Quote:
Originally Posted by Mecastyles
f society
This is the only one of you who has it right. You don't have any obligation to have a job that contributes to society. My point was that any of you who are smart enough to make it playing poker could also hold down a job that benefits others, and you're all a lot smarter than the average person off the street so that may even be a really large contribution. I totally respect your decisions to be doing what you're doing and am not trying to insult anybody. I was responding to two posts that seemed to suggest that playing poker did in fact contribute to society. It doesn't.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ice_W0lf
I would argue that poker pros offer the same types of services that most retail jobs offer in terms of contribution to society.
The fact is a retail store will not open if there is nobody working in it, but a poker table will function just as well with nine recreational players.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lrgatsby
Poker pretty much follows the model of many other types of business, esp. markets and exchanges.
I always thought Gordon Gecko's quote from Wall Street held true for poker:
Gordon Gekko: It's a zero sum game, somebody wins, somebody loses. Money itself isn't lost or made, it's simply transferred from one perception to another.
If poker serves no purpose as a vocation, how would you classify daredevils? Those in the performing arts? Extreme athletes? Athletes in general? etc. etc.
Gordon Gekko is wrong. It is not a zero sum game. The value of something is increased by trading it. And poker players are not entertainers either. If that argument held water, there would still be plenty of poker on TV despite losing FTP and PS sponsorships.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bbfg
Let me turn it around for you: there are too many people on this earth, by playing poker you leave room for someone to find a job that you would otherwise occupy.
Giving someone a job so that a person can support his/her family is more contributing to society than 95%+ of people do.
There are not too many people on the planet. More people means a greater diversification in skills which leads to technological innovations that benefit everyone in society as a whole. If you think I'm wrong, you should move to Montana to live in a 10' by 12' cabin.
I'm not hating. I recognize that being good enough at poker to play professionally requires a lot of work, and I do consider it a job. But it doesn't contribute to society so if you are a pro and think you do contribute to society, tell me how. I'm sure some of you do.
Again, sorry for the hijack, Josh, but I had to respond to people who are just wrong.