 sj |
||
|
||
BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist
|
|
|
Subject: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Kim C Date: 01 Sep 04 - 11:03 AM I've changed my mind. I believe the real Antichrist is reality television. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Little Hawk Date: 01 Sep 04 - 11:07 AM Maybe they are both appendages of the Antichrist? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: wysiwyg Date: 01 Sep 04 - 11:23 AM Before reality TV there was actually Reality Radio. Really-- I just listened to an old episode (a lot like Cops). If we keep tracing the problem back in time it will surely be that the problem is Reality Itself. I am convinced it exists, but people don't seem to be clapping these days to keep it alive. And big bums keep coming and going, and people are looking for fiddlers and fiddles and now it's beautiful guitars. I just don't know where this will all lead. Air Guitar Olympics no doubt. I dunno, gods doing that, why would they. I know if Rick were still here, he could make sense out of it all! ~S~ |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Joe Offer Date: 01 Sep 04 - 01:26 PM So, what is Wal-Mart's position on religion? Most stores have huge Bible departments, and I don't think they carry the "liberal" interpretations like the Revised Standard Version and the Good News Bible and the (Catholic) New American Bible. There does seem to be a religious element in the operation of the chain, something to do with the Divine Inspiration of Upper Management, with a belief that the battle against unions is the true Armageddon. I'm sure they have religious reasons for discriminating against women and fudging on overtime on employees' timecards. The seems to be a strong element of religious self-righteousness in their management philosophy - but it's religion gone wrong. The Catholic nuns I work for won't shop at Wal-Mart. I go there at times, but I feel really guilty about it. I wish I could find a store that offers both low prices and good business ethics. Yeah, maybe Wal-Mart IS the antiChrist... -Joe Offer- |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: GUEST Date: 01 Sep 04 - 01:56 PM What is Wal-Mart? Obviously, a store but do they specialize in things for walls (switchs, paintings, hangers?) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: DougR Date: 01 Sep 04 - 02:00 PM As I have said many times here on the Mudcat, Wal-Mart is just a large department store that treats it's employees well. My son has worked for them for thirteen years and he makes a good salary, has good medical benefits, and rarely bitches about management. He ain't no dummy either. I'm sure there are exceptions based on individual personnel, but I certainly can report he is well satisfied with his employer. DougR |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Don Firth Date: 01 Sep 04 - 02:05 PM GUEST, please give proper credit to that great modern intellect whom you are quoting. Paris Hilton. Don Firth |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Joe Offer Date: 01 Sep 04 - 02:16 PM But he ain't a union man, is he, Doug? -Joe Offer- |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: DougR Date: 01 Sep 04 - 02:28 PM Nope! And neither am I, Joe! DougR |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Once Famous Date: 01 Sep 04 - 02:28 PM Fuck the union. I'll take more merchandise for what I work hard for. Don't spend money at Wal-Mart. The ones who make bigger profit off of you are laughing at you when you leave their stores. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Nerd Date: 01 Sep 04 - 05:01 PM Right, MG. WalMart charges less so they can make less profit. As if! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: GUEST,Frank Date: 01 Sep 04 - 05:07 PM It could be that the AntiChrist is one of those proclaiming to be more Christian than others. :) Wallmart is the same as reality TV. It's about business and winner-take-all. Frank |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: GUEST Date: 01 Sep 04 - 05:09 PM Hey Doug - lucky he's a boy - if he was a girl, he'd be making less money. Of course, you probably agree with Walmart on that. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: GUEST,amergin Date: 01 Sep 04 - 05:12 PM Hmmmmm...I wonder what my good friend Mick would say about this... ;) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Once Famous Date: 01 Sep 04 - 05:18 PM guest, Frank you are so right about that. many posters here really know very little about business except that all big business is bad. How dated and narrow that thought process is. wal-Mart will take the slimmer margins and higher volume any day. And that means better prices for a lot of people. I think people such as the posters here who knock Wal-Mart are extremely narrow and not too smart. They really have no right to tell any one how to spend and where to spend the money they earn. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Bee-dubya-ell Date: 01 Sep 04 - 05:24 PM Neither WalMart nor television are the Antichrist. By definition, the Antichrist will appear benign but actually be the embodiment of evil. Both WalMart and television are way too apparently evil to qualify as the Antichrist. That rule also disqualifies anyone in politics or organized religion as well as the owners of record labels, movie studios, publishing houses and art galleries. The Antichrist is... You guessed it... None other than... Whoopi Goldberg And you thought I was gonna say William Shatner, didn't you? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Kim C Date: 01 Sep 04 - 05:34 PM Too many people think Whoopi is evil. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Nerd Date: 01 Sep 04 - 05:43 PM MG, The situation of WalMart is more complex than you suggest. They don't always save consumers money by accepting a slimmer profit margin. In many cases they simply pay less for their merchandise because of economies of scale and because it's often cheap to begin with. They force manufacturers to give them lower and lower prices, ultimately breaking their suppliers or forcing them to outsource jobs to Mexico and China. Then they pass those savings on to you. here is a very good and balanced article, pointing out the benefits but also the drawbacks of WalMart. Finally, MG, there are many philisophies of business. Just because you subscribe to one of them doesn't mean that people who subscribe to others "don't know anything about business." Many successful business owners would never dream of running a store like WalMart. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Bill D Date: 01 Sep 04 - 05:44 PM nawww...the anti-christ is really groups like AuntieChrist (I made a bet with myself I'd find something like this, and as usual, I won) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Richard Bridge Date: 01 Sep 04 - 06:17 PM Now now MG. Don't be silly. Otherwise we may have to point out the corollaries of the acceptance of economic warfare as legitimate... |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: DougR Date: 01 Sep 04 - 06:19 PM Nope. I think women should be paid equally with men. DougR |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Once Famous Date: 01 Sep 04 - 10:17 PM Nerd, in case you were wondering, it's called capitalism. Leverage buying by Wal-Mart saves me money for name brand merchandise. No one is twisting any one's arm to sell to them. Their suppliers could say no, but they don't. The customers could say no, but record earnings and same store sales disprove that. Why don't they, Nerd? Could it be all of the demographic and competive information Wal-Mart furnishes it's suppliers? They get my business. The ones who can't market as well, don't. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Dave the Gnome Date: 02 Sep 04 - 06:14 AM I've no problem with WalMart trading here in the UK as Asda. Second to price service is my main criterea and I will quote an example of the type of service Asda give. I went to the customer service desk with 2 queries. 1 - A broken clock radio for which I had no receipt and 2 - A double charge for a single item I had purchased the week before. Result. 1 - they changed the radio for a better model! 2. - remember I could never prove that I only had one of these items - I got a refund and an extra £5 for my inconvenience. I can't fault them of service or price! I have been in US WalMarts and they seem fine but I do not have enough experience of them to say either way. Cheers DtG |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: GUEST,sorefingers Date: 02 Sep 04 - 06:22 AM Our Mall Wart is 'crime alley'. Renta Ho?, need a Score? com on ova to Mall Wart after sundown! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Ron Davies Date: 02 Sep 04 - 06:43 AM Joe-- Is there no Costco out there? Costco, though not perfect,-- (I think there is a recent lawsuit)--treats its employees far better than Walmart, in fact so much better that they have received some flak from stock analysts. (Walmart's stock has, however, been stagnant for about 5 years). At any rate, Costco treats particularly its low level employees-- (the majority of any business' workers)-- considerably better than Walmart--(see my 16 April 04 11:55 PM posting on the Walmart Sidesteps the Government thread, with specific figures taken from the Wall St. Journal this year.) Prices are also extremely reasonable--all that's required (besides annual membership, which I make up for in two trips) is that you have space to store in bulk since they sell in bulk. I stockpile all sorts of stuff--goal being to avoid emergency trips for staple items. Drug prices are very good---far better than CVS for instance. They also, amazingly enough, have good books at excellent prices. I feed my addiction all the time--I've picked up the McCullough John Adams book, one on Jefferson, two recent ones on John Paul Jones, the recent one on Washington (An Imperfect God), as well as a 3-volume photographic history of the Civil War ,and others---all hardback and usually half price or under (far better than Borders, for instance). I just ignore the Reagan hagiographies--no problem. It is in fact possible to give good prices and still not be a blight on the retail landscape. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: SINSULL Date: 02 Sep 04 - 10:07 AM I have never set foot in a Wal-Mart. Walmart comes in; traffic and parking become a problem; little Mom'N Pops die. Less than desirable businesses - "Everything For A Dollar" but it's worth 10 cents - move in. And ultimately the neighborhood suffers. Then when Wal-Mart decides to close... DougR's son has had a good experience there. According to Walmart's ads, there are many like him. There are however far too many underpaid workers with no hope of improving themselves, too many young mothers forced to work odd hours for next to nothing or quit, too many law suits for unfair treatment of employees. I stay out of Denny's for similar reasons although their abyssmal food plays into my choice. And Cracker Barrel may soon be added to the list. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Nerd Date: 02 Sep 04 - 10:22 AM MG, I do understand what you're saying. Capitalism has many good qualities and has helped this country advance. But remember that there are other ideologies than capitalism too, even other conservative ideologies, that can work along with capitalism to improve on its benefits to society. Two examples are compassion on the one hand, and patriotism on the other, neither of which is always served by the purest forms of capitalism. A pure capitalist doesn't care whether he helps more people than he harms, or whether he helps or hurts his country. Like communism, capitalism is an internationalist ideology (though capitalists have changed the terminology to "globalization" to avoid SOUNDING like communists). So a capitalist doesn't care where his suppliers come from, where they do business, or whose nationals they employ. By offering the lowest prices through squeezing his suppliers to pay less to their employees, and eventuallly move their jobs to Mexico, a pure capitalist can actually create consumers [the employees and former employees of his suppliers] who are so poor they NEED the lower prices to survive. It's a great deal for those of us who only ENJOY the lower prices, as long as we turn off our compassion for those who lost their jobs, and our patriotism in wanting to help our country maintain a well-paid work force. As to "no one forces the suppliers to do business with WalMart," obviously the bigger WalMart gets, the less choice the suppliers have, since a bigger and bigger market share can ONLY be reached through WalMart. WalMart is the largest retail business the world has ever known, and growing. Many people are concerned, economists among them. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Alaska Mike Date: 02 Sep 04 - 10:36 AM Well said Nerd. It is why I stay out of Wal-Marts. Mike |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Once Famous Date: 02 Sep 04 - 11:20 AM it's also why you spend more than I do on the same item. I don't really find that something to admire. Unfortunately compassion and business hardly ever mix well. the strong survive, the ones who can't do it as well come in second or third. As for those poor people who need the low prices, good for them. we have cheap places to eat, also. True, Nerd about the market share thing. But there is always someone who is going to be the biggest and number one. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Greg F. Date: 02 Sep 04 - 11:58 AM "Reality TV"[sic] - like "compassionate conservative"[sic]- is a simple contradiction in terms. My son has worked for them for thirteen years and he makes a good salary.. Now there's the real spirit that's made the U.S. great- I've got mine, screw everyone else. Best, Greg |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Once Famous Date: 02 Sep 04 - 12:03 PM Spoken like a whiner Greg F. No one says you can't get yours also. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Nerd Date: 02 Sep 04 - 01:06 PM As for those poor people who need the low prices, good for them. No, it's bad for them. It's good for you, which is why you like it so much. A sad comment. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Little Hawk Date: 02 Sep 04 - 01:29 PM No one survives. The "strong" just cause more pain and misery prior to their ultimate demise. The present economic system is based upon doing precisely that, and speeding up everyone's collective ultimate demise by so doing. It is the epitome of ignorance and fear-based motivation. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Don Firth Date: 02 Sep 04 - 02:16 PM This is relevant to the current discussion: Social Darwinism If you are not familiar with Darwin's work, read from the beginning. If you are familiar with it, scroll down to the section with the heading The Misapplication of a Biological Theory. This makes a perfect match with the dominant religious belief of the large percentage of Americans: Calvinism. Calvinism came over with the Puritans and remains one of the dominant religious beliefs in this country. It stresses the absolute sovereignty of God's will, holding that only those whom God specifically elects are saved, that this election is irresistible, and that individuals can do nothing to effect this salvation (which is to say that "the elect" are above sin and need not worry about their entrance into heaven, no matter how they may behave or how they treat others). One can always tell who the elect are. God allows them to prosper in this life. The poor are obviously not among the elect and do not deserve anyone's consideration. In fact, welfare programs contradict God's will. For further examination of this belief—which is also the basis of "Manifest Destiny," that allowed the extermination of the indigenous peoples and the turning of their lands into shopping malls and parking lots—read this: Tiptoe through the TULIP. This supposedly Christian religious doctrine, incidentally, contradicts the specific words of Jesus in passages such as Matthew 25:35-40. Many Americans (particularly those who have accumulated their pile of toys, or anticipate successfully doing so) have accepted Social Darwinism and the supporting religious doctrine (even many who don't go to church) without even thinking about the implications, and it goes a long way toward explaining the philosophy behind many avid supporters of unrestrained capitalism. But then, there are many bleeding-heart liberals like me who think every life is of value. (whine, whine, whine) Don Firth |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Little Hawk Date: 02 Sep 04 - 02:43 PM Social Darwinism is the gospel of the criminally insane, to whom no amount of anything is ever enough. One of Canada's greatest Socal Darwinists, Conrad Black, is presently being indicted for robbing the shareholders of the company he was formerly CEO of, of about $400 million! $60,000 of it went to pay for one of his wife's birthday parties. She is also a famous Social Darwinist, a right-wing political columnist (and a very smart one), who was a radical leftist in her college days. She also now believes that "only the strong shall survive", as does her husband. He will now have to survive legal action for his grand larceny of other people's money. The theory of "the strong" has no basis in actual morality, because it does indeed believe that the end justifies the means. Add to that the fact that the end being sought is essentially a completely pointless one and you will see the futility and criminality of the entire notion laid out in pretty blatant terms. Where is your life happier and safer? On an island where 50 people all have enough to eat or on an island where 2 people have 90% of the food, 5 heavily-armed bullies work for those two for 5% of the food that is left, and the other 43 people are starving or on the edge of starving? Where are you safer and happier? The Social Darwinist fondly imagines himself on the 2nd island, inside his mansion/fortress with his 5 guards on the watchtowers and the best beach cordoned off for his use alone. He imagines himself as one of the 2 rich ones in the scheme I described, which IS the present scheme functioning in the World today (in a general sense). He is not safe. He is in great peril. If he imagines he is happy under that circumstance, well, he has a peculiar notion of real happiness, in my opinion, and no notion at all of what life is actually about. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Once Famous Date: 02 Sep 04 - 03:03 PM That is all complete and total crap. You guys bring in all of this nonsense because I can pay $5.76 for a bottle of Tide laundry detergent instead of $6.99 at Wal-Mart? I'll keep the extra buck twenty-three and buy a couple of candy bars with it. It's laughable that this thread has deteriorated to social darwinism. Life is not Philosophy 101 24 hours a day. Consider that for some, it's about just being thrifty and giving a shit how their hard earned income is spent. Call it Bang for the Buck 101. Politics isn't even part of the picture. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Don Firth Date: 02 Sep 04 - 03:31 PM Martin, life as a human being is philosophy, whether you like it or not. Without a cohesive philosphy, one is hardly human, subject to little more than urges and instincts. Then, it's back to the jungle--as we see all about us. Just because someone wears a power-suit and a red necktie and sits at the head of a multinational corporation's conference table doesn't mean that his mentality is not that of a killer ape. Don Firth |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Nerd Date: 02 Sep 04 - 03:35 PM Who did WalMart bang so you could save a buck, MG? But seriously, let me remind you that YOU were the one who brought up both politics and social darwinism. You said "it's called capitalism" and "the strong survive." (The amusing thing about social darwinism, by the way, is the following fallacy. Darwinism states that the strong survive because they live long enough to breed and have the largest number of viable offspring. True Social darwinism SHOULD say that those who have the most surviving offspring are by definition the strongest. Those are, in our society, the poor and uneducated!) True, Nerd about the market share thing. But there is always someone who is going to be the biggest and number one. That's true, of course, MG. But economists are starting to make the argument that WalMart is an entirely new kind of phenomenon because it has such a large market share of such a big retail product area. It's literally never been seen before, so the old rules may not apply. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Once Famous Date: 02 Sep 04 - 03:45 PM and so the world changes, Nerd. No, don Firth I disagree. Everything does not need to be put under a microscope and analyzed and waxed philosophical. One takes a dump because he has to. One needs to get laid because he is horny. People who spend so much time analyzing, and waxing philosophical over such trivia as saving money at a store really don't do much living I believe. It's like my ex-wife. She spent so much time in the bathroom getting ready, instead of living the situation that she was getting ready for. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Nerd Date: 02 Sep 04 - 04:01 PM and so the world changes, Nerd That's what the dinosaurs would have thought if their brains weren't so small. The point is, some changes are bad and should be prevented. And it can be important to try to predict which ones they are so our culture doesn't end up in the crapper. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: GUEST,Larry K Date: 02 Sep 04 - 04:02 PM Despite the complaints about Wal Mart, the fact is that the vast majority of people choose lower prices over local merchants. Otherwise, Wal mart wouldn't be so successfull. Local merchants can't compete head on or they get killed. They can compete my offering niche products or services that you can't find in a box store. ON that level they compete very well. In a previous job I used to have Wal Mart as an account. They were definately the 800 lb gorilla. If you backordered a product, there were huge fines and you could lose the account. Good for the customer. Bad for the producer. They had placed a multi million dollar order will us and than cancelled 2 days before shipment. We had already made the product in their boxes so we wouldn't backorder. They could get away with that because they were Wal Mart and there are very few other customer with that much opportunity. We had to eat the order and hold it till they eventually ordered it over the next few months. Its just part of business. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Little Hawk Date: 02 Sep 04 - 04:03 PM That's right, Don, all of life IS philosophy...in action. It is a person's philosophy that determines his behaviour in every area of life. That's why some people are more dangerous than others. They live by a dangerous philosophy...such as "Only the strong shall survive." As I said before, no one survives. So it's really a question of "What sort of person would I like to be between now and the die I die?" That is a question that seems to be too big for the social darwinist...or is it that he answers it in this fashion: "I am the World, to all intents and purposes. It doesn't matter what happens after I'm gone, because only I matter. Well, maybe my kids matter too... Okay, then, my kids and I matter, so what I am going to do is be clever and competitive and ruthless and fight my way to the top of the social pecking order. To do this I will hire people less powerful than myself to do the dirty work, and I will pay them the absolute minimum that I can get away with paying them. I will ensure that there are always a large number of unemployed people around, so that I can keep wages down as low as possible. I will ensure that there are always places in the World where people are wretchedly poor, so that I will always have a very cheap supply of labour...almost as good as having slaves...call them "wage-slaves". I will ensure that longstanding inequities in the World are not done away with, and that longstanding disagreements are not solved, so that there will always be war...because war is the absolute BEST way for me and my club to make the most money. After I'm dead I won't exist anyway, so it doesn't matter what happens after I'm dead, as long as my family does okay. If my family remains 5,000 times richer than the average family, then their position is assured. No...make that 10,000 times richer than the average family. That sounds safer to me. I must ensure that freedom is never achieved for most people, that the truth is never told to most people, that most people remain ignorant and addicted and powerless, that security is never provided for most people, and that equality and justice are never found for most people. In this way the game can go on and on and on. I will achieve immortality by passing control of this system on to my children. I will have won the game. I hate losers! I only love winners, and I intend to be the biggest winner of all." And there you have the philosophy of Karl Rove in a nutshell. Karl Rove is G.W.Bush's campaign manager. There you have the philosophy for the decline and fall of civilization as we know it, and for the destruction of a good future for all of our children, including the children of the rich. There you have damnation and desolation, served up on a platter of dollar bills. All for nothing. Never in the field of human tragedy has so much been stolen from so many by so few. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Kim C Date: 02 Sep 04 - 04:52 PM Don, going back to Calvinism... wouldn't it depend on how you define "prosperity"? To one person, it may be having everything they want; to another, it may mean simply having everything they need. Big difference. Here in Nashville, most of the locally-owned shops are specialty groceries, used bookstores, and upscale boutique shops. The groceries and bookstores I can handle, and do shop there when I need something they have. But upscale clothiers? Forget it. I have a hard time paying $60+ for a pair of jeans, and probably wouldn't do it even if I could afford it. I'd rather get them at the Goodwill or the discount shop. One of the best-fitting pair of jeans I ever bought was from K-Mart, for under $20. And wouldn't you know - they don't make that style anymore... Even those of us who aren't dirt poor and totally broke appreciate a bargain. Bargains keep us from being dirt poor and totally broke. Here's a question - do people in Bentonville, Arkansas consider Wal-Mart a locally owned business? And how should I look at Dollar General, with its headquarters in Nashville? Is it a local business, or a chain? Another thing to consider is that sometimes Mom and Pop buy a franchise - so some of the businesses you think are corporate, may actually be independently owned. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Once Famous Date: 02 Sep 04 - 05:36 PM Lttle Hawk, spoken like a true person who will never have much. "Nice guys finish last." ................................Leo Durocher |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Don Firth Date: 02 Sep 04 - 06:07 PM Kim, to Barbara and me, prosperity is having what we need. There are many things I would like to have, such as a van with a wheelchair lift, which would make my life much easier, we'd love to take a trip to Europe every year (we watch Rick Steves' travel programs on PBS and drool), I'd like a brand-new computer every couple years, I'd glory in a 52" wall-mounted HDTV, and we'd like more space to store what we already have. . . . But we do have everything we need. And we thoroughly enjoy life. But those who believe as the Calvinists and Social Darwinists do would consider us failures, not to mention obviously hell-bound. We drive a 1999 Toyota Corolla rather than having the desired van (fixed up luxuriously) for me and a BMW Alpina Roadster V8 for Barbara, we take a trip to Bob (Deckman) Nelson's in Everett every few months instead of an annual trip to the British Isles, I got a recent upgrade (new motherboard, CPU, hard drive, etc,) on my old computer instead buying new state-of-the-art, we have a perfectly adequate 13" TV, and too much stuff piled here and there because our apartment, although quite big, is a bit short on adequate storage and closet space. Books. My God, have we got books! And we read them. CDs (with a nice Sony bookshelf sound system) which we listen to a lot. We eat economically but quite well. And we have many friends and we entertain frequently. But with our combined incomes, we're well below the average income for our area of the country, although we are somewhat above the poverty line. Through careful management, we are debt-free (unlike many we know whose income is several times the size of ours). But as I say, we do enjoy what we regard as a rich, full life. And we don't shop at Wal-Mart. And Little Hawk, you got it, as I knew you would. What Martin doesn't seem to realize is that one need not spend all one's time "analyzing, and waxing philosophical over such trivia as saving money at a store." What one does need is a consistent philosophy that provides guiding principles for one's life, namely a set of ethical standards. This may require some study and thought in the beginning, and it must be constantly subject to re-evaluation. But to the person who doesn't mind using his or her brain for something besides a device to keep their ears from clattering together, that's not a chore, it's a pleasure. The acquisition of knowledge and the striving for the ultimate goal of wisdom are among life's greatest joys. And at the same time, provided you adhere to one's philosophical principles, you have the satisfaction of knowingly living your life with integrity. There are many schools of philosophical thought to chose from, ranging from the warped reading of Nietzsche by Adolf Hitler (creation of the ubermensch—"no longer affected by 'pity, suffering, tolerance of the weak, the power of the soul over the body, the belief in an afterlife, the corruption of modern values,' the superman determines what is good and what is evil, not allowing religion or society to determine these things for him, but by the dictates of his 'blood and bowels.'") to a broad range in which the goal is to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number through recognition of the kinship of all humankind. Everyone has a philosophy. The questions are: Do you really know what you believe?Plato said "The unexamined life is not worth living." Don Firth |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Little Hawk Date: 02 Sep 04 - 06:28 PM That's not the way I see it, Martin. My life is filled with abundance. I lack for nothing. I literally have every material thing I could want at this point in life, the non-material side is good too, and I am happy. I consider myself very fortunate. I bet your life is filled with abundance too, despite our different philosophical take on this subject. Am I right? I decided not to shop at Walmart after, 1. Visiting the store...I don't like the way it feels in there...nor do I generally like the way big malls feel either...or casinos. They all feel like death wrapped up in a shiny package. and after, 2. reading a book about how Walmart has affected towns, employees, suppliers, etc. The book was written by a man whose company did supply Walmart and numerous other retail businesses for many years. He grew to hate the big "W" (for many good reasons) and wrote the book to let the public know how they operate. What do I care if I can save $1.25 at Walmart on something? It won't make any big dent in my life to spend that $1.25 at a store I have some respect and liking for. I give my business to people and places that I like. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: robomatic Date: 02 Sep 04 - 06:53 PM How about shopping at Walmart for some things, like bulk items, but making sure you 'spread the dough around'? I am a Costco member for about twenty years and I've had two different reactions: 1) Storage awe - Just a feeling of walking through canyons of shelves without the 'art' of presentation and the variety of selection. 2) Good service. If you don't like it bring it back, no questions asked. And on more than one occasion when I've purposely gone to a locally owned specialist I've not found the variety I thought I would, ended up going back to Costco. But I still make the effort to spread it around. Don, in your previous reference to Social Darwinism, the link was interesting, but I think it didn't properly explain the difference between evolution and Darwin's Theory, which is a way to explain evolution. I have evolved a separate thread on evolution and 'W' so won't repeat myself. Social Darwinism was an attempt to justify the status quo by claiming it was 'scientific.' It was no different than claiming the divine right of kings. On the other hand, Martin is merely voicing the thoughts of most of the people who go to Walmart. The chain can sell a lot of stuff cheaper than anyone else through a sophisticated system of distribution and yes, non-union workers. I haven't caught them spending a lot of money on stars to promote their wares, like K Mart and Martha. That's fine with me. I don't like wearing clothes with someone else's name on 'em. I'm not an economist so I'm not going to get all philosophical about it, but I sure wouldn't open a small scale store to compete with them. There is competition out there, Target for one. I have friends who try not to buy anything made in the PRC. They can skip Toys R Us and whole sections of all the big box stores. They are also going to go without a lot of stuff unless they can special order them from Europe. I spread the money around, and rarely eat any fast food. Now let's talk about Starbuck's! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Little Hawk Date: 02 Sep 04 - 09:03 PM Well, of course, if you like the place, by all means...shop there. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Once Famous Date: 02 Sep 04 - 10:16 PM Exactly Little Hawk! And if you, don't, shut-up! Nobody is telling you how to spend your money or in Don's case, "what money?" Fuck politics when it comes to money made and spent honestly. By the way, that $1.25 saved is for one item. Multiply that by 10 similiar items in the shopping cart, you have $11.25 Multiply that by a number of months and over a year, you might have just made a couple of car payments or able to buy your wife something much nicer for her birthday. Or replace those rusty wires you call guitar strings. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: Wal-Mart no longer the Antichrist From: Nerd Date: 02 Sep 04 - 10:57 PM By the way, that $1.25 saved is for one item. Multiply that by 10 similiar items in the shopping cart, you have $11.25 10 X $1.25 is $12.50, not $11.25, you dipstick! ;-) |
