- Before 24 November post on at least one issue.
- Before 8 December comment on 2 of your classmates' posts.
http://en.unesco.org/events/world-philosophy-day-2014
Do you like philosophy? Would you take more if money/time weren't a barrier?
1) "net neutrality" discussion
- http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/technology/pressure-mounts-on-fcc-head-over-open-internet-rules.html?referrer=
- A Super-Simple Way to Understand the Net Neutrality Debate - NYTimes.com http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/upshot/a-super-simple-way-to-understand-the-net-neutrality-debate.html emc=edit_th_20141111&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=25414714&_r=0&referrer=
2) Creating ethical cultures in business: Brooke Deterline at TEDxPresidio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzicXbnmllc
Q: what obligation do you have to contribute to an ethical culture? How could you do it? How could you protect yourself against ethical fading? Would you partake of Social Fitness Training if it were available to you?
3) Richard Branson’s space tourism shows what today’s obscene inequality looks like | Zoe Williams | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/02/richard-branson-space-tourists-obscene-inequality-free-market?CMP=fb_gu
Q: Should there be limits on what is for sale?
4) Retailers take stand against early Black Friday | PBS NewsHour
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/retailers-take-stand-early-black-friday/
Q: Should companies be open on Thanksgiving?
After reading Zoe Williams of The Guardian's article, Richard Branson's space tourism shows what today's obscene inequality looks like, and in answer to the question, should there be limits on what is for sale, I would say yes and no. In support of my answers, first part of the human spirit has always been to dream, invent and support the vision of the entrepreneurial spirit. In looking back at history, how many inventions and accomplishments that we are direct benefactors of today, came from some inequality in wealth? As a monopolistic society, almost everything is for sale, and that is based on demand and the supply to that demand. I do believe that the wealth of Richard Branson is opening up free market opportunities for further research and development into the exploration of space.
ReplyDeleteConversely, where does it end? Just because the wealthy have "money to burn" doesn't mean that everything has a price. Providing that money in an altruistic manner, and even investing in research to make the world a better place - whether here or in outer space - seems more ethical.
Do you think people were arguing similar points regarding rail travel, automobiles, and air travel? I have not done any research, but I can only believe that people were arguing against these as excesses back in the day. Are they any different than space flight is today? Air travel has changed the way we look at the world, but I am sure that it was originally a luxury only the super wealthy could afford.
DeleteI agree that almost everything is for sale. Right or wrong, it is how things work. There are very few tangible items that cannot be bought with enough money.
Being a young, creative entrepreneur myself in the software world I respect Richard Branson. I think that what he is doing with the space thing is pretty cool. When we were young kids and our teachers asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up, some of us said an astronaut. I think one thing we could get out of Richard Branson's new venture is that you can do anything you put your mind to. Of course everything has a price and I think that goes for price as money or price as in time. I think that kids should look forward to being an entrepreneur and we should teach our youth ways to be creative versus just working for a paycheck. They should be the one's creating the paycheck.
DeleteI agree with Lorain that everything should not have a price. Feeling you can afford "anything" you want can be a slippery slope.
ReplyDeleteLorrain, I agree that the people with loads of money should be investing in research etc to make the world a better place, but to each their own. You would hope that someone with that amount of money would be well educated and know the amount of good they can do in the world by helping those in need, but you never know!
DeleteI think this goes back to your conversation from class on Monday night. The more research we do the more control we have over our own evolution. Instead of evolution occurring on its own. We did not do research to the extent we are doing today in previous life times. Research / experiments have caused the world to be a less ideal place to live. We are causing more pollution then ever before, we are becoming more technological advance which is causing more identity issues, and this list could go on and on.
DeleteSo people that have a lot of money and who are investing it in research would hopefully have a good understanding of what they are supporting.
All the money that was raised with the ice bucket challenge to support research with ALS, do you really think 100% of that went to research like it was intended to ? At one point in time I had read that only ~25% of the donations were going towards research and development.
Collette, you are right - there are other ways to make issues known and to support causes.
DeleteIn regards to the Richard Branson article: I actually think if something can benefit someone else positively, then buy away you rich people! Who is to say how someone should spend their money? Even people with no money blow money on stupid things...I see it every day, then they turn around and complain about not having money! So, if Branson would like to take his little space exploration, more power to him. Really who are we to judge on this?
ReplyDeleteLet me be clear though...there should not be a price on a human life or something that is going to negatively affect someone.
Since it was the thing to do, I went ahead and read Zoe Williams op-ed on Richard Branson's space tourism. Wow, she seems a tad militant in her views. It caught me off guard because I thought that I was the one with the militant views. For starters, MONEY SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BUY ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING. I am not so sure that I am as upset about Mr. Branson's current business venture. I openly admit that I am not a fan of Sir Branson, but I like the space flight idea. I would have to believe that good developments will potentially come from commercial space flight. I am also sure that there could be some very weird unethical outcomes as well. By nature, most of the uber rich have extreme ego, and a sense of entitlement. I do not for a second think that rich = smart. Colette hopes that the rich have an understanding of what they are investing in and supporting. I agree, but my intuition tells me that this couldn't be further from the truth. True there are Gates's, Buffett's, Winfrey's, and others but I would bet they are the exception to the norm. Ms. Williams is upset because huge price tag of space flight. She argues that the obscene amount of money could be used to end poverty, and rid villages of disease. I couldn't agree more. Let's ask Sir Branson to require a $50,000 charitable donation before a ticket could be purchased. 50 stacks is pocket change to his clientele. Beat them at their own game instead of being all pissy about it. By the way, Ms. Zoe Williams is British. She is referencing Pounds not Dollars. The current exchange rate is 1.57 dollars = 1 pound.
ReplyDeleteI don't have much to add to the conversion, however I would like to simply say...That wealthy people pray on the inevitable --they are the in the Elite realm of life and with that being said they know that only a few of their kind will have the willingness and the financial backing to indulge in such a thing. I feel that because some people have money that doesn't give them the right to invade certain places--what about the ozone layer? It seems to me that some people are bored with the norm of life and has to do things to get attention that No One has done on this level just to leave some type of mark in life. We have seen in the past what going up in space has done to our plant; but I guess Mr. Branson doesn't care about that.
Delete4.)Should retailers be open on Thanksgiving Day?
ReplyDeleteNO, NO, and No. Corporate greed is starting to shine through all of this. I do not care if you are trying to be better than your competitor! If you have the right items on sale for the "Black Fiday" sale then it does not matter what your competitors are doing. Show respect to your employees and value their time! This is a time to allow their bodies to rest before the crazy holiday season. This also starts jeopardizing family time for those workers that NEED the extra money. Right, so for example a single mother is offered to work on Thanksgiving and get 2.5 times pay for the hours s/he works. This is not an offer that s/he sees any other time of the year so now s/he will start contiplating working vs. spending time with their family.
In the article it states that consumers are asking for the earlier hours on Thanksgiving, 4th of July, New Year's, etc. I am not sure where they are hearing this. Where are the retailers getting this information because in the study completed by University of Connecticut only 7 percent of consumers surveyed wanted earlier hours. Take the survey on this article, at the time I completed the survey it said that 97.72% (16,041 people) of people who have completed this survey do not believe stores should be opened on Thanskgiving Day. So where is this information coming from? Of course, people will go shopping because they are affraid to miss out on the deal!
Again, Corporate GREED; it is all abou who can make the most money.
I agree with you 100 percent Colette it's all about the mighty dollar. What about the employees? They should be allowed to spend the entire Thanksgiving holiday with their families. How many CEO's are working on any of the major holidays? I bet they are at home or visiting with their families and love ones and they should treat their employees with that same respect.
DeleteWhat do we think about this? Ohio bill seeks 3x the pay for those who have to work on Holiday. It might make organizations think twice about opening
Deleteits door so early on Thanksgiving.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/ohio-bill-seeks-extra-retail-pay-thanksgiving-27187365
As an avid anti-consumerist, and pro-craftsman, I would not shop on these days anyhow. The Black Friday, and early Thanksgiving hours just seem reprehensible to me. We can bad mouth the corporations all we want, but they would not do it if the consumer did not demand it. This is a great case to explore the Galbraith vs. Von Hayek arguments. Did the demand exist or did the advertising create the demand. Personally I have always wondered about quickie-marts, gas stations, and such. They are almost always open on the holidays. Who hasn't stopped at the corner store for beer, wine,or snacks on a holiday???? I know that I am guilty of it. How do convenience stores fit into the argument? As most of you know, I am from a small town in West Virginia, and I spend many of my holidays back there. The few stores that stay open are jam packed on the holidays. I mean absolutely slammed with customers, and there are often lines out the door. The economy back there is pretty crappy, so I am sure that the holidays represent a huge boost for the local mom and pop convenience stores. Should they remain closed for the greater good, and am I a hypocrite for shopping there?
DeleteColette, I agree I can't stand that companies are making their employees work on Thanksgiving. Just like I said in my post if retailers were smart they would just narrow their margins on their products year around to offer a better price than their competitors. Everyone always talks about how the economy could get better and that they have to create ways for people to spend more money well lowering prices would be one way to do that. I don't think that black Friday is the answer.
DeleteShould retailers be open on Thanksgiving Day?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely not! Workers should be given the holiday off to enjoy! Opening on Thanksgiving Day to gain market share paints the perfect picture of corporate greedy in America. It's inappropriate for retailers to expect employees to work on a day that has historically been reserved for family, friends, and fellowship. Business could gain respect and boost employee moral by remaining closed on Thanksgiving Day.
The biggest shopping day of the year has always been Black Friday, however Cyber Monday has taken the sales to new heights. Retailers need to create new marketing strategies that will result in consumer spending. Thanksgiving Day shopping isn't the answer in my opinion.
HI Debbie,
DeleteAfter hearing that it's volunteer basis, and that they get holiday pay and Friday off, I figured why not and went to check it out. IT WAS CRAZY!!!! I don't know that I would do it again, but the workers seemed happy to be there. And it may be what they do to supplement their own holidays.
This is a hard one for me. I will say there are somethings that money should not be able to buy, like the life or death of someone just because they have money, or the freedom of a criminal. That being said, with the right safety procedures and regulation, space travel would be awesome. I am a SCUBA diver, which at one point was very dangerous, very expensive, and left only to the professionals. THANK GOODNESS someone developed methods for us regular people. I would not trade my experiences underwater for any other vacation. If James Cameron, or Jean Michel Cousteau every open their deep sea suits up for public use, I will be one of the first in line. So I can't say that I would not want to have a future option of trying out space travel. Who knows it could open up the universe and other discoveries to us. I will say as I have before, we do have a culture that has a terrible trend of overindulgence and instant self gratification. Do I think the money could be better spent on something other than a fifth home, 20th car, or 3rd set of boobs? Of course I do, however, and I am going to piss some people off, but it is their money to do with what they want. They can choose to do with it whatever they want, and it's not up to everyone else how they spend it. I would freely give you the shirt off my back if asked, but if someone told me I had to give it or I would be a bad person, I would walk away. I work hard for my money and if someone told me I wasn't spending it right or needed to spend it differently, I would tell them to kiss my ass. I choose to give my money away, or spend it how I like, that's the beauty of winning the birth lottery of being an American. Yes this country is an consumption based society, no we should not be able to buy and sell anything, but we are allowed to spend our hard earned money on what we can afford (legally).
ReplyDeleteShould Retailers be open on Thanksgiving Day?
ReplyDeleteI think that starting Black Friday on Thanksgiving is a show of greed and shows that these retailers are extremely insensitive. By presenting the option of shopping on a day that’s typically spent with family, retailers are devaluing the core of what’s important in life in exchange for profits. I mean most of the major retailers are open 363 days of the year!! Employees that look forward to an off day on Thanksgiving are now forced to work. Workers who do not want to work the holiday may not have a job to go back to because refusing to work during the holiday season could lead to their termination.
In regards to the Black Friday mess I think that retailers should be allowed to open early but not on Thanksgiving. That just shows that Thanksgiving is not about being with family and friends but more about making money on a day that should be spent with your loved ones. If they were smart they would do cyber Monday on the day of Thanksgiving because then everyone is home or able to be online instead of on a Monday when people have to work. I would be curious to see the number of people that lose time at work being efficient to spend time on the internet or on their phone placing orders to receive a good deal. I'm sure that companies would be interested in knowing that number because they are paying people to work when their employees are wasting their time. The problem that I see with black Friday is that so many people wait in lines when it's freezing cold in order to save money. If you were smart you would see that these retailers are putting ridiculous margins on these products, if retailers would just have more of a narrow margin then people would tend to spend money more often than on one single day. Plus it would be safer for people if they didn't have to deal with black Friday.
ReplyDelete