What's fair?

[Amanda]

What's fair? How fair is fair?

Lately I've been thinking about the differences in where people the draw the line on different issues. It seems to me that most of us agree on some basic concepts but we draw our lines in different places.

So I was thinking about fairness. What makes something fair? Can we really achieve equality or fairness?

Probably the easiest way to look at this is economic fairness... For example, most people would probably agree that a woman should be paid the same as a man for doing the same job. That's pretty easy, but what about people that are super rich? I'll never be super rich, is that fair? What about people that are super poor? Many of them will never have what I have, is that fair?

How far should we go to ensure fairness? Is it possible? Is it even important?

Discuss.

 

[DamnYankee]

Fair must dismiss the emotions of jealousy and envy and pity.

 

[Korimyr the Rat]

What's fair is me getting everything I want and everyone who tries to get in my way suffering and dying.

That's about as objective and as logically supported as any other definition of "fair" you're ever going to get. "Fair" is a word you use to convince people to support policies that benefit you against their own best interests.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Nothing in life is promised to be fair. And no one really is working to make things fair. Why? Cause there is no such thing. What you consider fair is not what someone else may consider fair.

 

[xotoxi]

I find the internet unfair...it allows people to misrepresent themselves and pretend that they are someone whom they are not, in an attempt to deceive others.

 

[Agnapostate]

Fairness would be promoted by the establishment of equality of opportunity, which would have its obvious *felicific* benefits (consistent with the utilitarian principle of happiness maximization), along with the promotion of economic efficiency that could be gained through a libertarian socialist economy based around anarcho-syndicalism, for instance.

EDIT: Well, now...

I find the internet unfair...it allows people to misrepresent themselves and pretend that they are someone whom they are not, in an attempt to deceive others.

Is this another bit about Amanda secretly being a middle-aged man who's trolling the forum? Even if she was, why would it matter? What harm has been dealt to anyone? If some misleading words on a screen were typed, so what? Walk away from your computer and resume your real life. Hell, if she did turn out to be a middle-aged man, it would at least help David realize that his incessant harassment of her was really a manifestation of his homoerotic urges.

It's the reality that you can just get up and walk away that allowed me to simply yawn at the idiotic assertions made about my character and identity by posters on this forum. But I've certainly seen others more sensitive than me here, so why not give them the benefit of the doubt?

Anyway, if that wasn't what you meant, let that function as another general advisory nonetheless.

 

[DamnYankee]

Fair must dismiss the emotions of jealousy and envy and pity.

Nothing in life is promised to be fair. And no one really is working to make things fair. Why? Cause there is no such thing. What you consider fair is not what someone else may consider fair.

What you said presumes some action on the part of others. If everyone were to look only to themselves for fairness, without the emotions I described, they would be forced to assess their own abilities or inadequacies.

 

[editec]

I'm not sure how to define "fairness" in economic terms.

I don't believe such a state of being is even possible as it regards the economy and society.

People demanding fairness in economics are typically defining what they think is fair by completely ignoring everything that effects us economically EXCEPT whatever small part of the economic world they're complaining about.

In other words, they have a childish notion that fairness and quality are exactly the same thing....EXCEPT when that doesn't work for them, then they like to remind everyone that the world isn't fair, of course.

THEN, they understand that the concept of fairness in economics is a goofy notion designed to confuse the easily confused.

For example...in order to have a simplistic FAIR tax system -- one where everyone pays the same taxes fairly; one would have to have a simplistic INCOME system -- one where everyone makes the same salary.

Then I suppose in that mythical universe one could have a FAIR economic system.

 

[xotoxi]

I find the internet unfair...it allows people to misrepresent themselves and pretend that they are someone whom they are not, in an attempt to deceive others.

Is this another bit about Amanda secretly being a middle-aged man who's trolling the forum?

WH-WH-WHAT?!?!?!?!?

 

[RetiredGySgt]

I'm not sure how to define "fairness" in economic terms.

I don't believe such a state of being is even possible as it regards the economy and society.

People demanding fairness in economics are typically defining what they think is fair by completely ignoring everything that effects us economically EXCEPT whatever small part of the economic world they're complaining about.

In other words, they have a childish notion that fairness and quality are exactly the same thing....EXCEPT when that doesn't work for them, then they like to remind everyone that the world isn't fair, of course.

THEN, they understand that the concept of fairness in economics is a goofy notion designed to confuse the easily confused.

For example...in order to have a simplistic FAIR tax system -- one where everyone pays the same taxes fairly; one would have to have a simplistic INCOME system -- one where everyone makes the same salary.

Then I suppose in that mythical universe one could have a FAIR economic system.

Wrong as usual. A tax system can be simple and work no matter how complex the economy is. Assuming the Government is only concerned with spending with in its means. No one has said everyone should pay the same AMOUNT of taxes, JUST the same percentage of their INCOME. And the Government can most definitely arrange for rich people that get money from other then work to be taxed on that INCREASE in wealth. You see all that is needed is that the tax codes be UNIFORM through out the several States. The Government can legally tax just about anything they please as long as EVERYONE has the same burden in every State.

 

[TofuDog]

Fair is not hogging the joint, and not letting your woman fuck one of your friends more than another.

 

[KittenKoder]

Nothing ... absolutely nothing is fair, never has been, never will be.

 

[Toro]

Fair is whatever I want.

 

[roomy]

Fairness would be promoted by the establishment of equality of opportunity, which would have its obvious *felicific* benefits (consistent with the utilitarian principle of happiness maximization), along with the promotion of economic efficiency that could be gained through a libertarian socialist economy based around anarcho-syndicalism, for instance.

EDIT: Well, now...

I find the internet unfair...it allows people to misrepresent themselves and pretend that they are someone whom they are not, in an attempt to deceive others.

Is this another bit about Amanda secretly being a middle-aged man who's trolling the forum? Even if she was, why would it matter? What harm has been dealt to anyone? If some misleading words on a screen were typed, so what? Walk away from your computer and resume your real life. Hell, if she did turn out to be a middle-aged man, it would at least help David realize that his incessant harassment of her was really a manifestation of his homoerotic urges.

It's the reality that you can just get up and walk away that allowed me to simply yawn at the idiotic assertions made about my character and identity by posters on this forum. But I've certainly seen others more sensitive than me here, so why not give them the benefit of the doubt?

Anyway, if that wasn't what you meant, let that function as another general advisory nonetheless.

Trying to justify telling porkies are you?You sad, deviant liar you.

 

[Agnapostate]

Trying to justify telling porkies are you?You sad, deviant liar you.

Shut the fuck up and speak American.

 

[roomy]

Porkies =pork pies = lies.

Porky, I like that as a name for you.It will remind me (should I need reminding) of your lies.

 

[Agnapostate]

Porkies =pork pies = lies.

Porky, I like that as a name for you.It will remind me (should I need reminding) of your lies.

I could tell what they were just from the context, rheumatoid.