As a libertarian exponent of the Che Guevara/Jacques Derrida school of cultural homogeneity, I pretty much believe that for holding a society together, anything goes. You lose a few and you gain a few. Broken eggs equaling omelets.
Since this is Dismantling Leviathon, I guess it means now's time for a photo. God help me if the following is too straightforward. I'm going to try to communicate mainly via semiotics.
Now I'm going to cut through the semiotic code: Gambling is for jackasses.
There, I've said it.
Even if we're talking about "Indian" casinos - how do you think they build them darn grand casinos?
They build them on LOSERS.
Sure, it's "fun." Sure, they sell "cheap drinks." Sure, you can go in with a twenty-spot and get carried out in a wheelbarrow if you are not gambling and that be your fancy. (I'll attest to that claim.) But the truth is deeper.
These cathedrals of futility represent the decline of our species. All values may be neutral, but the incineration of wealth is a hard fact. And it's not just in the casinos. Around every "gaming" property are a host of hangers-on seeking a taste of the cast-off business.
This is "Capos", next door to the Santa Ana Casino. Good food, too cheap. No way the location is economically viable. What you end up with is a micro-culture economically dependent on people who throw their money away.
I'll eat the eggplant dish - yeah. I'll quaff the chianti. I'll marvel at the $7.00 tip. But in the back of my mind I'll also know something is up and I might be sticking it to the good guys once again.
balloons by day... looks like you spent your nights on the seedy side of santa fe!
ReplyDeletedoesn't gambling fund schools?
-Shalom: Lumpy Warm Fantasy
It funds more than schools, bucko. It provides jobs and housing and probably Christmas trees and turkeys. On a macro level it's a good thing.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm talking about here is the micro level; e.g., you, and my wife, and to a lesser extent, me. It's a chump's game, and a waste of your money. But it's big business, so the obvious is still worth saying, is all I'm saying.
Been travelin' and, even worse, forgot how to log in to blogger! Color me one hurtin' pup. Must have had one too many brandy-flavored thingamabobs the other night.
ReplyDeleteI'm hopefully figuring it out...