Pets

[laklak]

What about all that money we spend on fancy-ass Nike shoes? Air conditioning? Lawn fertilizer? None of these things are necessary, all are First World Frivolities. Unless you're living in a tin shack and eating brown rice then you're wasting money on shit these Third World starvlings would consider luxuries. Not that it would make any difference to me if the whole country decided to live that way, I'd still keep the A/C and pool chiller cranking.

[cronus]

Quality of life starts to decline long before you reach the first world standard of living. Extremes of wealth and poverty both come with strings. Enough to eat and keep -all else is relationships. Greeks have it figured, if they survive the escape from their obligations. Cats too.

[laklak]

I thought cats owned everything.

[Blind groper]

Get off your high horse, hypocrite.

No hypocrisy.

I posted an idea for discussion, and it is being discussed.

By coincidence, the average amount of money spent on pets per household that has pets is $ 800 per year. That is almost exactly the amount I donated over the last year to overseas charities, to try to make life better for the less fortunate.

[laklak]

$800 a year? Luxury. Our old beasts probably cost 3 or 4 times that. Well, they can't live forever, can they? Tell me they can't live forever, please.

[Hermit]

Get off your high horse, hypocrite.

No hypocrisy.

I posted an idea for discussion, and it is being discussed.

By coincidence, the average amount of money spent on pets per household that has pets is $ 800 per year. That is almost exactly the amount I donated over the last year to overseas charities, to try to make life better for the less fortunate.

I contributed to the discussion by saying your suggestion is shit. On second though I accused you of being a hypocrite by not drawing the logical consequences from it on the assumption that your suggestion was correct. If you can still afford the costs of scuba diving, equipment, overseas travel, accommodation and so forth, you obviously have not donated as much as you should. In fact, not only are you a hypocrite, you are a self-deluded one as well if you think you can salve your conscience for the price of 800 bucks. Helps you not to think about the poor, starving people you deprive of food because you insist on pursuing your hobby while you look at fishes through your diving mask in Madagascar or wherever. And I guess you even tip the native waiters and cleaning maids. Well done!

[klr]

Get off your high horse, hypocrite.

No hypocrisy.

I posted an idea for discussion, and it is being discussed.

By coincidence, the average amount of money spent on pets per household that has pets is $ 800 per year. That is almost exactly the amount I donated over the last year to overseas charities, to try to make life better for the less fortunate.

I contributed to the discussion by saying your suggestion is shit. On second though I accused you of being a hypocrite by not drawing the logical consequences from it on the assumption that your suggestion was correct. If you can still afford the costs of scuba diving, equipment, overseas travel, accommodation and so forth, you obviously have not donated as much as you should. In fact, not only are you a hypocrite, you are a self-deluded one as well if you think you can salve your conscience for the price of 800 bucks. Helps you not to think about the poor, starving people you deprive of food because you insist on pursuing your hobby while you look at fishes through your diving mask in Madagascar or wherever. And I guess you even tip the native waiters and cleaning maids. Well done!

Don't forget the carbon footprint involved in such excursions ...

[Hermit]

Don't forget the carbon footprint involved in such excursions ...

That is a hypocrisy Macdoc specialises in.

[laklak]

One should always tip the service staff, a few coppers should suffice. To leave larger amounts, under the assumption that you will be affecting their lives in a positive manner, is incorrect and actually harmful. The lower orders lack self-discipline and will fritter it away on strong drink and games of chance.

[Blind groper]

To Hermit

You actually have a point, though it applies to almost every person living in the wealthy west, not just me.

The question is how much we should deprive ourselves of our much loved hobbies and luxuries in order to help those badly off in other countries.

[JimC]

Just try removing pussy from laklak...

[Hermit]

Yes, Blind groper, I agree with all of that. But I still think poverty is more a matter of distribution than a lack of resources. I reckon creaming all but, say, 100 million bucks off all billionaires would be more effective than donating cat food to stop global starvation. According to Forbes there are 1826 of them and collectively they are worth a bit over seven trillion dollars. You could live on a hundred million bucks, yes?

[JimC]

Can we hang them from lampposts?

[Hermit]

Can we hang them from lampposts?

Of course we can. It's not at all impossible to round up 1826 lampposts and ropes.

[Ayaan]

I thought cats owned everything.

I know ours do.