Comments on: Vices of the market http://invisiblehandinyourpants.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/vices-of-the-market/ Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:58:45 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: The olive branch « The Invisible Hand, in your pants http://invisiblehandinyourpants.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/vices-of-the-market/#comment-151 The olive branch « The Invisible Hand, in your pants Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:38:25 +0000 http://invisiblehandinyourpants.wordpress.com/?p=91#comment-151 [...] olive branch The Free Market has taken a bit of a beating at the hands of Sam. A jab here. A knee to the groin here. Eye gouging here. Kicking while down [...] [...] olive branch The Free Market has taken a bit of a beating at the hands of Sam. A jab here. A knee to the groin here. Eye gouging here. Kicking while down [...]

]]> By: Sam http://invisiblehandinyourpants.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/vices-of-the-market/#comment-114 Sam Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:09:14 +0000 http://invisiblehandinyourpants.wordpress.com/?p=91#comment-114 Good points, JC. Question: are slots more addictive than cockfighting? I read about slots and addiction in the media, but cockfights are almost never covered. I have no first-hand experience with either form of gambling. Any perspective from experienced gamblers? As a side note, I wonder how many cockfighting aficionados read The Invisible Hand. Speak up. Good points, JC. Question: are slots more addictive than cockfighting? I read about slots and addiction in the media, but cockfights are almost never covered. I have no first-hand experience with either form of gambling. Any perspective from experienced gamblers?

As a side note, I wonder how many cockfighting aficionados read The Invisible Hand. Speak up.

]]> By: JCo1 http://invisiblehandinyourpants.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/vices-of-the-market/#comment-112 JCo1 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:09:08 +0000 http://invisiblehandinyourpants.wordpress.com/?p=91#comment-112 When I think Latin America + gambling, I think cockfighting. Maybe the reason the slots in your picture are so jarring is b/c slots are so impersonal/rigged/non-"local". Rich Businessman invests in a slot machine, sits it down in a crowded place, and watches it pay for itself instantaneously. He sits on the beach drinking margaritas, hires someone else to collect the coins, and doesn't have to see the faces of the people who gamble away their wages. By contrast, a cockfight is a social event, where there's at least some personal interaction between the gamblers. I may take your shirt, but because I have to be there to do it, I may feel bad about it. Another perspective: to an American like you, a slot machine is a symbol of imperialism, while a cockfight is laden with cultural value. But in effect, are they different? When I think Latin America + gambling, I think cockfighting. Maybe the reason the slots in your picture are so jarring is b/c slots are so impersonal/rigged/non-”local”. Rich Businessman invests in a slot machine, sits it down in a crowded place, and watches it pay for itself instantaneously. He sits on the beach drinking margaritas, hires someone else to collect the coins, and doesn’t have to see the faces of the people who gamble away their wages. By contrast, a cockfight is a social event, where there’s at least some personal interaction between the gamblers. I may take your shirt, but because I have to be there to do it, I may feel bad about it.

Another perspective: to an American like you, a slot machine is a symbol of imperialism, while a cockfight is laden with cultural value. But in effect, are they different?

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