
The economics of fun – The secret economics of a VIP party - ZeljkoS
https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/07/03/the-secret-economics-of-a-vip-party
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walterbell
From the article:

 _> Ironically, the promoters’ position in the vip ecosystem was closer to
that of the young women they managed than anyone else, though few seemed to
realise it. Like the women, most promoters dreamed about joining the club of
the super-rich that they hovered around, but they were ultimately excluded
from the money and status. They could only pretend to belong._

From 2012,
[https://www.forbes.com/sites/venkateshrao/2012/09/03/entrepr...](https://www.forbes.com/sites/venkateshrao/2012/09/03/entrepreneurs-
are-the-new-labor-part-i/)

 _> the balance of power between investors and entrepreneurs that marks the
early, frontier days of a major technology wave (Moore’s Law and the Internet
in this case) has fallen apart. Investors have won, and their dealings with
the entrepreneur class now look far more like the dealings between management
and labor (with overtones of parent/child and teacher/student)._

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supernova87a
You know, I'm sure these articles get written to spark a little jealousy, a
little outrage.

But you don't have to participate at all, or even get affected except as a
casual outside observer of the ridiculousness. People will be willing
participants in a whole lot of stuff, not all of it good for them. The club
owner, the "pimp" in this case, the mark, the girls. They can all walk away.

But they don't. And that's their choice.

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detaro
previously:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23661127](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23661127)

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fxtentacle
TLDR: Some rich guys like to show off in front of attractive girls. Obviously,
the market will provide. The girls are not idiots, so they will attempt to
take advantage of their proximity to money. But usually, that's not working
too well.

BTW, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy that kind of attention. The whole
concept of buying drinks for girls has never appeared to me, because isn't
that kind of a self-generated proof that your character is too boring?

~~~
treyfitty
Have you ever had the opportunity to utter the words “can I buy you a drink?”?
It’s usually preceded by developing rapport and by the time you know the
answer to the question, it’s a rhetorical question at that point.

~~~
fxtentacle
Sure, I've had the opportunity, but as I said, I never saw the point of it.

I met my wife walking around in a park and commenting the art for display
there. It was like 2PM in the afternoon, so the topic of drinks didn't really
come up.

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leptons
Buying a woman a drink at a bar isn't exactly the same as meeting a wife. It's
quite a bit more superficial than that.

~~~
fxtentacle
While I do agree, I still don't see the point of buying drinks in a bar when I
could meet the same person in a much more relaxed and interesting setting
outside of a bar instead.

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throwaway4007
Why is this flagged? I found the article interesting and relatively well-
balanced.

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hirundo
"Women in this world were living props in a carefully scripted theatre that
created real financial value for men – the promoters who set up the scene, the
nightclub-owners who raked in the bar bills, the wannabe billionaires who used
the environment to network. The women’s motivation was harder to pinpoint."

Hypergamy, status, intoxicants.

~~~
fxtentacle
I'm not sure I need much effort to pinpoint the motivation of people who are
enjoying free drinks and free fancy dinners, both of which would otherwise be
outside of their financial means.

But I do agree with you, the chance of potentially marring a billionaire is
probably also alluring.

It's just that I wouldn't want to be the guy that is married only for his
wallet, because that sounds like a surefire way for being treated like a tool.

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CraneWorm
> ... sounds like a surefire way for being treated like a tool

After crossing some net worth threshold, what other options are there? It
seems like there is too many eyes on you to separate "you" from your money.

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fizixer
So what you're trying to say is that after you've amassed X million dollars
over many many years of work, what other options are there but to have a near
guarantee to reduce it to X/2 millions within a few years (as little as 2
years)? (not to mention leaving you with a lifetime of bitterness and
resentment)

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ivalm
Prenups are a thing.

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fizixer
\- Prenups made null-and-void at the whims of the judge are a thing.

\- Unenforceable prenups are a thing

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ivalm
Hire lawyers for both groom and bride, follow rules fully, your prenup will be
enforceable. Judges don’t whimsically throw out prenups. However, having
unenforceable or illegal clauses or simply not following proper procedure can
make things complicated. Again, separate lawyers for both parties and proper
procedures will make things very enforceable.

If you have children then of course you will pay child support, but if you are
ultra rich that will be a small part of your fortune.

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qnsi
fulltext anyone?

~~~
mulmen
Just create an account. Their registration form does not validate the email
address.

