In Defense of Scrooge December 18, 2009
Posted by Beth in Miscellaneous Musings.Tags: musings
add a comment
Many delight in Dickens’ tale of the conversion of the “greedy, heartless, capitalist” Scrooge into a kind, and lighthearted philanthropist. Here is a different take on the story:
It is my purpose, in making this holiday defense of my
client, to present to you a different interpretation of the story, that you will see the villainy not in my client’s character, but in Charles Dickens’s miscasting of the true heroes of the time of which he wrote, namely, the industrialists and financiers who created that most liberating epoch in human history: the Industrial Revolution…
On the basis of emotionally riddled allegations, coupled with pure economic ignorance, we have been asked to find Mr. Scrooge “guilty” of the most ill-defined wrongdoings…
The case against Ebeneezer Scrooge is nothing more than a well-orchestrated, vicious conspiracy to extort from my client as much of his money as can be acquired through terror, threats of his death, and other appeals to fear…
[P]ay particular attention to the utter contradiction underlying Dickens’s case: my client is charged with being a greedy, money-hungry scoundrel, and yet it is the conspirators against him who want nothing more than his money! Scrooge — unlike his antagonists — earned his money in the marketplace by satisfying the demands of customers and clients who continue to do business with him, and did not, as far as we are told, resort to terror or threats of death to get it…
Scrooge certainly is not a man to emulate. His obsession with money as a goal in-and-of-itself arises from a misplaced, empty materialism. But the antidote is not the rejection of material goods and the physical well-being they make possible, but rather to embrace them as the means to the greater end: a life of happiness and fulfillment in all realms possible, material, physical and spiritual.
Let us rejoice this holiday for all aspects of good fortune, and for the loved ones who magnify our enjoyment.
Lest there be any readers who need reminding of the virtues of this period, let me quote from that eminent English historian, T.S. Ashton, who wrote of the impoverished conditions of England and other nations prior to the Industrial Revolution. As he expressed it, “The central problem of the age was how to feed and clothe and employ generations of children outnumbering by far those of any earlier time.” England, he went on, “was delivered, not by her rulers, but by those who, seeking no doubt their own narrow ends, had the wit and resources to devise new instruments of production and new methods of administering industry. There are today on the plains of India and China men and women, plague-ridden and hungry, living lives little better, to outward appearance, than those of the cattle that toil with them by day and share their places of sleep by night. Such Asiatic standards, and such unmechanized horrors, are the lot of those who increase their numbers without passing through an industrial revolution.”
(Quotes from “The case for Ebeneezer” by Butler Shaffer.)
Halloween Re-Cap November 5, 2009
Posted by Beth in Miscellaneous Musings, Personal.Tags: family, musings
add a comment
I had a great Halloween!
At the local thrift store, Twice As Nice, I stumbled on a spooky, fun and inexpensive find:
69 cent electric eyeballs that fade from red to blue to green to orange and back. Initially I bought 10 for my daughter’s birthday to give away as a party favor, but we forgot to give them out. The day before Halloween, I went back, expecting them to be all sold out but hit the jackpot. Nobody else seems to have discovered just how cool these eyeballs are–so I bought the rest, about 40 in all. I placed them all along the walk and the stairs up to our front door, and then around the corners of our front porch. Here’s a part of the effect:
The rest of the porch is “decked out” with a variety of ghouls, ghosts and skeletons which I have purchased through the years–almost always the day after Halloween at 50% off. The pirate head is sound-activated and drops down on a string then slowly ascends while calling out gruff and nasty warnings: turn back or face your DOO-O-O-O-O-M. etc. The bat actually flaps its wings and flies around in a circle. And of course there are the obligatory fake spider webs draped all over everything, conveniently sticking to the stucco and hanging potted plants. The more benign decorations are left over from when the kids were younger. It seems their fascination with ugly and dead has only grown through the years.
Just as last year, my kids had great costumes. This year, Eva was a 1940’s pin-up girl, complete in black and white. Ben was another anime character, this time Wolfwood from Trigun.
For the past few years, they’ve gone out on their own with friends while Jon and I get to stay at home and hand out candy, checking out all the creative costumes as the kids traipse through our neighborhood. For two hours, the doorbell is constantly ringing, and the street is flowing with trick-or-treaters. We probably had over 100 come to our door. I am always careful to buy lots of candy, saving all the good stuff (Heath bars, Reece’s cups, dark chocolate kisses) for last so if when I over estimate, it’s only another plus!
As a final treat for you readers, I link to an article that looks at Halloween as a lesson in economics: an opportunity to experience the value and benevolence of free trade!
Halloween and its Candy Economy
I know I sure got my share of enjoyment in exchange for the sweets I gave away!!
Your Founding Father September 17, 2009
Posted by Beth in Miscellaneous Musings, Politics, Uncategorized.Tags: musings, Politics
add a comment
“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United
States of America.”
– Preamble To The United States Constitution
Just in case you missed it at the bottom of 3 Ring Binder’s post “Memorizing the Preamble:
Celebrate the Constitution and find out which Founding Father you’re most like.
–Then let me know which one you are most like!
(I am most like Madison.)
“Wherever the real power in a Government lies, there is the danger of oppression.
In our Governments the real power lies in the majority of the community, and the invasion of private rights is chiefly to be apprehended, not from acts of Government contrary to the sense of its constituents, but from acts in which the Government is the mere instrument of the major number of the Constituents.”
– James Madison, (1751-1836), Father of the Constitution for the USA, 4th US President, Source: in a letter to Thomas Jefferson in 1788
Lady Justice May 2, 2009
Posted by Beth in Art.Tags: Art, musings
7 comments
Statue of Justice from St. Louis University School of Law
I came across this bronze when looking for an image to accompany a post on my poly-econ site. I love it so much that I wanted to share it with those of you who just visit me here. What thrills me is the strength and energy the sculptor portrays. Most if the time, Lady Justice is a calm, passive figure who presents the scales as the center of attention. If present, the sword is draped at her side, ready at hand, but held relaxed and in reserve—just in case. This image reminds me that justice is an active force, not just a passive judgment. To be of real value, one must judge and then act on that judgment. Judge, and prepare to be judged.
Justice is the identification of vice and virtue, and then acting in concert with that identification–with admiration and praise of the good equal in importance to condemnation of evil. The more important the principle at stake, the more vigorous one must be in it’s identification and defense.
My logo for Aisa Academy is the Scales of Justice, one pan labelled “fact,” the other “value,” accomapnied by the motto “Ideas Matter.” I am realizing now that the statue above is more complete. The scales represent the judgment, the blindfold represents impartiality, but the sword represents the follow through, the action required to implement one’s impartial judgment. All three are essential and so elegantly captured above.
Addendum 5-28-09: LB located the artist, James Muir, for me . Thanks! The official title fo the work is “…and Jusice for All.“ See the comments to this post for more info on the piece.
Free Will and the Pursuit of Happyness April 18, 2009
Posted by Beth in Miscellaneous Musings.Tags: musings
add a comment
I don’t know a lot about Chris Gardner, but what I know I like. He’s the real life protagonist in the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness” which if you haven’t seen it, the time to do it is now.
Mr. Gardner is coming out with a new book, Start Where You Are. I just love that title–for me it speaks volumes. Gardner has a website with a series of video clips. A couple of my favorites is below. In it he emphasizes taking responsibility for your own life, and for your own happiness. By starting where you are, you stay focused on reality. Great concepts. Inspirational to see how he applies them.
