Australian Politics Forum - 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child

Equitist

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NSW

19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child
Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 8:44pm

Sounds preposterous, doesn't it - and yet most of us seem willing to tolerate this same type of situation in our day to day lives - at work, in the community and in the world!?

Here's a scenario I would ask everyone to consider...

If you held a birthday party for your 7 year old son or daughter and invited 19 guests: would you allow your child to take 19 out of 20 equal-sized pieces of that cake for themselves, thereby leaving a final 1/20th for the remaining 19 children to share!?

I would hope that you would denounce such a scenario as totally unfair and unreasonable - not to mention that it would be teaching the child selfish and anti-social attitudes.

So, I now ask you to answer this question honestly: at what age would you start teaching that same child that it is OK for the top 5% of individuals to control hoard 95% of the nation's (or world's) resources!?

I am especially keen to hear from the Xtians amongst us!

PS This thread was prompted by a thread discussing the Occupy 99% Protests elsewhere: http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1317806183/180#184

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Lamenting the shift in the Australian psyche, away from the egalitarian ideal of the fair-go - and the rise of short-sighted pollies, who worship the 'Growth Fairy' and seek to divide and conquer!

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Kat Gold Member Offline Socialism IS the answer. Posts: 17709 Everywhere and no-where Gender:	Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child Reply #1 - Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 8:48pm I'd say that far too many got 19 pieces of cake as kids, and now consider it a God-given right. And if they can steal or extort the 20th piece, so much the better.
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qikvtec Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 1846 Queensland	Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child Reply #2 - Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 8:50pm If it's my cake I'll share it with whomever I please.
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Kat Gold Member Offline Socialism IS the answer. Posts: 17709 Everywhere and no-where Gender:	Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child Reply #3 - Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:05pm qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 8:50pm: If it's my cake I'll share it with whomever I please. That's fine, as long as you aren't stealing or extorting mine while you're at it.
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qikvtec Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 1846 Queensland	Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child Reply #4 - Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:15pm Kat wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:05pm: qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 8:50pm: If it's my cake I'll share it with whomever I please. That's fine, as long as you aren't stealing or extorting mine while you're at it. Would you sell it for $8?
Back to top	Politicians and Nappies need to be changed often and for the same reason. One trouble with political jokes is that they often get elected. Alan Joyce for PM IP Logged

Kat

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Socialism IS the answer.

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Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child
Reply #5 - Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:18pm

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:15pm:

Kat wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:05pm:

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 8:50pm:

If it's my cake I'll share it with whomever I please.

That's fine, as long as you aren't stealing or extorting mine while you're at it.

Would you sell it for $8?

I'm open to negotiation...

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Equitist Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 9632 NSW	Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child Reply #6 - Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:20pm Nice to see you guys getting into the spirit!
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Soren Gold Member Offline Posts: 25654 Gender:	Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child Reply #7 - Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:26pm They'll bake you 20 whole cakes in China for the price of that single slice.
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longweekend58

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Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child
Reply #8 - Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:37pm

Equitist wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 8:44pm:

Sounds preposterous, doesn't it - and yet most of us seem willing to tolerate this same type of situation in our day to day lives - at work, in the community and in the world!?

Here's a scenario I would ask everyone to consider...

If you held a birthday party for your 7 year old son or daughter and invited 19 guests: would you allow your child to take 19 out of 20 equal-sized pieces of that cake for themselves, thereby leaving a final 1/20th for the remaining 19 children to share!?

I would hope that you would denounce such a scenario as totally unfair and unreasonable - not to mention that it would be teaching the child selfish and anti-social attitudes.

So, I now ask you to answer this question honestly: at what age would you start teaching that same child that it is OK for the top 5% of individuals to control hoard 95% of the nation's (or world's) resources!?

I am especially keen to hear from the Xtians amongst us!

PS This thread was prompted by a thread discussing the Occupy 99% Protests elsewhere: http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1317806183/180#184

your scenario is stupid because you arent really talking about equality at all - only equality of reward, not equality of effort or equality of sacrifice. And all the time you crap on about this, the people with the 19/20 of the cake that you contribute nothing towards happily give large amounts back to you for no reward only to have you spit in their face for the gesture. You constantly complain about everyone elses share and never ask the real question.

HOW BIG IS THE CAKE? yes its a question no one ever asks.

Let me help. Because of the efforts of relatively few, the size of the 'cake' is around 100 times what it was a mere 50 years ago. And you get a larger proportion now than you used to as well.

So not only do you get a larger PORTION of the cake the amount you get is vastly more than it used to.

The only difference is that people didnt used to complain about it. Now they do. They want more... for less effort.

You are just greedy.

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AUSSIE: "Speaking for myself, I could not care less about 298 human beings having their life snuffed out in a nano-second, or what impact that loss has on Members of their family, their parents..."

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qikvtec

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Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child
Reply #9 - Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:43pm

Kat wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:18pm:

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:15pm:

Kat wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:05pm:

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 8:50pm:

If it's my cake I'll share it with whomever I please.

That's fine, as long as you aren't stealing or extorting mine while you're at it.

Would you sell it for $8?

I'm open to negotiation...

If I supplied the ingredients would you make it for $20?

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Politicians and Nappies need to be changed often and for the same reason.

One trouble with political jokes is that they often get elected.

Alan Joyce for PM

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longweekend58

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Gender: male

Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child
Reply #10 - Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:57pm

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:43pm:

Kat wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:18pm:

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:15pm:

Kat wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:05pm:

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 8:50pm:

If it's my cake I'll share it with whomever I please.

That's fine, as long as you aren't stealing or extorting mine while you're at it.

Would you sell it for $8?

I'm open to negotiation...

If I supplied the ingredients would you make it for $20?

How would Gillard bake the cake?

1) get consensus on the need for a cake.
2) make it anyhow, regardless of outcome of 1)
3) get a committee to design the cake. requirement of member ship is belief in cake
4) spend $50M advertising the cake
5) get Henry to find 150 recipes for a cake
6) cook it her own way anyhow
7) cut the cake into 20 peices and give it to 22 people.
8) wonder why 7) didnt work properly
9) taste the cake and find it tastes bad and no one wants it
10) tell everyone in 2015 the cake will have flour this time
11) Turn around and find she has been replaced as head chef

then...

Go back to 1)

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AUSSIE: "Speaking for myself, I could not care less about 298 human beings having their life snuffed out in a nano-second, or what impact that loss has on Members of their family, their parents..."

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Soren Gold Member Offline Posts: 25654 Gender:	Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child Reply #11 - Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:58pm As Arthur said to Terry, that cake is not for eating, Terry, it's for investin'.
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qikvtec

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Posts: 1846
Queensland

Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child
Reply #12 - Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 10:01pm

longweekend58 wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:57pm:

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:43pm:

Kat wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:18pm:

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:15pm:

Kat wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:05pm:

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 8:50pm:

If it's my cake I'll share it with whomever I please.

That's fine, as long as you aren't stealing or extorting mine while you're at it.

Would you sell it for $8?

I'm open to negotiation...

If I supplied the ingredients would you make it for $20?

How would Gillard bake the cake?

1) get consensus on the need for a cake.
2) make it anyhow, regardless of outcome of 1)
3) get a committee to design the cake. requirement of member ship is belief in cake
4) spend $50M advertising the cake
5) get Henry to find 150 recipes for a cake
6) cook it her own way anyhow
7) cut the cake into 20 peices and give it to 22 people.
8) wonder why 7) didnt work properly
9) taste the cake and find it tastes bad and no one wants it
10) tell everyone in 2015 the cake will have flour this time
11) Turn around and find she has been replaced as head chef

then...

Go back to 1)

I so wish we had a clapping hand emoticon,

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Politicians and Nappies need to be changed often and for the same reason.

One trouble with political jokes is that they often get elected.

Alan Joyce for PM

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Ex Dame Pansi

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Australian Politics

Posts: 24168

Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child
Reply #13 - Nov 4^th, 2011 at 6:07am

The point is that we are fast running out of ingredients to make the cake. It won't be long until there will be no more cake. This planet's resources are finite and we have wasted our valuable resources for too long.

It is now that people are starting to wake up and realise that we have extremely limited time left to live any type of reasonable or bearable lifestyle if we keep up the same practices. It is already too late to maintain this current lifestyle so we will be forced to change our greedy ways.

The trouble is that we are now addicted to endless spending and governments realise that if they suddenly withdraw the supply we will revolt or at least they will lose elections.

The system we have is designed for growth, that's what keeps us employed, supplies taxes to government and gives the poor hope that they can one day join in the fun.

The problem is that the world has grown too fast and there is no further room to grow. We must adapt to life where economic growth doesn't exist. We have no choice. We can either plan for the transition or or let it unfold for itself.

The exponential growth fairy is dead. I'm hoping that this great depression that we are coming into will go a long way in changing the habits that we have gotten used to. It could well be our saviour. A few years without growth could set the pattern for sustainability.

I highly recommend either one of these books, easy to understand and straight to the point. Both published 2011.

The Great Disruption: Why the Climate Crisis Will Bring On the End of Shopping and the Birth of a New World by Paul Gilding

Great Disruption by Paul Gilding

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_20?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-...

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"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." Hendrix
andrei said: Great isn't it? Seeing boatloads of what is nothing more than human garbage turn up.....

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nairbe

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Posts: 2587
Rural NSW
Gender: male

Re: 19/20 pieces of Birthday cake given to one child
Reply #14 - Nov 4^th, 2011 at 6:57am

longweekend58 wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:57pm:

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:43pm:

Kat wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:18pm:

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:15pm:

Kat wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 9:05pm:

qikvtec wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2011 at 8:50pm:

If it's my cake I'll share it with whomever I please.

That's fine, as long as you aren't stealing or extorting mine while you're at it.

Would you sell it for $8?

I'm open to negotiation...

If I supplied the ingredients would you make it for $20?

How would Gillard bake the cake?

1) get consensus on the need for a cake.
2) make it anyhow, regardless of outcome of 1)
3) get a committee to design the cake. requirement of member ship is belief in cake
4) spend $50M advertising the cake
5) get Henry to find 150 recipes for a cake
6) cook it her own way anyhow
7) cut the cake into 20 peices and give it to 22 people.
8) wonder why 7) didnt work properly
9) taste the cake and find it tastes bad and no one wants it
10) tell everyone in 2015 the cake will have flour this time
11) Turn around and find she has been replaced as head chef

then...

Go back to 1)

Ah yes the very longboring moron has turned the discussion political. The point here is the way we treat our social and wealth equity. But you are clearly not mature enough to get over being angry that your mummy would not let you have all the cake.

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"Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage."
Confucius

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