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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yair" data-source="post: 1557842" data-attributes="member: 10913">I do .I do not subscribe to this point of view. I know it is the basic capitalistic spiel, but I just (can't.... resist... pun...) don't buy it.As the consumer, I am the one paying the money and so I am the one determining its price. I do not accept the premise that the seller has a monopoly on setting the price (and yes, I am quite aware the law does). I consider that a monopoly, and I think monopoly is not in the interest of society. Not purchasing the product is a possibility. So is purchasing it illegally. So is purchasing it illegally and compensating the producer in another way, by some other sum. I refuse to flat-out advocate one position as morally superior; I find it depends too much on circustances.With the rpg buisness in mind, I personally think the margins of profit are so low that I do indeed purchase the products at full price, even if I bulk at some of the prices. This has to do with me wanting to reward the people who make the work, not with any abstract economic model (capitalism or any other).Again, "excessive profit" to me is a pet peeve. I believe me and you differ on the definitions here (or, I suspect, me and any economy textbook on the planet). I doubt its discussion will be conductive to the issue at hand.If you wish to know, as a PS note, to me, excessive profit has nothing to do with the corporation's *size*, the market demand for the product, the legality of the whole affair, or anything like that. It has to do with what is a fair compensation for time, effort, and talent spent. I have no set formula, but I do believe I can tell when someone is making WAAAY above and beyond what I consider to be fair compensation, and I refuse to "compensate" him further. For example, making a record is an enormous investment in time and effort, not to mention talent. But, say, Britney Spears sold over 50 million records of "Hit Me Baby One More Time"; do you seriously contend she was not aptly compensated for all the hard work it took to produce it? The capitalist answer would be "since people are still willing to buy it, obviously she deserves more!"; I beg to differ. For me, she has already been compensated, and then some. Collecting more money at this point is sheer greed.This is a personal choice, not a social system, certainly not an economic system. I am not saying an economic model where everyone pays as much as he thinks the thing deserves will work. I am saying it works for me.[And if you wanna Kant me: yes the world will be a better place if everyone payed what the work deserves; they just won't in practice.]</blockquote>

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