What's the comparison of Mimi's indulgence? She didn't spend as much as wine connoisseurs or John Travolta on his jet and she won contests. How much did Lance Bass spend for spaceship lessons that he never used? Do you know how much money gets spent on jewels in this world?

I take it Mimi bought the best. Have you seen her legs? I don't bother to think about how much she spent because I would have to think from a perspective of her degree of wealth and I can't be bothered. If you think about the percentage of income that gets donated to charity, maybe most super richies don't measure up to more modest earners although there are HK moguls who have left everything to charity. I bet she's getting heat for being a single Chinese 61 year old who is very rich and for what she spent her money on.

However she decides to spend her 120 mil, it all goes back to the economy and will help countless people in immeasurable ways.

Simon, I would like to take this opportunity to comment on this post.

When talking about a moral compass, one has to ask what is the ultimate standard of value, attributed to that compass. Is it serving other people, or holding one's own life as the ultimate standard of value?

Dancing is of great value to Mimi Wong. It makes her life happier. The alternative is to ask Miss Wong to give up some of that happiness for the sake of people she has never met.

Free markets ultimately derive from a morality, that says each person is a sovereign individual, with their own life as the standard of value. Sacrifice as such, is inconsistent with free markets, and leads to other, crueler systems, those that force sacrifice as a way of life.

I don't begrudge her money, nor do I begrudge her right to do what she likes with it. But I don't go all the way on the libertarian path - sure her dancing lessons make her happy. The same amount could also make many people substantially happier - for example with the Mimi Wong wing of a hospital. Is 8 years of ballroom dancing really worth that much? That's what my problem is - the value she placed on the lessons and the opportunity cost of what that money could achieve. And yes, there are many other examples of such conspicuous consumption.

How she spends her money is up to her.

But almost everyone says that her spending so much on dance lessons is foolish.

Then the next question usually asked is, how competent is she to make decisions in an senior managment role, let alone in a bank!

With due respect to Hong Kong Capitalist, while I can't argue with Miss Wong's (or anyone else's) exercising her (his) basic freedom to do whatever she (he) whimsically pleases with her(his)own money, I would respectfully submit that a crucial flaw in capitalism is the over-emphasis of the word "self". There's nothing wrong with self-serving, but extreme self-indulgence as exemplified by conspicuous consumption with no compassion for the less fortunate (it usually follows) surely isn't something one should be proud of. If all wealthy and influential people could and would willingly follow the good examples of people like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton etc. in returning wealth or benefit to society, then, and only then, can capitalism claim to be serving societies well. The hard fact is: by far more capitalists only know how to take from society (and pass on to their next generation) and never think about giving back. Look at the U.S., where capitalism and free market are deemed sacrosanct, aren't they struggling with monopolies, oligopolies and wealth inequalities? On this issue, I would recommend people to read John Kenneth Galbraith's "The Affluent Society".

I think if you look at the common thread here among the last three entries, it reflects a common belief today; that the individual sacrifice (at least some of) his values to those of others - especially where others see it as conspicuous consumption.

However this is letting other people select a person's values - saying that person should sacrifice their values for others. One has to remember, that Miss Wong (or her family) chose what goals to pursue, she reached those goals, and got rewarded for reaching those goals. She then decided how to spend this money. Ayn Rand answers J Gailbraith quite well. Her book The Virtue of Selfishness is a good start. She explains why (rational) selfishness is good.

We can all say that she can spend her money however she likes, as long as she isn't in a (J S Mill sense) hurting anyone else. I guess Simon's point, which seems fair, is that she is hurting other people by not spending it on the needy when she clearly has loads lying around.

I don't think this is about the fact that she's a 61-year old single woman at all. If she was a 40 year old man instead we'd think it was weird too. Regardless of the fact that she can do whatever she likes with her money, it's that it is sooooo far off from what we would do with our dough if we had that much that makes it so wacky.

I think it is because very few of us can relate to spending that much on dancing (whereas we could perhaps better understand a trip into space, or something of that ilk, or even a really amazing lover) that makes it so strange and disturbing. Capitalism does not trump communal values, and if the vast majority of people can't relate to such conspicuous consumption, they will face opprobrium, like it or not. That's human nature.

Nice Site! I found something useful for me! thanks. Check out other nice sites! free mobile ringtone http://xenical-side-effects.bapki.com - xenical side effects xenical side effects http://buy-xenical-online.bapki.com - buy xenical online buy xenical online http://xenical-weight-loss.bapki.com - xenical weight loss xenical weight loss http://buy-xenical-online.bapki.com - buy xenical online buy xenical online http://xenical-weight-loss.bapki.com - xenical weight loss xenical weight loss

Nice Site! I found something useful for me! thanks. Check out other nice sites! depression treatment http://mosquito-ringtone.brain4soft.com - mosquito ringtone mosquito ringtone http://asian-virgin.trahaet.com - asian virgin asian virgin http://asian-virgin.trahaet.com - asian virgin asian virgin http://addiction-treatment.trahaet.com - addiction treatment addiction treatment http://substance-abuse-treatment.trahaet.com - substance abuse treatment substance abuse treatment

PReved, krosavcheg! Vizit my new site:
hot lolitas
lolita bondage
top lolita
youngest lolita
top lolita|
asian lolita porn|
gothic lolita

Goodbuy! :)

PReved, krosavcheg! Vizit my new site:
lolita sex videos
top lolita
hot lolita
teen lolitas
lolita picture
reading lolita in tehran
lolita davidovich
lolita nude art
lolitas pictures
ls magazine lolita
lolita girls
lolita porn
shylolita
lolita skanks
lolita biz

Goodbuy! :)