Markets don't reward efforts, they reward public demand, and the more desperate that demand the greater the reward. The demand to have your friggin brain repaired is much more desperate than the demand to have walls made specifically out of bricks. I could do nothing but push ups from dusk til dawn and work harder than anyone, but I won't be satisfying anyone's demands. I could also be a total sloth and never leave my computer chair, but if I'm the only one in town that knows how to repair computers I'll still be rolling in the dough.

I spent a lovely a 4 weeks in Asia just last year. I spent some time with the locals, including the prostitutes. They're happier than most people living in the first-world as mind-blowing as this might seem to you. They're living in a tropical paradise and they have hundreds of friends and close relationships living in tightly-nit groups. Not sure how much you've read into happiness research, but these factors go a long way.

I also personally come from a war-torn country, and I spent the first 12 years of my life in the middle of a civil war. Nothing has been easy, and never have I wanted it to be easy. It's me against the world and it wouldn't be fair otherwise. This is the kind of mentality that I needed to get through some of life's variance, and this is the kind of mentality that's precisely lacking in a world where the strong silent type is looked at as some crazy person who's going to blow at any minute.

However I don't particularly like dwelling on these things because I feel its disingenuous: I was happy all throughout these experiences: rain, hail or shine. So perhaps I won the genetic lottery, but I certainly didn't win any environmental lottery.
Not sure why you feel compelled to bring my mother into this. Whether prostitution is immoral is not determined by my mother, but rather, through reason, and some elementary understanding of moral philosophy.
Sure. Maybe the 'real world' would've been too much for me, whatever that is.
The cold hard truth is often quite the opposite. Genetic factors can be a lot more important for some people's life outcomes.
Yes, people have always had to work to survive. You make it sound like this a bad thing, yet when I ask you about it you're providing no reasons as to why it's bad.
Compensation. Which can be used universally to acquire the things or experiences that you need or want.

Perhaps you'd prefer to be compensated with horses instead of money? However, if everyone received 1-10 horses for a days work they might struggle to find people whom they can trade the horses for other things they need/want.
This is not my ideal world. It's good that you have an ideal as well though, and it's even better if you begin to acknowledge that other people's ideals are different to yours. Key word being: different. Not better, or worse.
People, on average, are hundreds of times richer right now than just 400 years ago. They still whine. People always whine, and will always whine. Some others won't.
Some people that feel cheated by 'the system' or 'the game' always feel cheated: regardless of whether the system is good or bad. What do we do about these people?
I can't say what brick-layers deserve. It is not an industry I'm engaged in. I can say for certain, that personal carers and nurses definitely deserve more compensation, as with a few other industries. I'm not particularly worried though, as the market will change to reflect this, in due time.

Bricklayer/Hourly Rate

From above link which I take to be reasonable reliable:

Brick layers make $16.39 - $38.66/hr with a medium rate of $24.00. Total pay between $34,377 - $81,649 yr. This will vary region by region and whether federal mandated scales (by contract using Davis-Bacon wages) and/or union scales are required. And obviously by the experience and talent of the individual bricklayer.

Not sure if they deserve more or less. Here in Australia at least, I've heard that the unions in the construction industry are so powerful that they're destroying our competitiveness and stifling productivity by raising wages and holiday pay/leave and other entitlements to absurdly comfortable levels.

I was trying to make the point that if we assume that there is a high % of dentist who hate their job and there is a very high % of people who realistically never have the chance to become a dentist in the first place, the system may be off at some point.

And sure in your normal 1st world country (cant speak for others never really been there), everyone can technically go to college and get a degree. But in reality its near impossible for a lot of people. Starting by your parents, the school system, paying for college, et la. I also dont have any solutions and Im sure whatever Im trying to say doesnt belong in a thread named like this thread is named.

Im also pretty sure that calling the average chinese person a slave is an insult to both the chinese and anyone who ever experienced real slavery. Not that I ever experience slavery or was in a china or know a chinese other than the chinese in my chinese restaurant, if those are even chinese.

I've come to dislike jobs that I've had. I quit them.

There are other jobs that I've never had the chance to try out.

It isn't a big deal.

Also, who is Phil?

If you are productive to society then you should be compensated by society. I assure you that construction of shelter for masses is of more importance than the fondling of any individuals brain, regardless how proud, or selfish, or wealthy, or important that person thinks they are. Just because someone works a less physically intensive job does not mean they are a sloth, or not to be compensated.

Assure away.

I can also assure you that the brain surgeon is more likely to be able to pick up a brick-laying career if he so chooses, while the brick-layer is far less likely to start performing brain surgery on people.

When you answer why this is so: the compensation difference may make more sense.

Unless the brickie can swallow a knowledge pill and gain the knowledge of brain surgery. lol
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ears-time.html


Annual income of richest 100 people enough to end global poverty four times over
https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/p...l-poverty-four

What is your point exactly? With the proper opportunity, and setting, who is to say that a man who is a brick layer couldn't have been a brain surgeon. My point is that brain surgery is not needed too often compared to the construction of shelters. Have you ever played brick? It is a grueling, back breaking, extremely physically demanding job. No privileged doctor would stoop so low as to be a commoner. If so we wouldn't even be having this conversation. The thing is that different difficulty level, or higher training level should constitute a representative difference in compensation. Surely a brick layer isn't going to dive right into brain surgery, just as a surgeon wouldn't exactly be a natural brick layer. They are both somewhat specialized fields.

This is complete and utter BS. Brain surgery is NOT "fondling of <a rich person's> brain", it's health care. It involves saving or improving the life of a member of "the masses" (which by the way, includes everybody regardless of wealth), and is essentially no different than building living space, which is also a need of everybody.

Labor is a market, governed by supply and demand. The rarer the skill is needed to satisfy a need, the more the person who possesses that skill can demand as compensation for his/her labor.

Now, before I feel dirty for posting what might appear to be a politard response, I must remind myself that economics, like physics, is a science.

That sounds great and all but since they are so pro helping others why would they always charge exceedingly high rates. Just because someone has insurance(which is another ****ing scam) and is afraid to die, doesn't mean the brain surgeon would have to charge so ****ing much. It isn't nessisary, and causes debt. Sure you could argue that the doc. could donate some, but that's beside the point and a cop out. Just don't rob every body you operate on. Why does it not matter what kind of financial burden doctors impose on society. A vet can do damn near the same ****, but they get paid ****ons less. Anyway, I never said that doctors should make the same as masons. But it shouldn't vary as much as it does.

Where is it said that you should **** everyone over in business if you can? Capitalism? That attitude shifts into the consumer base and people get this I got you attitude as if that is right. What ever happened to providing a quality product at a fair price, or even a slightly more than fair price. Why must people settle for cheap crap, or expensive crap now days? Extreme capitalism. Back in the 50s-70s America made things well. We took pride in our work and it showed. Now everything is up to the lowest bidder, regardless of quality, human rights, destruction of America's economic. Good ole better keep it coming while we can, **** the rest, capitalism, capitalize n others misfortune. Yeah, that's good ****, eat that right up.

Thanks

Everyone's hustlin'. The system is not the reason for this either. People like hustling. If you don't like it, that's unfortunate. There are some societies in the East that you could join, where they don't like hustling and they live perfectly happy (and boring imo) lives.
Back then, you wouldn't have to be continously available on your phone either. Those were the good days hey? The days where the world stood on the brink of nuclear war and countries were lead by religious zealots. Don't we just yearn for those days?

Hmm, it can be fun to romantisize the past but let's not forget how horseshiitt is typically the smell of nostalgia.
Capitalize on others fortune and misfortune. And have a jolly good laugh.

Laughing at the misfortune of others is a sure fire way to get some misfortune of your own. Probably won't have too much to do with money though. I'm an American there friendo. Originally, America was created in part by pure intentions. What we have now is anything but. Some people will never change once they have tasted an addiction. Greed is an addiction.

You laugh at that misfortune as well. You obviously shouldn't discriminate between how seriously you take your own misfortune and how seriously you take other people's misfortune. Some people prefer to take life more seriously however, and all the power to them.
You may defining addiction loosely there. As far as I know, if a habit has very negative effects on the individual or people close to them, it could be classified as an 'addiction'. However, when you're making bank and helping everyone around you with that bank, it is quite the opposite outcome no?

Who's misfortune do I laugh at?

The bank you make is helping you only. What about the multitude it could be helping with charity? What if the roles where flipped. When you consider negative effects you should attempt a view that doesn't include yourself, especially if you are actively discussing others. Yeah being selfish is great. It doesn't affect your logic at all. Your not more negative because of greed at all. Just ask your friends that you apparently give money to.

As far as I know, people who make lots of bank give far more to charity than the average person who doesn't make lots of bank. They also fund start-ups and invest in companies that provide employment for hundreds and sometimes, thousands of people. From my perspective, they're giving more than the rest of society.

The fact that some of them keep more instead, is expected variance. Some poor and middle-class people also give little or give nothing and some give a lot. Same deal.
Not sure where you live, but where I am people (including friends) like receiving things for nothing in return...It's not something I personally like, but they seem to.

No, really. Who's misfortune do I laugh at, other than my own.?

How would I know whose misfortune you would laugh at? How would I know whether your sense of humour extends to darker places, or whether your reality is too difficult to take less seriously.

Besides, I won't tell you what you should do. I'm not big on that. I hardly know what I should do.

Oh, well, I'm glad you came to a sensible conclusion. Perhaps you learned something about assumption. Regardless, the fact that you stepped back and recalibrated based on something you said that was incorrect shows that you may not be as blind and selfish as I assumed. Look for truth everywhere, thanks.

You charge as much as the market will bear. Insurance companies have negotiated rates, so you only collect what they pay out (there are exceptions, but that's too much in the weeds).

Regarding on profiting from misfortune, I quote the Baron von Rothschild:

"The time to buy is when the blood is in the street."

Again, just a low way of looking at things in general, when a less selfish perspective will be more beneficial to all including self.

Society doesn't have a checkbook.