Idiots and Maniacs

David Ryan

David Ryan is a boat builder and USCG licensed master captain. He is the owner of Sailing Montauk and skipper of Montauk''s charter sailing catamaran MON TIKI You can follow him on Twitter @CaptDavidRyan

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4 Responses

  1. trizzlor says:

    There’s an infinity of ways to find happiness in life, and on an individual level I wouldn’t begrudge anyone their specific choice. But in aggregate I think it’s pretty reasonable to assign different value to pleasure from amassing income versus pleasure from, say, helping fellow humans. It should not be controversial to say that the latter is generally a more lasting and fulfilling, at the very least so we can avoid getting depressed every time some asshole drives by in a nicer car. It is interesting to see conservatives appropriate the post-modern relativism of the left and claim that values are just team signaling in a political culture war. But I hope we haven’t gotten to a point where I’m the same as Bill Donohue if I tell my kids that teaching is generally more rewarding than trading stock.

    By the way, If Reihan sees a teacher or a nurse and thinks only “leisure and prestige” then why are we listening to him at all?Report

    • David Ryan in reply to trizzlor says:

      “It is interesting to see conservatives appropriate the post-modern relativism of the left and claim that values are just team signaling in a political culture war.”

      Indeed. Interesting. Ironic even. But I’m not sure they’re wrong (Disclosure: I’ve never voted for a Republican for national office)

      But ultimately my interest is more personal. I was very proud of that car, and felt patriotic when I drove it. I thought I was doing my part to liberate my nation from dependence on foreign oil.

      But then though the 90s and 00s cars got bigger and bigger and bigger, and I’m pretty sure that it wasn’t just Republicans driving them. And I’m pretty sure exceeding the speed limit is not a partisan practice.

      As for Reihan, he’s another who is very much admired by people who I admire and like, but I just don’t get him. When I read his post, I always end up thinking, “This fellow could have made a lot of money being a lawyer, but instead here he is pursuing prestige.”Report

  2. Liberty60 says:

    McCardle and Reihan write as if the criticism of consumerism and status are a recent phenomenon, as if nothing had been written on this topic until some whiny college students began criticising their $1500 mixers.

    That St. Francis! He’s so high and mighty, denigrating the one measure of high-visibility achievement—income—that clerics don’t do very well on!Report

    • David Ryan in reply to Liberty60 says:

      I’d hazard that with the exception of using plywood as a hull plating material in a certificated vessel, very few new ideas are post here, or on any other blog. As NBC used to say about their Summer rerun schedule: if you haven’t seen it, it’s new to you!

      I like Megan, a lot actually; and I finally think I understand why I’ve found her writing so infuriating since I first encountered it. Or at least I understand a little.

      At any rate, masticating on why a Thermomix (or a catamaran) seem ostentatious, but a trip to Disneyland does not seems worthwhile to me, though clearly doing it publicly has it’s hazards, or at least it does if you care what other people think.Report