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> I don't think it in itself qualifies as unethical even - while uncomfortable to make money from the misfortune of others the alternatives are worse. Some of

by chc 8y ago

> I don't think it in itself qualifies as unethical even - while uncomfortable to make money from the misfortune of others the alternatives are worse. Some of the alternatives are worse, not all. In fact, lots of people help alleviate misfortune without profiting from it.

darawk 8y ago
And those people may continue to do so. But their efforts are clearly insufficient.
- solveit 8y ago
  Indeed, if they were sufficient, price gouging wouldn't work!
- fzeroracer 8y ago
  Can you explain how Japan's recovery efforts post-disasters are insufficient, considering how speedy their recovery seems to be with zero price gouging or taking advantage of victims?
  - darawk 8y ago
    Japan has a very strong culture of mutual aid. It is basically unique in the degree to which it works. If your argument is "Well then we should be more like that", then sure, that'd be great. But that doesn't seem very practical. And even if it were, price gouging will be more effective at allocating resources to the problem. Sure, if you happen to have water in Japan, you may share it with others. But you're not going to buy truckloads of it and drive it across the country. On the other hand, if you have the opportunity to sell those bottles of water for $20 each, you may do just that. Money is extremely effective at mobilizing resources.
    - fzeroracer 8y ago
      Can you actually cite and back up your claims? As far as I'm aware Japan is one of the most efficient countries in terms of mobilizing people and resources for disaster response. Are you saying that a country with price gouging will be more efficient than a country without? You still haven't explained how Japan's response is insufficient compared to other countries either.
      - darawk 8y ago
        > Can you actually cite and back up your claims? As far as I'm aware Japan is one of the most efficient countries in terms of mobilizing people and resources for disaster response. Are you saying that a country with price gouging will be more efficient than a country without? It'd be next to impossible to study this, because you can't readily compare disasters. I don't know how efficient Japan is, it may be that there culture is as strong as the price mechanism, or stronger. My argument is that the pricing mechanism works quite well, and that you can't simply snap your fingers and imbue say, Iowans with the essence of Japaneseness. Whereas you can snap your fingers and say "sell things at their market value". > You still haven't explained how Japan's response is insufficient compared to other countries either. I didn't intend to. What I said was the Japan's cultural attitude is not easily replicable and transferable, whereas markets are.

by chc 8y ago

darawk 8y ago

And those people may continue to do so. But their efforts are clearly insufficient.

solveit 8y ago
Indeed, if they were sufficient, price gouging wouldn't work!
fzeroracer 8y ago
Can you explain how Japan's recovery efforts post-disasters are insufficient, considering how speedy their recovery seems to be with zero price gouging or taking advantage of victims?
- darawk 8y ago
  Japan has a very strong culture of mutual aid. It is basically unique in the degree to which it works. If your argument is "Well then we should be more like that", then sure, that'd be great. But that doesn't seem very practical. And even if it were, price gouging will be more effective at allocating resources to the problem. Sure, if you happen to have water in Japan, you may share it with others. But you're not going to buy truckloads of it and drive it across the country. On the other hand, if you have the opportunity to sell those bottles of water for $20 each, you may do just that. Money is extremely effective at mobilizing resources.
  - fzeroracer 8y ago
    Can you actually cite and back up your claims? As far as I'm aware Japan is one of the most efficient countries in terms of mobilizing people and resources for disaster response. Are you saying that a country with price gouging will be more efficient than a country without? You still haven't explained how Japan's response is insufficient compared to other countries either.
    - darawk 8y ago
      > Can you actually cite and back up your claims? As far as I'm aware Japan is one of the most efficient countries in terms of mobilizing people and resources for disaster response. Are you saying that a country with price gouging will be more efficient than a country without? It'd be next to impossible to study this, because you can't readily compare disasters. I don't know how efficient Japan is, it may be that there culture is as strong as the price mechanism, or stronger. My argument is that the pricing mechanism works quite well, and that you can't simply snap your fingers and imbue say, Iowans with the essence of Japaneseness. Whereas you can snap your fingers and say "sell things at their market value". > You still haven't explained how Japan's response is insufficient compared to other countries either. I didn't intend to. What I said was the Japan's cultural attitude is not easily replicable and transferable, whereas markets are.