> An analogous question is “isn't it nice to have a society where at least some people are rich?”

There’s a crucial difference between the two questions. “Rich” is a relative term: If everyone had the same amount of money, no one would be rich, you need someone to be worse off (poor) to have someone better off (rich). But someone enjoying their work has no bearing on someone else’s enjoyment of theirs.

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CamperBob2 4 hours ago | parent [-]

you need someone to be worse off (poor) to have someone better off (rich).

The fact that so many people believe this is what bums me out.

You need to understand something: the people who want you to think this way do not have your best interests in mind, any more than the rabid right-wing Trumpers do.

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latexr 4 hours ago | parent [-]

You completely misunderstood the point.

In no way do I mean that someone has to suffer for someone else to thrive. We could (and should) all thrive and have our needs met.

I’m just saying the term is relative, like “tall” and “short”. If we were all the same height, no one would be tall or short, we’d just be. If we all had the same amount of money, no one would be rich or poor.

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CamperBob2 4 hours ago | parent [-]

An economy isn't a zero-sum game. Wealth doesn't just pop into existence when someone in the government clicks a button on a screen. Money is created that way, but wealth isn't. It has to be created by creating something that someone else values enough to pay for willingly.

No one has to lose anything, in the sense that no one has to give up more than they think the product or service is worth to them. In your example, it's possible for everyone to grow taller.

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latexr 4 hours ago | parent [-]

> No one has to lose anything

For the third time, that is not the argument. Read what I wrote and try to steal man a bit. Get your preconceived argument out of your head and understand we are in agreement. The difference between wealth and money isn’t in question, that is something you just added to the argument and decided with zero basis that I disagree.

The fact that so many people jump to conclusions and immediately dunk on others who agree with them is what bums me out.

What a waste of a conversation. Why are you spending time criticising those who support the same points?

	▲	CamperBob2 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		What a waste of a conversation. Why are you spending time criticising those who support the same points? All I know is what you wrote, sorry. Same shit we could all read on Reddit: "If everyone had the same amount of money, no one would be rich, you need someone to be worse off (poor) to have someone better off (rich)." If you frequently find yourself misunderstood in this way, work on expressing yourself more clearly.