A substitute for money as a method of valuing someone's worth aka Cloud Cuckoo Land Thread

Social
#1

The premise

Everyone agrees that salaries for really high earners are way beyond what is necessary/reasonable. Ok, not everyone, but fuck those guys.

Everyone also agrees (when they think about it) that beyond a certain point it’s not actually the spending power that that’s important - it’s the expression of their value that matters. For example, when Messi demands a reported figure of $667,000 per week (according to Forbes) it’s not because he wants or needs the extra cash for himself/family/successive generations it’s to show that he’s the very best at what he does. When another player challenges for his status they have to earn more than he does, it’s a never-ending spiral.

None of this would be a problem if money wasn’t a finite resource - but in reality every extra dollar he earns is a dollar that doesn’t get spent on something else more worthwhile. And we then have to rely on any empathy or philanthropic element to the high-earner’s character for any trickle down to occur.

Footballers are obviously just one of the most visible manifestation of the problem - not the problem themselves. CEOs, Tech wankers and other celebrities also want to be recognised as the highest paid in their fields for the same reasons.

The question

Can we come up with another way of valuing people (beyond a certain level of remuneration) that doesn’t further increase inequality and the gap between the highest and lowest earners?

The answer is obviously yes - your task is to define how we’re going to do it.

balonz says you’re not up to it, that it’s a waste of time and that you should let this thread die a sorry death with a handful of sarcastic responses. But we’ll see…

tumbleweed.gif

1 Like
#3

Retweets

2 Likes
#5

kind words

2 Likes
#7

insecurity

#10

Maybe. Don’t go down this avenue though because it derails my thread.

#12

I meant insecurity was the problem, not the solution!

But I think I’m basically agreeing with you.

1 Like
#13

MeowMeowBeenz

6 Likes
#15

Nah, it’s a utopian teen novel.

2 Likes
#17

Initially I was wondering whether you could use blockchain (which obviously I don’t understand) to create a finite resource that the highest performers could attain and then I realised that this would probably become monetised at some point.

Then I was wondering whether beyond a certain level of monetary payment you could start paying people in additional rewards that would actually benefit the rest of society. So, Messi could say I’m paid x amount of money a week, plus three hospitals a year.

I’ve lost my mind, clearly.

#19

send them to the gulags?

3 Likes
#20

Everyone receives the same amount of credits to be used on luxury items. Basic items required for life (food, water, housing, electricity, gas, internet, healthcare, education) are of course free, but equally distributed. Everyone spends 6 months a year working on farms, picking up rubbish, building solar plants etc.

If you don’t like it, move to mars with Elon musk or be shot.

4 Likes
#21

hmm

#23

Where I come from an “hmm” gets met with a “grr”

#24

We do. Society is basically centered around a work bureau that distributes specialised work where and when it is needed.

NEXT

1 Like
#26

Nah, they spend 6 months doing what they do and then rotate with other specialists when it’s time to go back to working in the sewers.

#27

NEXT

#29

I yearn to feel valued by anyone.

Money just softens the blow of being incredibly unlikeable I guess.

#30

You’re not up to it, this is a waste of time and that you should let this thread die a sorry death with a handful of sarcastic responses.

1 Like
#33

I hope it’s not just any meme. I am a discerning meme consumer.

1 Like
#34

…

I just said that people would work in their preferred field for half a year. Plenty of time to draw.

Maybe public service doesn’t have to be 6 months, idk. We’d all decide on that though.