• Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    personally I have made thousands off of crypto

    And plenty of other people have lost their shirts. This is gambling on tulips.

    • BobGnarley@lemm.ee
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      9 months ago

      I knew a dude back in '07 who was real into stocks. Always trying to get me into it and always about it. Checking charts all the time. He ended up losing real bad and killed himself. What is your opinion on stocks?

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        My opinion is that I’m not a gambler and my goal in life is not to attain as much material wealth as possible.

        • BobGnarley@lemm.ee
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          9 months ago

          But stocks are a respectable trade and Crypto isn’t? I noticed you said people who make money on crypto are assholes, do you feel the same way for stockholders? Its just interesting that something you don’t like affects every aspect of your life (stocks, and the influence they have on bigger businesses to flourish and add value to our economy). Imagine your world without stocks. That new phone and computer probably wouldn’t be here, as a small example. Stocks are no different than Bitcoin other than one isn’t connected to a country. But saying neither have value isn’t telling the truth.

          • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            But stocks are a respectable trade and Crypto isn’t?

            Please quote me saying that.

            do you feel the same way for stockholders?

            People who have their 401ks invested for them? No. People who play the stock market to get rich? Yes.

            I have nothing but contempt for people whose goal it is to increase their material wealth through gambling. Especially the sort of gambling that will likely never really pay off unless you had plenty of wealth to begin with.

            Material wealth as a goal is bad enough to begin with. Rich people making themselves richer by gambling their money on things like the stock market and cryptocurrency are not people I respect.

            • BobGnarley@lemm.ee
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              9 months ago

              The products you consume and use on a daily basis (the proprietary chips in your phone and computer for example) only exist because they made money for shareholders. In other words if those rich people weren’t making money on the stocks, the need for innovation would have never been to the point it is at now. And as far as the quote goes that was a question but I can quote where you said that dude avoided “being an asshole” for not making money in something you didn’t like (bitcoin). Are you aware that business and free trade as a whole would be completely different without that same market that you hate? Why then call people assholes for investing in things? The venom just doesnt make sense. Also investing your 401K means requiring the services of these same rich folks you are against making money. Just doesn’t make sense.

              • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                Yes, I’ve heard all that nonsense about how capitalism and rich people are essential for humanity’s survival before.

                The things I consume and use on a daily basis could be made by corporations owned by the people who work for them, not owned by people whose sole intent is to enrich themselves.

                You know what capitalism and investment and the stock market has brought us? Planes that crash because stock buybacks are more important than safety.

                • BobGnarley@lemm.ee
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                  9 months ago

                  Not for humanity, but for the new IPhone plus max 12K whatever the fuck comes out next, yes absolutely. And a worker owned factory would have never had the same level of innovation that the stock market has brought us here. Otherwise all the “worker owned” (lol) factories and countries wouldn’t be trying to steal our shit all the time. The AI chips and all that shit would have never been, at least this soon, without making shareholders money. I hate it too dude I agree its fucked. But that plane you linked would still be a prototype in a military factory somewhere never seen by civillians if it hadn’t been in a position to make tons of money to have it available to the public. I knwo that sucks dude, but that is the truth. To deny it is to lie to yourself. I will say that stocks serve a greater function than crypto there’s no doubt to that. But to say one is a big scheme designed to fuck the little guy but the other one isn’t is just false. So why can one be celebrated and welcomed by society (otherwise people sure wouldn’t spend money on the new IPhone 12K whatever) and the other one people be called an asshole instantly if they think “man wouldn’t it have been cool to have been in on that?”

                  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                    9 months ago

                    Why would I give a shit about an unnecessary and wasteful new phone coming out? And why are you calling that innovation? What innovation?

                    Also, a huge amount of innovation, including the internet you’re using right now, was government-funded.

                    It’s a myth that capitalism is necessary for innovation.

                    You seem very invested (no pun intended) in the idea that gaining material things and money are what people should have as goals.