield, NBA basketball players, NFL football players, other professional athletes, Lottery winners, successful lawsuit plaintiffs, etc. have in common? They all could have very, very low intelligence and have all become millionaires in America! However, most lost all their money and lived horrible lives and would probably have been better off being the simple garbageman!
What does this even mean?
If so, let me ask you, why Bill Gates gains soooooo much more money than a simple garbage man?"
Your socialist friend, perhaps, is unaware of how the market works? There are lots of garbage men and garbage companies. They receive compensation comensurate with the value they supply to society.
Ditto for Bill Gates. He has earned tons of money because people have voluntarily chosen to pay him for his products.
Why does you friend think the amount of money someone else earns is his concern?
What does this even mean?
Good question. It was an informal email and he probably intended to write more questions. To his defense, he's German and speaks 4 languages.
Stop Right There!!!!
If a job requires a higher skill level, it generally is compensated better. "Duh," in other words.
the garbage man is needed much more by Bill Gates, than Bill Gates by the garbage man (as well as our fathers’ and forefathers’ life was completely liveable without informatics, but not without garbage collection!)"
"The garbage man" is not needed more than "Bill Gates."
This is a fatuous argument. Garbage removal may be an older and necessary requirement of civilization, but that does not mean its practioners are thereby due by society a fabulous lifestyle of wealth.
Garbage workers are due, basically, whatever the answer to this question is: "How much do I have to pay to have someone take this junk out of here?"
Likewise, Bill Gates is due whatever money comes from people voluntarily buying his products.
It's amazing how simple things are when you understand the free market, instead of sitting around and annointing yourself as chief arbiter of who should make what salary.
In Sweden, where I'm from, garbage men earn decent money compared to Swedish engineers.
Q: Are Swedish engineers doing a lousy job?
A: Hell No! they're among the most competent on this earth.
Q: Are Swedish garbage men doing an exceptionally good job?
A: I wouldn't say so, but I approve of it.
Q: Is Sweden an extremely dysfunctional society?
A: No, I'd say few other societies around make a healthier impression.
Q: What can we make out of the Swedish case?
A: Huge varieties of income levels hasn't got to be beneficial to a society. But, on the contrary, nothing indicates it has to be malign in nature. The US (a country whith extreme varities of income levels) and Sweden are about as rich (measured in nominal GDP/capita - which I claim is the best way of comparing these countries besides visiting both of them and actually checking out how people live).
I feel the CULTURAL aspect shouldn't be left out of this discussion. I'm inclined to say the world famous "American Way" suites the US and the likewise widely renowed "Swedish Model" (no, I'm not referring to Victoria Silvstedt and such women) suites Europe (especially northern Europe perhaps).
I could be wrong, although we Swedes seldom are :) :) :) (for instance, I personally suspected Zlatan Ibrahimovic would perform better in Inter than he did in Juventus last season, he has already scored 9 goals, many of them have been magnificent!).
Greetings from Gothenburg!
I tend to strongly agree! The "American Way" worked very well for me being single and professional. The "Swedish Model" is perfect being married and having 2 kids who I intend to raise the "American Way" (being independent at 18 years old and prepared to leave home).
Great reply!
From what I can tell, Spain as well as Sweden has done you good!
By the way, over Easter this year, I'm visiting Catalonia and the Basque part of Spain (or: Comunitat Autònoma de Catalunya/Comunidad Autónoma de Cataluña; and Euskal Herria/País Vasco or whatever they can agree upon to be the correct, formal designation of this region in English - personally I haven't got a clue, just striving to be a good European respecting other peoples concepts of historical and cultural identity)
Furthermore, I have decided to visit the US in 2008.
I really look forward to both of these journeys.
Best of regards!
"or whatever they can agree upon to be the correct, formal designation of this region in English"
- Well, I should've left out the words " in English", I know, I know...
Solution:
Let's blame Bush.
The following website can help you understand different cultures the easy way.
http://www.executiveplanet.com/index.php?title=Main_Page
Good luck!
The following is a specific excerpt about Spain for Executive Planet.
"In terms of internal variation and/or conflict there are two main problems and both are founded in regionalism or nationalism. Catalonia [Cataluña [Spanish] or Catalunya [Catalan] is an autonomous community whose capital is Spain's second largest city, Barcelona, and whose own language, Catalan [català], is closer to Occitan [the old language of southern France] than to Castilian or standard Spanish [castellano]. Some of the tension between Catalonia and the capital goes back to the civil war when the Mediterranean province supported the losing Republican cause against Franco's Nationalists. Today, the independent-mindedness of the Catalans manifests itself primarily in a fierce pride in their language, spoken by 17% of the total Spanish population of 40m and an official language in Catalonia, and the hostile rivalry that endures on the football pitch between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid who are perceived as the representatives of central authority.
If it is inadvisable to try to speak Castilian to a staunch Catalan regionalist, it is doubly unwise to address a Basque nationalist in Spanish. The Basque Country [Euskadi or Euskal Herri [Basque] or País Vasco [Spanish]] consists of three provinces in northern Spain centred on the cities of San Sebastián [Donostia in Basque] and Bilbao [Bilbo]. It has been an independent-minded area for centuries and, today, the Basque separatist group [ETA] carries out acts of terrorism across Spain in pursuit of their goal of full independence from Madrid. Only 15% of the local population support the aims of ETA but perhaps a third speak some Basque [a unique and ancient non-Indo-European language]. For the most part, however, the visitor will be aware of a distinct Basque culture only from the use of the Basque language [euskara] on signs and the ubiquitous presence of the frontón [the court for playing traditional Basque sports, notably pelota [Spanish] or jai-alai [Basque]] in even the smallest village.
Galicia in northwest Spain also has its own language, which is closely related to Portuguese, but the visitor is most unlikely to encounter gallego in a business context.
Castilian, Catalan, Basque and Galician are the four lenguas cooficiales, official languages that enjoy equal legal status in Spain. There are almost many pronounced dialects of which valencià in the Levant Region around Valencia and mallorquín in the Balearic Islands are perhaps the most distinctive."
The Swedish model will never work in Asia. Not in Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, and certainly not Hong Kong.
"The Swedish model will never work in Asia. Not in Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, and certainly not Hong Kong."
This is true, but while Sweden can not "become" Hong Kong and Hong Kong will not become Sweden, cultures can borrow certain elements from each other and imitate each other in different fields.
In general, the attitude of Asians to the Swedish model is that, "Thank you very much, but it does not work, and we don't want to replicate your failures in our country."
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