a personal look at Black Friday

[terrencechan]

Black Friday was actually Saturday for me here in Hong Kong; I woke up to Twitter, my IMs, and my phone going crazy before I'd even had a chance to make coffee. Now it's 10 PM here and my day is winding down just as poker players in North America are realizing that sadly, yesterday was not a bad dream

Comments

[anonymous]

it's hard for me to mourn the loss of jobs when the jobs are in the leisure/entertainment industry and even less when they are in the advantage-play industry. obv being an advantage player myself i sympathize and admire the young poker pros as most of them are sharper/smarter than i ever was or ever will be. but neither they nor i are entitled to high-paying-fun-no-boss-no-schedule-sucking-the-life-out-of-dumb-saps-while-contributing-absolutely-nothing-to-society jobs.

[terrencechan]

The contention that picking up garbage, flipping burgers, doing taxes or piloting space shuttles for a living is more noble than being in the "leisure/entertainment industry" is not one that I share. I mean advantage players we can get into another time, but seriously, you think say the job of a clerk at a hotel is worth less than the job of a clerk at some other desk? That's a bizarre stance.

[terrencechan]

Professional thief is actually a negative-value job, as is any sort of coercive job that depends on involuntary transactions.

So the question becomes is being a doctor more noble than being an actor/poker player/MMA fighter. My view is no. I do truly think the highest moral purpose is to do what you are great at; what you feel you were put on this earth to do*. Just be the best you can be, and if there are residual benefits to others as a result of what you do, then great.

If you become a doctor because you think "man, I really want to help people", that's great, but part of your non-monetary compensation is that you derive this pleasure from helping people. And ultimately, I'm not convinced that the marginal doctor is providing that much more value than the marginal 5/10 NL grinder. The marginal doctor really doesn't do all that much; he is probably just prescribing ibuprofen to overworried moms whose kids are running 38.2 degree fevers or worse, doing needless crap to bill the medical companies

your pyrimid scheme

[ken_p]

You may denigrate whomever you wish. Who am I to interfere with your stock in trade?

That industry manages to help the flow of dollars back into U.S. coffers. That seems to do as much or more than some of the trades, crafts, or professions that you honor.

[ext_513120]

What are your opinions on the social value of most of the finance industry?

How about religious officials? (Talk about a huge waste of social surplus!)

Artists?

[zorakrezo]

Having kids has really mellowed you out.

[anonymous]

Dumbest comment ever. Must not believe in freedom, because as long as some sucker is willing to take the other side of a bad bet, you mean to tell me I should be restricted from allowing that fully consenting adult to make a bad decision that favors me. Your right, life is unfair, but thats like saying shut down the NBA bc Lebron gets to make millions just playing basketball.

As for Terrence, well put on all levels.

[deadmonywalking]

I appreciate your efforts. Most people here seem to treat the value of a craft by the wage it earns. Putting the basketball player above the doctor.