The Company Men | Hacker News Reader

The Company Men

im1776.com

13 pointssni5 comments

At a risk of venturing into dangerous territory here, the central premise of the article confused me. Far from being ideologically free 400 years ago, the world was rocked by violent religious, imperial, and colonial warfare, within and between countries; to say nothing of the way society treated people not like Captain Hawkins. I'm legitimately confused at what the author is nostalgic for.

Nostalgic about imaginary past where murdering other people for money was called bringing civilization and the most successful were called "sir". The money redeems everything else and therefore whatever is done in obtaining them is good and admirable. Currently, glorifying shady people who are showing each other their dicks.

Your comment reminds of the young man on Twitter complaining about how men would go to war and command legions back in the day instead of working boring 9-5 jobs. Brett Devereaux (A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry) did the math [0] and the chances of being peasant was 9/10 while chances of commanding a legion was 1 out of 19,200

Quoting Brett, "Buddy, you wouldn't have been leading legions, you'd have been a damn peasant, listening to the Roman aristocrat whose estate your farm borders lecture you on how you are the problem, as your family literally starves to death."

It also reminds me European types who dream of the glorious Roman Empire, forgetting that if you weren't Italian, there was a very high chance you'd be one of those enslaved with your entire tribe after losing yet another war with the Romans.

That's the thing about people imagining the past: they always imagine they'd be a noble where they'd be a peasant.

[0]: https://x.com/BretDevereaux/status/1666297251004596224

Why did people want spices so badly? I can't imagine any cravings for culinary variety to cause me to spend so lavishly on spices. I assume they were being used for medicines or food preparation and preservation or other uses? I can also see them being status symbols by the rich because of their scarcity and gateway to new experience (What else to get the person who has everything)? If there's so much latent demand for new spices though, seems like there's a lot to be made on inventing new ones.

it was for for food transportation. not actual food preservation.

basically a unnecessary thing turned necessary because of the mechanics that turned a profit on luxury food moving long distances.

just like oil allowed to transport 3lb of banana per American on cooled ship holds... America would hardly starve if all those ships disappeared overnight.

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