@Typo-MAGAshiv Thanks again for this resurrection! Something amazing about markets is how big bubbles can go before they pop. Hoeflation is reaching epic proportions that will keep historians busy in their AI inhabited virtual machines a thousand years from now amused.

Let's compare hoes to restaurants: I marvel back in the late 80's I whined about paying for women on dates. Even paying for the first or second date and I was told to "just give in, do an awkward ask out and act like you LOVE paying for dates, and you have a good chance at getting laid". It seemed like a way to sell my soul and it turns out, men collectively did. It just got worse and worse similar to, say, restaurants!

I still see lots of restaurants being built and I'm astonished. Here's something I took photos of. I'm going to post the permits for everyone's amusement because it's utterly shocking. SOMETHING is going on! Look at these permits for a French cafe restaurant being setup on a LEASED building.

Jesus Christ! I added up about $10,000 in building fees for them to even break ground. Then they put in an easy couple of hundred grand in. I see these restaurants going up and down all over the place. In the past 7 years, I've seen some sites with rebuilds twice.

Something similar happened to fast food. Someone remarked the death of good fast food is because starbucks, McD's, Wendys look alike because those old iconic buildings were so unique, they could get in/out cheap so now rebranding a Taco Bell to a McD's is merely changing some signage and paint.

I chatted with a friend whose been devastated by Stacked Ranking and H-1bs laying off everyone and she's been out of work for more than a year. I asked her about savings and she said "We spent it as fast as I earned it". She had a gorgeous wooden deck and nice cars. I drove up until recently a 20 year old Hyundai Elentra. I got mocked for my frugal ways, but it meant sleeping a lot better at night. Going out for $70 steak dinners weekly, or even bi-weekly is insane to me. (however you interpret bi-weekly, it's still insane!)

For me, simply being required to pay for a first date was offensive and I eventually cut that slack realizing I wasn't going to land a pretty wife otherwise. It's like me griping about paying 5 cents for ketchup. But now for young men, work 60 hours a week for an ungrateful blue haired face pierced wife? I cannot imagine.

@redpillschool @Typo-MAGAshiv Merci/Dziękuję for calling me to this thead. Quite enjoyable. Strange I didn't see the callout 2 weeks ago.

I think much of it is due to the COVID phenomenon which thinned the herd and also set lower expectations, yes? People felt bad so they overripped including for take-out. TAKE OUT.

Want a laugh? One of my favorite videos: www.youtube.com/watch?v=02arY49yjDg Part 2: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ehI3L9tOg8

So get this, 20% including on drink total which is basically gravy for restaurants and they often even "recommend" tips on the total+taxes. Since inflation was rampant, that means that a burger that cost me $5 to make at home now is $15 at the restaurant so a 20% tip is 3 bucks. If the waitress serving a table a check of $70 gets $14, and she waits about 6 tables at a time, that's $82/hour. There are some (that which cannot be named) Teddit posts from waitresses bragging about clearing $100k/year. So we're being squeezed by double inflation going out.

I also noticed that standards have shot way downhill. OK, pay the servers more either front or back end but still, the nose piercings are gross. Slow service. My wife nags me to tip at 20 percent no matter what. I'm Done. I'm on Mr. Pink's side now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4sbYy0WdGQ

I'm going to tip from now on in SCALE to actual work performed: If she has 6 tables and ok service, I'm calculating what is appropriate. If it's a $100 steak place, then I'm tipping 5% unless she looks and acts like Sydney Sweeney and runs the table super fast.

BOTTOM LINE: THEY ARE NOT GETTING PAID MORE THAN I EARN TO WAIT TABLES!!!!

Observation: Back about 30 years ago, the USA was a Mecca for “foodies” (or gastronomists). With cheap illegal immigrant indentured servant labor, inexpensive (albeit frankenfood) ingredients, and relatively cheap rents, I had Swiss friends visiting who put on 10 lbs in 2 weeks.

Now it’s the other way around: Europe is largely more affordable even by their standards. Funny that big American portions are no longer the norm due to shrinkflation and quality isn’t there either so what is the point? Aside from perhaps some exotic things difficult to make at home such as General Tso Chicken and such, Eff it. I found takeout places or good places for some stuff but sit-downs is no longer much of an option and that’s ok. That was the NORM for most families back 50 years ago anyway.

@polishknight

I need to follow the TRP thread more consistently for great discussions like this.

Both dot reds (trp.red and forums.red) have been unusually quiet these last few weeks. It's as if all of us got busier IRL at the same time.

Reagan "conservatism" has resulted in an ethnic cleansing and crony capitalism that's become a western existential crisis

Eh. Reagan was a great President, though he had some problems. Crony capitalism is certainly a problem, but from what I saw, Reagan and the Bushes may have allowed the cronyism aspect, Clinton and Obama accelerated the cronyism.

Cronyism isn't a left vs. right problem so much as it is a "people fucking suck and need to be kept in check" problem.

BTW, I know I linked you to this thread, but since you're replying to weeks-old posts, I'm still obligated to bust your balls:

@Typo-MAGAshiv @adam-l I enjoyed this whole thread. Thanks for sharing it. I need to follow the TRP thread more consistently for great discussions like this.

I also pondered these issues and the problem with free market capitalism, in theory, is that it works until actual people get involved much like communism and feminism. I remember feminism being pitched back in the 1970's it would mean freeing men of the primary breadwinner/protector role and women would like men more, blah blah blah and, well, I bought into that until I saw what actually happened as an adult and then about 10 years total of just deciding that ANY feminism was bad including "gender equality".

I'm reminded of the joke that goes about different professions with accountants being able to tell you that you're broke, but not how to get unbroke. I don't know The Answer but we need to move forward from now because we're getting beaten over the head. Reagan "conservatism" has resulted in an ethnic cleansing and crony capitalism that's become a western existential crisis.