Anshe

Anshe Chung has received rather a bad press lately (to put it mildly), so I thought I would take the opportunity of putting the other side of the story.

Today a friend of mine bought some land, knowing that it would take her over her tier limit. She bought it with the intention of selling off part of the land, up to her tier.

So she sold off the extra 512 sq. m to Anshe Chung, for, I believe, quite a low price.

It was then that she realised to her dismay, that in fact the land wouldn't have taken her over the limit. She contacted Anshe and explained the situation. Anshe instantly sold her back the land for what she paid for it.

So despite the fact that it was my friend's mistake, Anshe graciously returned the land which, for someone reputed to be an evil, money-grabbing land baron, seems a pretty nice thing to do. I wonder how many other people inworld would have been so forebearing?

Thanks, Anshe. I wish that all residents could be so accommodating and pleasant to deal with.

I definitely hope this thread stays on topic, since sometimes they tend to go to hell, but I will say that I have also had very good experiences dealing with Anshe. When Federal first came up for sale after Club Elite left, she swapped a parcel I owned near the back of the sim for a parcel I wanted in front of my hotel for no cost.

As a reminder, not all the press about her is bad My original interview with her is here.

May not mean too much coming from me, I have had no bad dealings w/ Anshe either. In fact she has helped me on more than one occassion.

I bought a lot of land in Rose from Anshe...all under market value.

I bought snow land from Anshe for under market value and Anshe has allowed me to display my flowers in her mall at no charge. Anshe has been very nice to me.

Thank you Anshe

When I was having some in-world hassles a month or so ago with some neighbor issues, Anshe sent me a PM with kind words and encouragement, even though the situation did not involve her at all. I thought that was very kind of her.

I bought new land at the Kiddie grid from anshe for 0.5L / sqm.

Thanks Anshe!!!

Did you bring your Catholic priest AV?

my only dealing with anshe was when she contacted me, out of the blue, to ask if i wanted to display some plants in centerville during a free market they were hosting.

she provided a cart and i sold quite a few bonsai over the weekend.

I think Anshe is pretty nice myself and I do believe she often does go out of her way to accommodate people. However, reselling land for a profit without providing a service to the community is inherently predatory.

From a philosophical standpoint how do we as individuals reconcile this disconnection between someone who treats individuals with kindness but who engages in business practices that are inherently unethical? Some people will choose to focus on one instead of the other, some vilifying and others lauding.

Personally, I would like to see the focus move from Anshe completely to focus on the system which permits the practice of unethical capitalist practices. That way we can enjoy her as a wonderful person while focusing the brunt of our attacks on those that maintain the system as it exists.

Let's take our fight to LL, fix the system, and free Anshe!

~Ulrika~

But as this is a capitalist-based economy, ethics go right out the door for the most part. And honestly, I think most people are happy with that. Not happy with Anshe of course (although I cannot speak personally) -- but what are ethics, anyway? Everyone's got a different take on that. I don't want anyone else's ethics imposing on the way I do things.

this is a good time for someone to explain ethics.

not me!

Isn't that how you act when you are all alone and no one can see you? Or is that character?

Is there some reason why capitalism and ethics cannot coexist? I'm sorry but I see noting inherently wrong with capitalism. I sometimes see problems with it's implementation but that holds true for socialism and communism as well. I do not however see how one cancels out the other.

As I have mentioned numerous times in other threads, I have purchased several parcels from Anshe, including my first as a newbee back in August. I have never felt cheated or taken advantage of by Anshe.

I however, have felt cheated by numerous items (scripts, clothes, textures, animations) I have purchased over time, but for some reason "artisans" seem to be beyond criticism...




So is double taxation. I pay taxes to the US government for every penny I earn. Now I come into a game I am paying for with previously taxed dollars, and it seems a certain someone wants to find a way to tax me again, so that someone not willing to pay can play for free... To me, that is predatory Robin-Hoodism at the very least.

Marx, Stalin, Lenin and Mao are dead. Freedom is alive.

- T -

I think the main thing Ulrika is trying to say is "don't hate the person, hate the action and/or hate system in place that allows them to take that action".

I may not agree with Ulrika on the *why* aspect of disliking the land baron situation. But it is obviously a situtation that a lot of people have issues and concerns with for a variety of reasons.

For the sake of *this* thread though, I choose to see where Ulrika was just mainly trying to state that we are focusing on the wrong thing with our issues and concerns. That wrong thing being the "person" instead of the "system".

Just my thoughts.

Who is trying to do that against your will Tito?

Um..mom and dad never teach you right from wrong? Unfortunatley it seems few parents even know, or admit the difference these days. And I would disagree that "most" people are happy with ethics going out the window.

Anyway-this thread was about the positives that Anshe has done, not the other views of her business practices.

Speak for yourself. There are millions of ethical businessmen providing much needed goods, services and jobs in the USA and around the world.

- T -

Not yet, but from all the postings and manifestos it seems thats what the big plan seems to be..

- T -

The service provided by market arbitrage is market liquidity. It gives mobility to those who wish to sell and buy elsewhere. There is nothing predatory about providing market liquidity.

Here is a good wiki link about arbitrage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitrage

There are certain things that land barons are doing that I disagree with. Land Angels is one of them. However, buying from those who wish to sell and selling to those who wish to buy certainly isn't one of them.

I did not mean that most people are happy that ethics have gone out the window. I meant that most people are happy having their own ethics without anyone else's making noise in the background.

I have no problem with capitalism and ethics together, and in fact try my best to please everyone in terms of business practices. I disagree with what Anshe does in many ways, though as I said before I am not speaking from personal experience, which makes my opinion of her somewhat vague (and, in some eyes, inconsequential).

I firmly believe in doing good where you can do it, as long as you aren't making anyone else do it too.

I see your point (and Ulrika’s). Blame the construct of the business and not the person. Which is fine if the only objection is making a profit on land. Everyone is entitled to his or her philosophical opinion. Personally I don't believe that making a profit on land is unethical.

However, if it is the business practice that someone objects to - then that is a different story. For example, people who had land scanners out on other people's property or people who swoop down and steal land that someone accidentally releases.

(To my knowledge, Anshe has done none of these things, so please do not construe that I am insinuating that she did).

If the practice was conducted unethically, then the person could be considered unethical and not the business.

(Crossing my eyes as I read this - sorry if it looks convoluted).

Ahh. Ok, I wondered if that was your concern Tito.

No worries. Ulrika doesn't want one government for all of SL. She would be very interested in seeing pockets of various governments and such pop up all over. Heck so would I. Ulrika wouldn't want someone to be involved against their will though. And she has stated this at other times also.

And no disrespect to Ulrika, who I do happen to respect a great deal, but she does not have any more power than you or I do. And a lot more stand against some of her ideas than with them. So I would not even worry on that end.

This is just as problematic as the original statement. There is nothing wrong with buying and selling. The financial mechanism of the entire world is predicated on the right to perform market arbitrage .. this is how all stock markets work.