Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2012/05/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]It seems to me that there's a great logical fallacy here. Jayanand is pointing to his laborious and dedicated background as a paradigm for success with the idea that his success proves the truth and validity of his particular paradigm. This is circular reasoning. Are we to assume that the 399,999 Indians who have not succeeded as he has failed simply because they did not follow through on his prescriptions? Were these prescriptions known when he started out, or were they only observed, edited and chosen for narration later, a charismatic Horatio Alger story? Certainly, with his success he's entitled to tell it however he pleases. Nothing succeeds like success, but with all the slogging and hard work he cites, I find it difficult to imagine that there were no false starts or dead ends. Surely the company that employed him brought him along. Did he actually receive no help at all from anyone along the way? Never mention or share his difficulties with anyone? I really don't see any qualitative way to say that the actual day to day efforts he made were greater or less than those of the LUG members whose problems we are reading about. Rather, I see an issue of who has the right to tell his personal story, who doesn't, which we'd all rather listen to, and which are more popular. Everyone loves a happy ending, especially when personal wealth is involved. There's another aspect to this thread that deserves mention. It's an almost universal failing in all societies throughout history (not that I'm a historian or anthropologist) that successful people, especially those who are materially successful, don't see a distinction between their success and moral goodness. If I'm successful, I must also be good and worthy of emulation, and, indeed, many do emulate. If you are not successful you are either doing something wrong or aren't emulating enough. One has only to recall the numerous (& fortunately failed) attempts of Donald Trump to fix the financial woes of NYS or the nation in any one of his failed political runs. The unctuous vanity and bombast with which he occupies the spotlight he shines on himself is so palpable that you feel you could fry an egg on your tv after he finishes. On Sun, May 13, 2012 at 11:43 PM, Jayanand Govindaraj <jayanand at gmail.com> wrote: > Ken, > Jobs were equally difficult in India when I graduated in 1972 (yes, I > am just a simple Bachelor of Science). I got to where I was by > cracking the most difficult job exam in India in those days for State > Bank of India. Yes, it was a public exam, and in the my year 400,000 > people wrote it for 250 job openings. After you passed the exam, you > had to go through an intensive full day group discussion, and then a > 2-3 hour interview. All for a job earning less than US$50 a month (at > the exchange rates prevalent at that time, less than US$20 per month > at today's rates). You know what? It was fantastic. We worked in the > rural boondocks, stayed in everything from huts with no toilets to > rented accommodation, ate out every meal, and still managed to save > money and accumulate invaluable work experience - which was the > stepping stone to creating the capital that enabled me to go out on my > own - it took 16 years of slog and saving, though. A lot of very hard > work, and very careful husbanding of resources over 38 years has > enabled me to be where I am now - there has never been and there is > still no free lunch in the world. > Cheers > Jayanand > > On Mon, May 14, 2012 at 1:16 AM, Ken Iisaka <ken at iisaka.com> wrote: >> I don't know if things are worse today. In some ways, yes, but in so many >> areas, things are way better today. >> >> The transportation cost is far lower today than it was 50 years ago, for >> example. Air travel was a domain of the rich only then, but we can fly >> just >> about anywhere in the world for less than the cost of a Leica lens, and >> I'm >> not talking about Noctilux or APO-Summicron 50mm ASPH either. >> >> The competition is more fierce because more people are competing for them. >> With greater scalability, we don't need as many hands to produce products >> and services, the number of people employed in certain sectors have not >> grown in proportion to the population growth. >> >> Back then, the vast majority of "colored" in most of the US had no >> opportunities for education or let alone a decent career. Heck, the vast >> majority of the entire population on earth had no such opportunities, and >> were living on subsistence living. >> >> Now, our economies are far more integrated, and giving opportunities never >> imagined before to far more people in more unthinkable places. >> >> It's no one's fault that we have need for fewer photojournalists today. >> With everyone with a camera on their cell phone, and everyone able to >> tweet >> from the scene, the inherent structure of journalism is changing. >> >> I am grateful for the fact that I am a 1%. I am well fed, have university >> education, an income and assets in the top 1% in the world, and own >> several >> Leicas. However, I am aware that complaining about it doesn't do anything. >> Only I can make my own life better. No one else will. >> >> >> On Sun, May 13, 2012 at 12:31 PM, Lew Schwartz <lew1716 at gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> Why let him off so easily? Things have changed for the worse, but he >>> has no right to complain because it's his fault. >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Ken Iisaka >> first name at last name dot org or com >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information -- -Lew S.