Value of the Gulch

Posted by epluribusunum 10 years, 6 months ago to Business
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I'm interested in discovering the value of the Gulch. I am going to take full advantage of the free membership for the following reasons; There must be value found by the Gulch in offering a free membership, for if there is none, then it is a foolish endeavor to undertake with the understanding that the Gulch has the power to revoke it. Further, if choosing the "Moocher" option is ultimately a contradiction of the objectivist philosophy, the Gulch has devalued its own service by not only allowing it to exist, but by actually creating it in the first place. There either IS value provided to the Gulch by creating a free membership option, or the Gulch is, itself, a depraved and diluted version of objectivism. My uncertainty regarding this matter stands as my reasoning for choosing the free membership option as stated in the opening line of this note: I'm interested in discovering the value of the Gulch.

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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 10 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I think of emotions has the basis for choosing axioms. From there we proceed logically until we find we can derive contradictions or derive results that disagree with observations of the world and need to tweak our axioms, with the help of emotions.

    The trouble with using emotions to decide complex issues is emotions will lead you quickly to things that are mutually exclusive or disagree with reality. From there you end up bumping around capriciously as you say.
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  • Posted by $ MikeMarotta 10 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I take a softer view of "moocher" here. I get the meaning in context of Atlas Shrugged and Objectivism, and as I said, I understood the humor. That said, to me, a Moocher here is just a free rider, a common element in any economy. If you do not drive a car, you do not pay for the roads, but you do benefit. You can enjoy the city park in any town you visit. You can use the public library as your reading room, even if you do not qualify for a card - traveling on business, I have done that often. Barnes and Noble bookstores let you read all day. The free rider is an accepted element. We call them "moochers" here because we have a benevolent jocularity.

    When we refer to the moochers in the "outer world" we are not so jocular...

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  • Posted by $ MikeMarotta 10 years, 6 months ago
    When I first came here, I understood the humor, but I did not participate until I was willing to sign up to pay. I did not understand that I could participate without signing up one way or the other, so I signed up as a Producer.

    I have been on and off four Objectiv-ish boards, so I know the culture. I have been online with BBSes since 1984, so, again, I know what to expect from the medium. I simply trusted the Movie producers to do a good job at providing a forum for discussion. I figured that getting burned for forty bucks was unlikely.
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  • Posted by epluribusunum 10 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Incorporating emotion into an argument satisfies surface-level desires. Think of it like eating candy. Chocolate causes dopamine to be released, and it can fill a stomach, but it doesnt build a strong, healthy body like spinach and chicken would. What's more valuable; temporary, yet potent, satisfaction with love handles and heart disease, or long-term efficiency and health? The latter requires one to deny capricious desire and stick to a system that yields consistent, high-value results.

    Emotion is a lolipop rolled on the tongue.
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  • Posted by sahorton 10 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Minniepuck:

    I think that the flat amount paid to the salesperson for accomplishing "x" needs to directly correspond to the improvement in the bottom line of the company. Whether it is a straight dollar amount for that particular sale or a percentage of the total sale is irrelevant.

    The big key is: Does the compensation make that salesperson hunger & thirst to do even more, to do even better or does it break the salesperson's spirit?

    Horton
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  • Posted by sahorton 10 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Thanks for the book recommendations Hiraghm. "The Mote in God's Eye" is written by whom?

    Horton
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  • Posted by sdesapio 10 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Bingo. We still get "HOW COULD YOU USE THAT!?" email complaints about using "The Collective." Too funny.
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  • Posted by Hiraghm 10 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    To hell with revenue generation... a progressive tax system is unjust.

    Think of the 20th Century Motor Company.
    The better you did, the more was expected of you.
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  • Posted by Hiraghm 10 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Hm... that's a hard one for me... Best book of literature I ever read... hm.. Book...

    The Mote in God's Eye, I think.

    Followed by "The Prince" (formerly the Falkenberg's Legion series, "Falkenberg's Legion", "Prince of Mercenaries", "Go Tell the Spartans" and "Prince of Sparta").

    Best polemic ever is "Fallen Angels". Talk about Randian themed literature...
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  • Posted by Hiraghm 10 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I think Galt considered it because my intensity amuses him, so he receives some minimal value from my presence...
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  • Posted by sdesapio 10 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Of course not but, what I really liked was your assessment yesterday of "Moochers"...

    "The only moochers I have seen in here are the lurkers and the trolls... Everyone else? Producing!"

    That's what did it for me.
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  • Posted by khalling 10 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I like it too.
    but-hey! a post by someone new and we start changing everything? saying moochers and producers are keeping the Objectivists away?! I think not
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