Conquer Club

I took the kids to burger king with my parents tonight.

So I glance over at this guy sitting by himself eating his burger. He has a huge grin on his face, nods and hoists his burger like a pint of draft.

I couldn't help but smile and nod back. Then I had a whopper. He repeats what he did earlier. Now I have one so I return the salutation.

Made my night. So now he has my attention and he pulls his shirt straight so it's easier to read, it says, "I aint even MAD bro." Well now I have to talk, I say, "That's good. You don't look mad. You look pretty happy." He nods and smiles another huge smile.

He then started to use his french fries to make moustaches. I make sure my kids are noticing that. Then he uses a napkin as a hat. My 6 year old starts saying really loud, "That guy's crazy." I tell him he's crazy for dancing around and that guy just has a nice hat.

The guy finally says something since he was up until this point just doing pantomime. "I'm full!" and rubs his tummy. I say, "Yeah, that's good." I bet if he posts on a forum he went home and made a thread with the same title.

There's a slightly challenged janitor at a rest stop I end up at if I'm working in the area. Great guy.

He bought some lottery tickets though, and came over to me to ask me to let him know if he had won. I felt horrible, because, I'm sure it wasn't the first time, and if he asked the wrong person, he was going to lose anyways.

I am still at the point in my life where I know, no matter what he won, Id have insured that he got his proper winnings, and I hope that never changes.

You um, "work" rest stops? Cool.

Don't feel horrible just because there's so many scummy people in the world. What can you do? It's just good to read when someone, like yourself in this case, makes the right choice just because it's the right choice. Imagine if everyone did.

That's pretty much what Yeshua is all about with his crazy laws. "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." and "Do to others what you would want them to do to you."

2dimes wrote:You um, "work" rest stops? Cool.

Don't feel horrible just because there's so many scummy people in the world. What can you do? It's just good to read when someone, like yourself in this case, makes the right choice just because it's the right choice. Imagine if everyone did.

That's pretty much what Yeshua is all about with his crazy laws. "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." and "Do to others what you would want them to do to you."

"Ah, Jesus. I like Jesus, but he cant help me hit a curve ball."

...but no, I do not work at the rest area, but in a town past it, so I stop for Dunkin Donuts for coffee....well, now its a decaf tea....shit...this isnt helping....

And I absolutely respect many of the laws of Christianity. I just wish more supposed religious people did, too.

And if this is unclear, I in no way mean you here, just in general, and only in hypocritical cases.

Don't worry. I'm hypocritical. Sorry 'bout the sermon.

AAFitz wrote:I am still at the point in my life where I know, no matter what he won, Id have insured that he got his proper winnings, and I hope that never changes.

it's very easy to say this hypothetically on an anonymous online forum. but i think everyone has their breaking point, a certain amount of money where they would try to scam the guy out of his tickets just so they could get it instead.

No.
Though there's people i happily would scam it from.

I think it's a fair enough accusation to make. Not to fitz but to basically everyone. It's probably much easier to be noble about it and make sure he gets his $200.

Now let's say you're faced with him hitting all the numbers plus bonus on the largest power ball jackpot to date.

I'll even come back and justify it in a bit.
Aight, I'll edit instead of double posting.

I tell our friend who doesn't know better, he lost. After retrieving the ticket from the trash, I'm now up several million dollars but he's happy because money doesn't totally make sense to him other than it buys him a tasty double whopper once in a while.

Since I know he works at or near the rest stop. I come back occasionally to buy him whoppers, doughnuts, candy and whatever else. It's an all round win really.

If you are big enough not to take the money. Pretty much everyone will think you are the mentally challenged one, even if they don't have the nerve to say it to your face.

Well I dont know if you guys are still telling stories, but at my high school, we have a life skills class and as part of it, all the mentally challenged kids go and get the recycle from the class rooms, which I find a little demeaning, but back to the story, there was one who every time he walked into a classroom of mine and saw me, he would wave to me and I'd wave back. Thought I'd share that.

john9blue wrote:

AAFitz wrote:I am still at the point in my life where I know, no matter what he won, Id have insured that he got his proper winnings, and I hope that never changes.

it's very easy to say this hypothetically on an anonymous online forum. but i think everyone has their breaking point, a certain amount of money where they would try to scam the guy out of his tickets just so they could get it instead.

What is the price of morally good action?


Is there a price at which anyone would commit an improper act (e.g. AAFitz's example)?

"I myself am but indifferent honest"...
but to rip off someone helpless simply for my own gain...no.

Almost for sure. Easy to say I wouldn't but wave a couple billion dollars in front of me and let's see what really happens.

Hey new guy. 'Sup?
There is a little girl in my kids school since they have two "skills" classes there. I was there one time to watch an assembly. She grabbed my hand and said, "Hi are you coming with us?" It was pretty cute. I said, "Yeah, sure." Then one of the teachers not knowing me at the time raced over and apologized to me and scolded her. I told her it was ok. My wife still teases me that the little girl is my "girlfriend" years later.

BigBallinStalin wrote:

john9blue wrote:

AAFitz wrote:I am still at the point in my life where I know, no matter what he won, Id have insured that he got his proper winnings, and I hope that never changes.

it's very easy to say this hypothetically on an anonymous online forum. but i think everyone has their breaking point, a certain amount of money where they would try to scam the guy out of his tickets just so they could get it instead.

What is the price of morally good action?


Is there a price at which anyone would commit an improper act (e.g. AAFitz's example)?

who is to say that the act is improper? 2dimes raised a good point- you may be able to generate more happiness by stealing the wealth from him. which is not to say that "no stealing" shouldn't be a rule of thumb in our culture.

2dimes wrote:Almost for sure. Easy to say I wouldn't but wave a couple billion dollars in front of me and let's see what really happens.

Hey new guy. 'Sup?
There is a little girl in my kids school since they have two "skills" classes there. I was there one time to watch an assembly. She grabbed my hand and said, "Hi are you coming with us?" It was pretty cute. I said, "Yeah, sure." Then one of the teachers not knowing me at the time raced over and apologized to me and scolded her. I told her it was ok. My wife still teases me that the little girl is my "girlfriend" years later.

I have no earthly idea why you addressed me before you made that statement

john9blue wrote:

BigBallinStalin wrote:

john9blue wrote:

AAFitz wrote:I am still at the point in my life where I know, no matter what he won, Id have insured that he got his proper winnings, and I hope that never changes.

it's very easy to say this hypothetically on an anonymous online forum. but i think everyone has their breaking point, a certain amount of money where they would try to scam the guy out of his tickets just so they could get it instead.

What is the price of morally good action?


Is there a price at which anyone would commit an improper act (e.g. AAFitz's example)?

who is to say that the act is improper? 2dimes raised a good point- you may be able to generate more happiness by stealing the wealth from him. which is not to say that "no stealing" shouldn't be a rule of thumb in our culture.

Sure, with utilitarianism, such acts can be justified! WOOO!!!

With virtue ethics (Aristotle's)* and Kant's categorical imperative, then nah. Even the "amoral" economist, Lootifer, would find your position Pareto inefficient. For shame!


*(Virtue ethics might justify that, but that requires a lengthy off-topic case).

2dimes wrote:I took the kids to burger king with my parents tonight.

So I glance over at this guy sitting by himself eating his burger. He has a huge grin on his face, nods and hoists his burger like a pint of draft.

I couldn't help but smile and nod back. Then I had a whopper. He repeats what he did earlier. Now I have one so I return the salutation.

Made my night. So now he has my attention and he pulls his shirt straight so it's easier to read, it says, "I aint even MAD bro." Well now I have to talk, I say, "That's good. You don't look mad. You look pretty happy." He nods and smiles another huge smile.

He then started to use his french fries to make moustaches. I make sure my kids are noticing that. Then he uses a napkin as a hat. My 6 year old starts saying really loud, "That guy's crazy." I tell him he's crazy for dancing around and that guy just has a nice hat.

The guy finally says something since he was up until this point just doing pantomime. "I'm full!" and rubs his tummy. I say, "Yeah, that's good." I bet if he posts on a forum he went home and made a thread with the same title.

So did you know AoG would be at the Burger King or was it just a coincidence you ran into him?

new guy1 wrote:Well I dont know if you guys are still telling stories, but at my high school, we have a life skills class and as part of it, all the mentally challenged kids go and get the recycle from the class rooms, which I find a little demeaning, but back to the story, there was one who every time he walked into a classroom of mine and saw me, he would wave to me and I'd wave back. Thought I'd share that.

I generally find your post agreeable, but regarding the underlined:

Why is it demeaning?

Who knows what sort of bad things might happen to a guy like that with even a couple hundred thousand dollars.

He's bound to have staff robbing him. Suddenly every one in his family or claiming to be family will show up, "Hey I know you haven't seen me for twenty years. I was really hoping to have a chance to visit. I finally came by. So I need some money."

He's probably only going to have it for a couple of weeks before it's liberated from him anyway.

He might even get murdered.

John9blue might be the reasonable one here. If it's a decent sized win what is his support system like?

new guy1 wrote:
I have no earthly idea why you addressed me before you made that statement

Because both stories are about skills class kids in schools.

saxitoxin wrote:So did you know AoG would be at the Burger King or was it just a coincidence you ran into him?

Coincidence. I'd go intentionally though. He's pretty tall now. Several inches over five feet in fact.

BigBallinStalin wrote:

new guy1 wrote:Well I dont know if you guys are still telling stories, but at my high school, we have a life skills class and as part of it, all the mentally challenged kids go and get the recycle from the class rooms, which I find a little demeaning, but back to the story, there was one who every time he walked into a classroom of mine and saw me, he would wave to me and I'd wave back. Thought I'd share that.

I generally find your post agreeable, but regarding the underlined:

Why is it demeaning?

What if the mentally challenged individuals were not mentally challenged, but instead were black? Is that demeaning?

BigBallinStalin wrote:

new guy1 wrote:Well I dont know if you guys are still telling stories, but at my high school, we have a life skills class and as part of it, all the mentally challenged kids go and get the recycle from the class rooms, which I find a little demeaning, but back to the story, there was one who every time he walked into a classroom of mine and saw me, he would wave to me and I'd wave back. Thought I'd share that.

I generally find your post agreeable, but regarding the underlined:

Why is it demeaning?

Not only do they make them do the recycling thing, they also have to clean the bathrooms and such as if they were janitors. I realize that it is teaching them how to do these things themselves, but I feel as though they are taken advantage of so that the school does not need to higher as many janitors. I guess its just an opinion thing, but I just feel like they are taken advantage of.

fastposted- Gotcha, and I did not mean for the word demeaning to start anything. Its just my opinion.

One of the real life guys in the thread is a janitor.
Oh wait I get it. You've gone so far in the quest for equality that you believe a certain amount of surgeons, airline pilots etc. should be mentally challenged people. You know, because it would be demeaning to say they need to find a menial task like collecting the recycling as employment.

What if the mentally challenged individuals were not mentally challenged, but instead were black? Is that demeaning?

That depends a bit on wether or not being "black" is different from being "mentally challenged"?
Some of us think it is.

BigBallinStalin wrote:

john9blue wrote:who is to say that the act is improper? 2dimes raised a good point- you may be able to generate more happiness by stealing the wealth from him. which is not to say that "no stealing" shouldn't be a rule of thumb in our culture.

Sure, with utilitarianism, such acts can be justified! WOOO!!!

With virtue ethics (Aristotle's)* and Kant's categorical imperative, then nah. Even the "amoral" economist, Lootifer, would find your position Pareto inefficient. For shame!


*(Virtue ethics might justify that, but that requires a lengthy off-topic case).

so you think that it's never right to do such a thing?

or have you just dealt with too many selfish fuckwits who use some bastardized version of utilitarianism to justify their actions, and are therefore closed-minded to any possibility that the philosophy might hold merit?

2dimes wrote:One of the real life guys in the thread is a janitor.
Oh wait I get it. You've gone so far in the quest for equality that you believe a certain amount of surgeons, airline pilots etc. should be mentally challenged people. You know, because it would be demeaning to say they need to find a menial task like collecting the recycling as employment.

What if the mentally challenged individuals were not mentally challenged, but instead were black? Is that demeaning?

That depends a bit on wether or not being "black" is different from being "mentally challenged"?
Some of us think it is.

... I can change the words if you really want me to, if they really offend you so bad that you have to jump to the conclusion that I want them to be surgeons and airline pilots and such when I was just saying that it is like having a bunch of people walking around not getting pay. I also do not mean to offend anyone who is a janitor, I am just saying that I felt my school was taking advantage of them and using them so they didnt have to employ as many people (because they have to pay extra employees). I am not trying to be offensive, Im sorry if I am coming off that way.

Relax. Back to my kid's school. Part of the reason the skills kids are collecting the recycling is to help them get "Skills".

If they don't want to participate they will be give the option to do something else. Many of the enjoy it. Though at the elementary school level the rest of the school is not looking down on it yet. Regular kids get to collect the recycling also as a reward for good behavior.

At some point everyone will top out career wise. I specifically used those two examples to raise the bar. Best part is airline pilot is well below surgeon.