Under ScrutinyThis article was published by Under Scrutiny on February 10th 2006. This article has 9 comments.

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Man’s life is not a business

“Dear Mr President, Internal Revenue regulations will turn us into a nation of book-keepers. The life of every citizen is becoming a business. This, it seems to me, is one of the worst interpretations of the meaning of life history has ever seen. Man’s life is not a business.”

- from Saul Bellow’s ‘Herzog.’

9 Comments to “Man’s life is not a business”

  1. This Space for Rent says:
    11/2/2006 at 6:18 pm

    This is pretty much a non-sequiter but if you’d like to play a business, there’s a great online game where you run McDonalds. It’s a brilliant combination of econcomics, and social criticism. And remarkable addictive. There part of a anti-advergames to counter the trend to put adverts in video games. Link is below

    http://www.mcvideogame.com/

  2. Oliver says:
    12/2/2006 at 4:10 pm

    The anti advertising games people are really interesting aren’t they.

    Here’s an article about it:

    http://news.com.com/Games+that+stick+it+to+The+Man/2100-1043_3-6035028.html?tag=nefd.lede

    For anyone interested in computer game theory and more

    ()

    Try the Ludologist:

    http://www.jesperjuul.net/ludologist/

    Very interesting (and where I found the above article).

  3. Oliver says:
    12/2/2006 at 4:31 pm

    Also (and I apologise for continuting the tangent) but there’s a very interesting and famous bit of research an economist did that shows how playing in gameworlds can earn you enough money in real terms to live in america. It’s a very good read. And scary:

    http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=294828

  4. Gary Ablett says:
    14/2/2006 at 2:21 pm

    Did you know that there are Eastern European sweatshops where teenage kids play video games all day and sell their hard earned character development work (via an American company making all the real money) to rich Western geeks who want to be shit hot on-line gamers but have to go and earn a living so as to pay these poverty stricken kids for the priviledge?

    The thought makes me want to vomit up my liquid lunch.

    Happily, the more that my life stretches toward death and away from birth the more I fell like my life is NOT a business. This is of course despite the efforts of millions around me to convince me that that is not the case. And also through clenched teeth and endless effort and repeated failure.

    Hey!? What are chicks doing talking about video games!??!?!!?

    The world’s gone mad.

    I am not the real Gary Ablett… but I am not a chick… and I do not talk of video games… the world’s gone mad madly mad madder mad mad.

  5. RobotDan says:
    14/2/2006 at 2:59 pm

    Great comments.

    Ablett, i think this reflects your feelings:
    http://www.geocities.com/jyroflux/dvds/ItsAMadx4World.jpg

  7. This Space for Rent says:
    15/2/2006 at 2:45 pm

    I thought games for girls have to be pink. In fact one of the reasons I can cope with this site is its choice of colour scheme. Otherwise I feel alienated, and have to go shopping.

  8. Oliver says:
    15/2/2006 at 9:27 pm

    This is kind of a game for girls, click on it - it’s very funny

    http://www.homestarrunner.com/tgsmenu.html

    also here:

    http://www.homestarrunner.com/tgsmenu.html

    If you click on answering machine.

  9. Oliver says:
    15/2/2006 at 9:28 pm

    sorry, in the second instance I meant here:

    http://www.homestarrunner.com/toons.html