James Fraser said on 11/12/05 5:50 AM: >"Greed" (like "gouging") strikes me as being a very flexible word. It >reminds me a great deal of the word "progress."
Most people view progress as replacing the old with the new. Is this perception correct? I would argue otherwise. On the other hand, the vast majority of people would not. And it tends to be the majority who determines what is right and what is wrong. In a lot of cases, like computers, most people have a more clear definition of what progress is. It is faster hardware, more memory, bigger monitors, and so forth. Yet the development of new computers (particularly over recent years) has only offered a minor benefit of functionality, and has resulted in computers which are choc full of toxic chemicals being turned into landfill. Is that really progress? Since society decides, and not I, it most certainly is progress. >Well, it is true in the sense that genuine private property means the owner >of that property gets to decide what is to be done with it. That means I >can sell it for what I think is "fair," give it away, destroy it, whatever I >like; it's mine. Actually, there are a number of flaws to this argument. Property is a man made concept. Without good will or brute force, there is no way to enforce property rights. (Consider "good will" to be social values, and "force" to be the government.) While I usually agree with the concept of property, I also see circumstances when the notion of property must be relaxed. It would, for example, be unhealthy for any one person or a small group to have control the food supply or be the land owners. Again, the Apple II is not an issue here because computers are not really essential to human welfare. >I agree with you: these things can be annoying. At the same time, I'd like >to think that we can agree that people should have the opportunity to make >their product/service available to the Apple community at a price point that >they (the owners of the product or service) deem appropriate. I think we both agree here. Indeed, I ignore certain individuals because they only seem to pipe up when they have something to sell. (No, I'm not talking about Bill. Bill makes many other valuable contributions.) Likewise, I'm sure that some people ignore me for the exact opposite reason. >But isn't the statement that an item is "rare" a matter of opinion? While rare does not have a strict definition, it is not purely a matter of opinion either. I would argue that the IIgs keyboard is not rare, simply because there are tens of thousands of units by your estimate. Perhaps some people would disagree, but I think they would be in the minority. Yet I have also seen eBayers claim that Commodore 64s are rare. I am fairly certain that almost any knowledgable person would disagree with that statement since millions were produced, and there are probably hundreds of thousands remaining in closets and attics around the world. >Perhaps it's simply a matter of how many people want to own one of those units. [shrugs] Supply and demand have to be part of the equation, but they are not the only part of the equation. >I agree that it's OK to offer advice to a buyer (or seller) about what >they're buying/offering. But I feel that that's where it should end. Uh, people on a mailing list or usenet group cannot go much further than this. Well, that and bickering about prices, property, and rarity. I've been known to do a lot of that. ;) Byron. -- Apple2list is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... / Buy books, CDs, videos, and more from Amazon.com \ / <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/lowendmac> \ Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Apple2list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/apple2.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/apple2list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com
