I’m looking for a good example or two of "Markets in Sloth," or markets in extremely slothful behavior. For instance say there was an extremely lazy rich man who hired a servant to perform basic tasks such as flushing the toilet for him, etc. Examples and a link, or other documentation, would be most welcome. Of course comments are open, or email me. I thank you all in advance…
Prince Charles. Quite famously his valet used to put the toothpaste on his toothbrush for him. I can find the quote if necessary (although a search of the Telegraph archives would probably get it for you).
There’s also a rather less well founded rumour that when he had to give a urine sample that same valet was employed to steady the Royal appendage.
I put toothpaste on my wife’s toothbrush last night. I also flushed the toilet after my 4 year old the other day. It’s sad if this means I have a comparative advantage in both of those activities.
LOL, great comment Jason!
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My Granfather told me this joke when i was a kid: “there once was the laziest boy in the world. one day the townspeople,
fed up with his shennanigans decided to bury him alive. he made no move to protest. as they carried him to the cemetary,
his poor mom ran up beside the procession and asked him if he wanted a banana. ‘is it peeled?’ the lad inquired, ‘no’ said
the ma, ‘then let the funeral proceed’ the lad proclaimed!!
The Clapper — the pinnacle of slothfulness. “As Seen on TV” http://www.youcansave.com/clap.asp
Requesting that other people come up with ideas for a blog on laziness.
If you want to read about an incredibly lazy person (in terms of personal tasks), read the book about Mao by the man that was his personal physician (Zhisui Li). The people around him had to agonize about how to cut his hair, give him medical and dental care, etc. without any help or cooperation from himself. Mao might move suddenly in the middle of a procedure involving sharp implements, and if he had been harmed by these actions, naturally the person trying to perform the personal service would have been put to death (and they all knew it – read the book).
Of course I don’t know if this can be described as a market. If they performed the services well, Mao was less likely to kill them or their families.
Mao didn’t even do his own bowel movements. His wife, or a servant, was expected to claw it out for him.
This may not be exactly what you’re looking for, but I have an example for markets in avoiding sloth.
I entered into an agreement with a friend (whom I knew would enforce this) whereby I have to pay him if I don’t make it to work by 8:30am at least 3 days a week. If I come in after 8:30 3 times, I pay him $10. 4 times and he gets $20. And should I miss all 5 days, he makes $30. After 8 weeks, I’ve only lost $20, far less than the value I get out of getting to work early more than half the week.
Sure, it’s extremely nerdy, but the cash penalties have been quite effective in forcing my head off the pillow in the morning!
In his book on Haile Selassie, Ryszard Kapuscinski interviews a servant who followed around the Emperor’s dog and picked up his droppings with a silk handkerchief. That was his job, for years.
Do supermodels’ dresses have pockets? If they don’t have purses, I am not quite sure what socially acceptable places there would be to keep business cards on them.
If the news is to be believed, Americans are so lazy that they debate immigration policy exclusively in terms of how easy it will be to find nannies and lawn care workers.
Hiring people to play video games and buying goods off of their labors. The market for virtual items in MMORPG is huge. Hiring people to play game to create currency units to exchange for dollars is perhaps a more striking example.
I suppose the more I think about it, the more it seems perfectly normal. Go figure.
Give me five years. I’m not rich enough yet.
Valet Parking in the suburbs. But I guess that’s signaling not sloth.
The laziest act in the world would be to pay someone to pull your finger.
A certain women’s university in the Gulf requires every student to have a laptop with them in class. Many students had their maids carry their laptops until the administration put a stop to it.
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