What annoys me most is how status and one's ability to earn money have become intertwined. It would be great if they were separate; then those who seek money wi

What annoys me most is how status and one's ability to earn money have become intertwined. It would be great if they were separate; then those who seek money without status wouldn't have to compete with so many reckless, cheating, psychopathic status-seekers. I guess the silver lining is that one's ability to spend money efficiently (to maximise satisfaction per unit of currency) runs opposite to one's desire for status. There are so many ways to get great value from little money nowadays... Precisely because rich status seekers aren't interested in high quality no-name goods, services and destinations. That's where all the real value is. Real value is essentially wherever the rich people aren't. Everything rich people want most is overpriced by definition because they create inflation in the markets they participate in. Then they stay trapped in those markets because of social peer pressure. 'Decreasing marginal utility' is a euphemism for inflation. That's why I try hard not to participate in the same markets as rich people when buying stuff. I want to earn my money working for rich people and spend it buying stuff from poor people.