[Leica] working & earning & lifetsyle

[ken at iisaka.com (Ken Iisaka)]

I don't know if things are worse today. In some ways, yes, but in so many
areas, things are way better today.

The transportation cost is far lower today than it was 50 years ago, for
example. Air travel was a domain of the rich only then, but we can fly just
about anywhere in the world for less than the cost of a Leica lens, and I'm
not talking about Noctilux or APO-Summicron 50mm ASPH either.

The competition is more fierce because more people are competing for them.
With greater scalability, we don't need as many hands to produce products
and services, the number of people employed in certain sectors have not
grown in proportion to the population growth.

Back then, the vast majority of "colored" in most of the US had no
opportunities for education or let alone a decent career. Heck, the vast
majority of the entire population on earth had no such opportunities, and
were living on subsistence living.

Now, our economies are far more integrated, and giving opportunities never
imagined before to far more people in more unthinkable places.

It's no one's fault that we have need for fewer photojournalists today.
With everyone with a camera on their cell phone, and everyone able to tweet
from the scene, the inherent structure of journalism is changing.

I am grateful for the fact that I am a 1%. I am well fed, have university
education, an income and assets in the top 1% in the world, and own several
Leicas. However, I am aware that complaining about it doesn't do anything.
Only I can make my own life better. No one else will.


On Sun, May 13, 2012 at 12:31 PM, Lew Schwartz <lew1716 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Why let him off so easily? Things have changed for the worse, but he
> has no right to complain because it's his fault.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>



-- 
Ken Iisaka
first name at last name dot org or com