h a l f b a k e r yMake mine a double.
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Some consumption is necessary for survival. Some additional consumption is needed for other tasks.
But I'd guess that some obscene amount of our shared resources (land, oil reserves, clean air & water) are currently being forever destroyed as we feed consumption that is only serving the purpose
of some guy/gal to say to others "I've made it.".... or "Respect me because I have enough money & economic power to waste it, as evidenced by my hummer, lexus, mansion, etc..."
And after all that, they still don't get the respect that they craved from others, so they go consume more. This not only puts a bigger dent in the shared resources, but also breeds resentment against them and they get even LESS respect.
Let's instead create a special "I've Made It" button. The button costs 100,000 U$D. Only a special, certified authority can sell the buttons. (This single-source being the real "half-baked" part). The money could fund so many worthwhile causes like education, environmental protection, etc... or even just "government".
A certain portion of the population would respect wearers of the button just because, gosh darnit, they sure did have a lot of money to burn, so they must be economically powerful, and some people respect that.
Another portion of people would respect the wearer's simply because they like that they've funded worthy causes voluntarily.
The wearers of the buttons may feel much less of a need to go overconsume, because they know that even on a nice hike in the park, they can still get that respect with the button, especially since they can't take the huge house around with them for showing off....
Yes, this MAY increase class-distinctions. But probably not. Think of this as a replacement for diamonds & expensive jewerly, where, instead of it being a sign that they funded a huge bogus heartless industry (with many ties to mobs, terrorism, and money laundering in general), but is instead funding a more worthwhile effort.
I'd give someone more respect for wearing this button and walking to the park than seeing them NOT wear the button and drive their hummer to the park. Wouldn't you?
[link]
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hmmm... this would only work in countries like
switzerland, canada or other less corrupt places where
the authorities wouldn´t take the money to start saving
for their own I´ve made it button. |
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If I had the money to wear such button, I wouldn´t buy it.
But hey, ignore me, I´m just an unemployed female who
lives in a third world country, and who will probably owe
her car to the government before she makes enough
money to buy a house of her own. |
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I volunteer to be that "certified authority". |
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++ anything to get those oversized SUV off the roads! |
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I'll sell you a button for just $1000. Why so cheap? Well, I made it. |
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Hey, a guy tried to sell me an “I’ve made it" button on the street for fifty k. Said it was hot, but it was probably a fake. Then another tried to sell me one for just one k.
Yeah, I’m no sucker—I’m saving up to buy the real thing. |
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//I'd give someone more respect for wearing this button and walking to the park than seeing them NOT wear the button and drive their hummer to the park. Wouldn't you?// |
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If I've "made it," I jolly well wouldn't care, now would I? |
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A little like a PBS tote bag. |
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Hah! They have those, I'm sure [bliss]. Something like "Back OFF!" or "Shove it!" |
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If I had an, "I've made it button", I would weld it to the bumper of my SUV and then drive to the park. I might even buy a button maker and start reproducing them at a 100.00$ a pop to make my money back.
To ensure that this didn't happen you may want to get Microsoft to design the button with all of those safety precautions they print on thier labels. |
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If I saw someone with one of these, I'd want to ask, "What was it you made, exactly?" |
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I made a significant, worthwhile contribution towards a fairer world, so that I can die happy in the knowledge that I have left this world a better place. Why do you ask, [wauggsie]? |
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