Greed.. is it good?

[bojan]

http://www.theage.com.au/business/ho...0424-tknu.html

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Originally Posted by bojan

http://www.theage.com.au/business/ho...0424-tknu.html

Only greed for good Karma is good in my book because to get good Karma you must think of others first. Then again if you don't have enough health money etc for yourself you can't help others either!

[mick pinner]

assuming you define greed as wanting more than you actually need or are entitled to then l suppose it depends on how it is obtained.

[renormalised (Carl)]

Greed, in all its forms, whether it be for good or bad, is a blight. All it has done is promote the mess we find ourselves in today...a society that cares more about trinkets and being brainwashed into believing that things are OK, all the while the parasites are sucking us dry for their own benefit.

This society needs to change, otherwise we won't last the next 100 years without a lot of pain. The only people who can make that change is the "Mr and Mrs Average" of society...the megacorporations, financial institutions and governments won't do anything because they're the ones benefiting from the status quo. They're also the ones doing their utmost to keep everyone in the "state of haze" they find themselves in.

[Miaplacidus (Brian)]

I gotta feel sorry for the guy who wrote this. Too early in his career he comes up with what is perhaps the best insult ever to find its way into print — Goldman Sachs as the "great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money" — and forever after he is consigned to the back pages of Sunday features. One hit wonder, peaked too early.

Oh, yeah, Greed. Put me down for a motherhood statement...
The whole world is an illusion, man. There ain't nothing worth having that isn't already mine. Read more Upanishads.

[GrahamL]

Greed, in all its forms, whether it be for good or bad, is a blight

How does one become good and greedy and then move to ungood Carl ?

[kinetic (Steve)]

Originally Posted by Miaplacidus

I gotta feel sorry for the guy who wrote this. Too early in his career he comes up with what is perhaps the best insult ever to find its way into print — Goldman Sachs as the "great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money" — and forever after he is consigned to the back pages of Sunday features. One hit wonder, peaked too early.

Oh, yeah, Greed. Put me down for a motherhood statement...
The whole world is an illusion, man. There ain't nothing worth having that isn't already mine. Read more Upanishads.

LOL Brian.....I wish I could have all Miaplacidus posts re-directed to email.

924

[Nesti (Mark)]

I have no problem with any person who was born into wealth and makes more - good on them - , and especially those who we born poor but worked hard for wealth. So long as a person does not accrue wealth at the detriment to others, then that's fine as far as I am concerned.

For me, there are two types of wealth generation; 'ethical' and 'unethical', and I differentiate them by a very, very simple factor; 'common accessibility'.

To define 'common accessibility' I will use the following example: Goldman Sachs has a direct (a nailed line I would say) data pipeline into the US Stock Exchange. This pipe allows them to place up to a million tiny incremental investments (bets) per minute. The algorithm and software looks for small trends in the markets and then makes small bets...millions and millions per day. They net in the region of US$100 Million dollars PER DAY!!! This is effectively skimming cream off the top of most global markets as markets trade using US dollars. I define THIS activity as Greed simply because the average person cannot, and is not, allowed to do the same. There is no 'common accessibility'.

That being said, we have friends who work very hard and are far beyond the status of comfortable. Over the years their [Australian based] companies have received millions of dollars from the Vic Gov (part of an employment related issue) just to keep their manufacturing companies in the state of Victoria; and these are just their small ones. They are quite charitable people (first hand knowledge), very nice and their companies keep many people employed, but the term 'common accessibility' can also be applied to their situation also. True?

I don't know any other people in the general public who receive the same. So does this mean they suffer from Greed addiction? Are they in the same boat as Goldman Sachs?

What rate do you think very wealthy people get from the bank when they loan big money? The term 'common accessibility' could apply there too. Defining Greed in order to apply it to a person or entity is almost an impossible task, ergo my 'common accessibility' concept is still very limited.

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Greed - it's one of the seven deadly sins!!
Jesus Christ!!!

[Karls48 (Karl)]

Greed.!!! Well the companies that have means and know how to do it are continuously screwing you up. You are being continuously ripped off by various government institutions that don’t need how to, because they got legislative means. If you can rip off any of those, then I can see your justification for “ greed”

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Greed is Bad.
Greed is the reason my naive childhood dreams of a famineless, warless, disease-less, energy efficient, pollution-free world hasn't come to fruition.
Silly me!!

[Nesti (Mark)]

Well this thread's certainly getting interesting!

One too many nips in the coffee this morning.

[Jen]

Originally Posted by dugnsuz

Greed is Bad.
Greed is the reason my naive childhood dreams of a famineless, warless, disease-less, energy efficient, pollution-free world hasn't come to fruition.
Silly me!!

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Originally Posted by Nesti

One too many nips in the coffee this morning.

Oh, I forgot racist-less too!!!!

Joke...it's a joke!!! FFS!!!!!

[Nesti (Mark)]

If I may quote a line from the movie 'Red Planet'. Something which sums-up human behavior to the highest degree; including Greed.

Dr. Quinn Burchenal:
"Man's a party animal. If he is doing okay nothing else matters. That's not going to change."

[dugnsuz (Doug)]

Originally Posted by Nesti

If I may quote a line from the movie 'Red Planet'. Something which sums-up human behavior to the highest degree; including Greed.

Dr. Quinn Burchenal:
"Man's a party animal. If he is doing okay nothing else matters. That's not going to change."

Errr...Touche´!!??

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by nightstalker

How does one become good and greedy and then move to ungood Carl ?

I was making a comment on Warren's statement. I should've qualified what I said by making reference to what he said.

[koputai (Jason)]

Commercial television and commercial radio are the true culprits of society's woes.

They keep the great unwashed entertained , uneducated, and paranoid.

Cheers,
Jason.

[Robh (Rob)]

Definition of greed- the excessive desire to acquire or own more than one needs or deserves.
Decreasing profits is bad for business and shareholders. Workers benefit by expanding production as profits can support higher wages. Lower prices through competition make products accessible to more people. In theory, you should be able to keep most people happily employed so that they can buy a certain life-style.

Where the system unwinds is if profits are distributed to a minority in increasingly disproportionate fashion. Something I will call putrified invidious greed or PIG for short. People with PIG (PIGGIES) have a lop-sided view of their own importance and really believe that they are worth the millions or even billions of dollars they are being paid. With wealth comes power and PIGGIES believe that it is their calling to initiate structures that will leave their shareholders in raptures. Of course, they naturally believe that they deserve a lucrative piece of this ever-swelling cake! Characteristically, PIGGIES are also delusional in that they believe they are benefiting mankind as a whole.

Regards, Rob.