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Here is a yacht costing 300 million pounds. It's owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, and an intentional display of wealth.

Go ahead, read about it.

I am keeping my eye on the world's largest private boats, because there's definitely a distributive justice issue here.

This is not to simply finger-point. This single example of a 40 year-old man throwing down hundreds of millions, probably billions, on boats for private use is just the superlative stereotype. In my previous post about the iGoogle photo themes, as I was writing how it would be nice to accommodate those with 1920 pixel wide screen resolutions, I realized that was indicative of my own luxury. I could perhaps get by with a smaller screen, and most people do, but at least I am using it. I have more guitars than I need, and we have a high-quality stroller for our baby, when many do just fine with a $50 umbrella stroller. For everything except the guitars, and even arguably the guitars, there is a rational reason:

• The guitars: each of them has a little different sound, different playability, and different personality. I also like to keep some of them in different tunings.
  
• The stroller: those cheap ones are not designed for tall people, and I'd have to stoop down almost a foot to push it, which is heck on my chest and back.
• The monitor: I can have two documents open at once, and can be more productive, plus I really enjoy being able to have a fuller view, instead of a cramped little keyhole.
  
• The boats: I won't assume to answer for them, but they probably have a reason that works for them.

pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel

Labels: economics, freedom versus freedom, yachts