Domestic Call at Zoo

Filmed today on our foray to the zoo. Guess there's gonna be conflict in every relationship...

How Can One Make Money Off Stupid People?

A Facebook friend recently asked how she could make money off "stupid people".  This got me thinking.  Those thoughts follow.

Hmm, interesting question. First, what's "stupid" mean? If I'm rich and buy a Rolls, one might say I'm stupid since I spent a lot more than I needed to for something which basically is just for getting me from A to B. But others might say that it isn't since it doesn't cost me much relative to my wealth and it can be seen as an investment in status-propagation; people who look rich have an easier time staying rich (similar to "dressing for success"). But of course, this too can be taken too far. Plenty nouveau-riche folks overspend on trappings, don't invest wisely, and so outspend their resources. (Recently, the dot-com/real estate bubbles showed that in action.)

So really, what is "stupid", then? "Self-damaging", perhaps? If so, we're all some degree of stupid. Some just more than others. I suppose you could go into the cigarette and/or booze businesses and capitalize off others' self-destructiveness, but would you be happy w/ yourself knowing that you're making bank off these things?

I think really what you're asking is this: How do I get as many people as I can to give me as much money as I can get from them? If so, you've already got serious competition: they're known as the government and they just looove to collect back the very money they create. Man, what a great racket! Just start your own country and you're all set.

Or, be like the Bitcoin guys. Invent your own currency w/out even a semblance of authoritative backing and watch people flock to you to buy it. Perhaps the key to finding ways of capitalizing off of "stupid" is to slow your own thoughts to a crawl and somehow limit use of your own IQ and then ask yourself: "What do I want?" Then maybe, you'll have the idea you need. Pet rocks. Bitcoins. Overpriced cars. Large mansions owned by people who can't even find their way through w/out getting lost. Stupid is as stupid does, or in this case, as stupid buys. The list is endless. Just pick something and start selling it!