The economics of fun – The secret economics of a VIP party | Hacker News Reader

The economics of fun – The secret economics of a VIP party

economist.com

33 pointsZeljkoS20 comments

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...

> 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).

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.

previously: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23661127

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

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Right. If you've had the opportunity to talk frankly with women from the actress/model/waitress set, of which there are far too many in LA, you hear how it's not working. It's fun when young, but not a career path. The number of models worldwide who make more than an entry-level Google employee is less than 100.

A typical model job is catalog photography: "OK, the next outfit is #4527, the tan blouse on the second rack, and hurry it up, we have 50 more to do before lunch." The high point of a friend's career was being in a McDonalds commercial that ran nationally.

"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.

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.

> ... 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.

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)

Prenups are a thing.

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

- Unenforceable prenups are a thing

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.

I have a friend that is a model. Proper model (photoshoots, catalogues, shoes, hair)(she is a perfect10). She is also a fierce muai-thai fighter. To the point that I saw her training and I was scared (I don't get scared easily). She sometimes shows up to gigs like that. When others drink alcohol, she drinks one RedBull. When guys get frisky, she gets punchy. People use her for her beauty and to post photos on Instagram, and she is cashflowing a nice pension fund.

fulltext anyone?

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

Reply on news.ycombinator.com