Thanks for writing this out. I found the psychopathy connection especially interesting.
I recently wrote a post wherein I dedicated a chapter to economics in video games and how they helped me understand real life.
I had always been under the impression that the extremely wealthy are all screwed in the head because for them money becomes a tool of power. In other words: they have so much money and nothing left to buy, that they look for, in a sense, "less socially acceptable entertainment or goods" to spend on. Also the gathering of money becomes a hobby/addiction(?), instead of a means to an end.
I've interacted with a few of these over the years, and even though it being in a digital sphere I can confirm that such individuals are, like you wrote, egotistical, lack compassion or a sense of fairness and, in most cases, have gotten their money through some fucked up scheme.
There is a reason the group of said individuals in RuneScape3 is often referred to as "price manipulators". Just as the word suggests, they contribute little to none to the community, yet extort money from unsuspecting players at a massive scale.
My guess is that the developers are quite aware of the problem yet choose not to meddle, after all, only few players are perceptive enough to notice anyway. What makes them not raise a finger, that is the real question.
To draw the comparison with real life again politicians and banks work together. Even though I have little knowledge of the subject, there is no other way to explain why a country like The Netherlands "thrives" economically, yet for the average citizen life gets worse every year. New policies' goal is to keep the citizens sedated, rather than elevate their standard of life. Literal millions of containers of goods pass through Rotterdam every year, don't tell me there is no way to use that to the advantage of the average Crawling Dutchman.
Anyway enough rambling, if you wanna read more about my video game observations and compare them to your own view of money, here is a link to the article:
Well-reasoned and well-written! I do like your expansion on psychopaths; honestly, I feel they’re the reason why the rest of us can’t have nice things. That is to say, we have an elaborate system of IOU’s that serves as a measure of someone’s productivity. I feel that, as a matter of principle, the system you suggest, like building “credit” within a community, would be an inherently more moral system. But the bad apples would ruin it all. It really is a shame. Looking forward to reading more of your work. Read and write on!
Thank you, that means a lot. Writing about obscure niche topics can feel like shouting into the void sometimes, so it's always great to hear that someone actually read and appreciated it.
This is also why democracy is a farce. If you put aside the coercion aspect and focus on the mechanics, observe that it socialises influence.
No matter who you are, your vote “counts” the same as the ignorant idiot next door, or the naturalised immigrant with completely different incentives.
When it comes to voting, it only works in a context where everyone shares the same incentives and have the same depth of understanding of the topic at hand. Generally a small context where people know each other have a stake in the game. A family network, or a board of a company.
In a scaled up economy it makes no sense to have this kind of voting mechanism. Instead your money is your influence, each unit is a vote. You vote with your buying choices. You vote with your investments. You vote with your preferences.
Now of course even that cannot exist in the context of fiat currency controlled by a coercive violent monopoly. Those closest to the money printer have most of the power which is the point. Subdue the populace’ agency through farcical voting. Trick them into thinking they have influence. Then, steal the real influence by controlling the money supply.
Absolutely, I agree. Whenever someone starts to wax poetic about "muh democracy," I like a little thought experiment.
"Imagine you're walking home from work one evening with your week's pay in your pocket. Suddenly 2 guys in ski masks jump out of a dark alley and pull guns on you. They empty your pockets and run off with your money. Are you okay with that? No? So what if instead, they take the money out of your pocket and then hold a quick vote, the two of them and you, on who should get to keep the money. If the majority vote is for them to keep your money, are you okay with it now? No? Well you should be, because that's exactly what you're doing when you go to the polls on election day. You're participating in a vote to determine who gets to keep the money you work to earn."
"How can there exist a system, in which two drunk bums at a bus stop have two votes, but a university professor has only one vote? One really has to be an idiot to want to live in such a system."
Thanks for writing this out. I found the psychopathy connection especially interesting.
I recently wrote a post wherein I dedicated a chapter to economics in video games and how they helped me understand real life.
I had always been under the impression that the extremely wealthy are all screwed in the head because for them money becomes a tool of power. In other words: they have so much money and nothing left to buy, that they look for, in a sense, "less socially acceptable entertainment or goods" to spend on. Also the gathering of money becomes a hobby/addiction(?), instead of a means to an end.
I've interacted with a few of these over the years, and even though it being in a digital sphere I can confirm that such individuals are, like you wrote, egotistical, lack compassion or a sense of fairness and, in most cases, have gotten their money through some fucked up scheme.
There is a reason the group of said individuals in RuneScape3 is often referred to as "price manipulators". Just as the word suggests, they contribute little to none to the community, yet extort money from unsuspecting players at a massive scale.
My guess is that the developers are quite aware of the problem yet choose not to meddle, after all, only few players are perceptive enough to notice anyway. What makes them not raise a finger, that is the real question.
To draw the comparison with real life again politicians and banks work together. Even though I have little knowledge of the subject, there is no other way to explain why a country like The Netherlands "thrives" economically, yet for the average citizen life gets worse every year. New policies' goal is to keep the citizens sedated, rather than elevate their standard of life. Literal millions of containers of goods pass through Rotterdam every year, don't tell me there is no way to use that to the advantage of the average Crawling Dutchman.
Anyway enough rambling, if you wanna read more about my video game observations and compare them to your own view of money, here is a link to the article:
https://multithink.substack.com/p/lessons-taken-from-video-games?utm_source=substack&utm_content=feed%3Arecommended%3Acopy_link
Well-reasoned and well-written! I do like your expansion on psychopaths; honestly, I feel they’re the reason why the rest of us can’t have nice things. That is to say, we have an elaborate system of IOU’s that serves as a measure of someone’s productivity. I feel that, as a matter of principle, the system you suggest, like building “credit” within a community, would be an inherently more moral system. But the bad apples would ruin it all. It really is a shame. Looking forward to reading more of your work. Read and write on!
I'm a really picky reader. But this is an amazing article. Great content and great delivery
Thank you, that means a lot. Writing about obscure niche topics can feel like shouting into the void sometimes, so it's always great to hear that someone actually read and appreciated it.
This is also why democracy is a farce. If you put aside the coercion aspect and focus on the mechanics, observe that it socialises influence.
No matter who you are, your vote “counts” the same as the ignorant idiot next door, or the naturalised immigrant with completely different incentives.
When it comes to voting, it only works in a context where everyone shares the same incentives and have the same depth of understanding of the topic at hand. Generally a small context where people know each other have a stake in the game. A family network, or a board of a company.
In a scaled up economy it makes no sense to have this kind of voting mechanism. Instead your money is your influence, each unit is a vote. You vote with your buying choices. You vote with your investments. You vote with your preferences.
Now of course even that cannot exist in the context of fiat currency controlled by a coercive violent monopoly. Those closest to the money printer have most of the power which is the point. Subdue the populace’ agency through farcical voting. Trick them into thinking they have influence. Then, steal the real influence by controlling the money supply.
Absolutely, I agree. Whenever someone starts to wax poetic about "muh democracy," I like a little thought experiment.
"Imagine you're walking home from work one evening with your week's pay in your pocket. Suddenly 2 guys in ski masks jump out of a dark alley and pull guns on you. They empty your pockets and run off with your money. Are you okay with that? No? So what if instead, they take the money out of your pocket and then hold a quick vote, the two of them and you, on who should get to keep the money. If the majority vote is for them to keep your money, are you okay with it now? No? Well you should be, because that's exactly what you're doing when you go to the polls on election day. You're participating in a vote to determine who gets to keep the money you work to earn."
"How can there exist a system, in which two drunk bums at a bus stop have two votes, but a university professor has only one vote? One really has to be an idiot to want to live in such a system."
~ Janusz Korwin-Mikke