Bill Gates, patron saint of "the Yawns" - Valleywag Comments

Bill Gates, patron saint of "the Yawns"

sophiekay — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:37:44 PDT

As a YAWN, there are 2 things that is concerning about the recent coverage...

#1 YAWNs are not BORING. Even the name is misleading. I go to the spa, travel etc as long as I do not go over my budget.

#2 Owning a TV is WAY overrated. I would recommend that you all read, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television by Jerry Mander. IT will drastically change your perception.

I hope that some of this coverage leads people to consider a life devoted to charity and not self-aggrandizement.

sophiekay

Bill Gates, patron saint of "the Yawns"

random_play — Thu, 01 May 2008 22:31:39 PDT

Don't forget the GASPs, the Generational Acronym Stereotype Promoters. Preferring catchy buzzwords and incoherent cliches to actual research, the GASPs are the movers and shakers of the trend-reporting world. They produce a steady stream of articles about the new breed of young, smart, wealthy, advertiser-desirable consumitizens who will, over time, behave exactly like the last batch of young, smart, wealthy, etc, acronyms. A scientist at a major university says that sometimes the past affects peoples' behavior. Some disagree, but many believe that two or three anecdotes, plus a bunch of weasel words, confirms a trend that will soon change every aspect of our lives.

random_play

Bill Gates, patron saint of "the Yawns"

poko — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:30:57 PDT

oops, that should be @macbeach

poko

Bill Gates, patron saint of "the Yawns"

poko — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:20:46 PDT

@macbeth For what it's worth, I don't *own* a tv--use the good ol' laptop for all my entertainment.

I do agree with you, though. The other day it came up, and the person I was talking with said that they didn't own a tv, either. I guess it slipped his mind that we'd watched a movie at his apartment once...on a tv. I can only assume that he meant he didn't get cable.

poko

Bill Gates, patron saint of "the Yawns"

BobDope — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:16:32 PDT

acc to Barron's, you gotta have $50 million to be in the 'beer and pretzels' richness category.

BobDope

Bill Gates, patron saint of "the Yawns"

macbeach — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:05:09 PDT

I wonder how real the claim of not owning a TV is for some. I don't *watch* TV. There is no reception where I live, I don't choose to get cable. But *do* own a TV, used exclusively for old VCR tapes and DVDs. I could call it a "monitor" and claim to not own a TV, and maybe that is what some of these non-TV owners are doing.

macbeach

Bill Gates, patron saint of "the Yawns"

ifstone — Thu, 01 May 2008 09:16:59 PDT

It would be nice to see this take hold as a new ethic, especially as the moderately wealthy become more numerous. Of course, most "normal" people dream of spending their money on crap. It's a test of character.

My sister and her second husband are moderately rich, and to my surprise she's become a full-throttle materialist (and insufferable snob).

ifstone

Bill Gates, patron saint of "the Yawns"

BartKela — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:55:43 PDT

I know, I know. Sorry, I haven't had my 12-oz. Zac-n-Jac'.

BartKela

Bill Gates, patron saint of "the Yawns"

matto — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:46:18 PDT

@BartKela: You're so angry today!

matto

Bill Gates, patron saint of "the Yawns"

BartKela — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:37:14 PDT

Thirty-seven is young? Uh, okay.

Not owning a TV set is normal? Well, in some circles. Very small circles since the average American household has something like 2 of them.

Being a millionaire is wealthy? FAIL. (At least in the land where the median price of a previously-owned house is over $600K.)

BartKela