#captain samuel vimes boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness

[amygdalae]

When you're re-reading Men at Arms and you get to the Captain Samuel Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness

[syl-stormblessed]

I JUST GOT TO THE CAPTAIN SAMUEL VIMES "BOOTS" THEORY OF SOCIOECONOMIC UNFAIRNESS. THAT FELT LIKE A RIGHT OF PASSAGE.

[anexperimentallife]

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

– Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms

[mommybard]

wtf do boots have to do with it

Lemme grab the quote: The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness. Basically opened me up to thinking about how its more expensive to be poor than it is to be rich, and it kinda spiraled from there

[banji-effect]

This is the funniest, most literal example of Vimes’ Boots Theory imaginable:

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

[hobbitsetal]

5 Movies, 4 Songs, 3 Essentials, 2 Books, 1 Quote

Tagged by @senadimell; thank you!!

5 MOVIES

In no particular order:

1. The Secret of Kells. The animation, the music, the accents--I am utterly in love with anything by Cartoon Saloon.

2. Song of the Sea. you know what, it gets its own entry, because it's just so darn enchanting. Cartoon Saloon is a gift to the world.

3. The eminently quotable The Princess Bride

4. The Man From Uncle. It's fun, it's classy, it's so sexy and stylish...

5. Hoodwinked. I quote that movie so very much

4 SONGS

1. Bloom, by the Paper Kites. Soft, sweet, yearning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4XdnD5c334)

2. Budapest by George Ezra. Not only do I vibe with it, but also it makes me think of Cahan Windlow from my novel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ5k_fvscJk)

3. Subway Song by Julianna Zachariou. It's just cute (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAIeQY5o8gE)

4. Short Change Hero by the Heavy. Makes me think of my oc Redmond from that stupid unfinished novel, plus it's just good dark n stormy vibes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u9ymiSmtXY)

3 ESSENTIALS

3.  Coffee. One, maybe two cups, in the morning~

2. Hugs for my health

1. My fuzzy cardigan, or sunshine, or a space heater, or literally anything to keep me warm and happy

2 BOOKS

Ooh, let's see...most currently? Andrew Peterson's "Adorning the Dark" and Naomi Novik's "Spinning Silver."

1 QUOTE

"The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness."

~ Sir Terry Pratchett, Men At Arms.

tagging @starwarmth, @thisbibliomaniac, @ofsaltandsmoke, and @rainofarrows!

[unicornialychromantic]

“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.”

― Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms: The Play

[mjschryver]

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness. Terry Pratchett Men at Arms (1993)

[krakenartificer]

One of the reasons my spouse has so much more energy than me is that they spend so much less energy on day-to-day activities. They can cook breakfast, do the dishes, perform morning ablutions, and get dressed all in one go. I have to take breaks between those, which means I have to spend the "detangle from blankets, stand up, fight off nausea, walk to the sink" overhead energy costs on every single task.

It's the chronic-illness equivalent of the Boots Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness.

[pratchettquotes]

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. [...] The thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

Terry Pratchett, Men At Arms

[hacash]

still loosing my mind over the friend who casually announced that £250 is the right amount to spend on one pair of jeans because then ‘they don’t wear out’ and then, when myself and another friend were shocked at this price estimate, looked at us as if we were illiterate peasants for not doing this ourselves

(because tumblr is tumblr I should clarify: I don’t believe spending £250 on one pair of jeans classes you among the super-wealthy or somehow morally deficient, I just don’t think it should be beyond the realms of human belief to realise not everyone can afford to do so.)

[discworldquotes]

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars, but an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms

[la-niolue]

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

— Men At Arms

[saltykingsalty]

"The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness." Terry Pratchett Men at Arms Discworld book 15, City Watch book 2

[jitterbugjive]

Terry Pratchett described something similar in his Discworld series:

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet. This was the Captain Samuel Vimes “Boots” theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

Damn if that aint the truth (in case tumblr makes it unclear, I’m responding to a submission and didn’t make the initial statement/book quote)

Also I’ve been wanting to check out discworld but the series looks huge D:

[mimilind]

Terry Pratchett In Memoriam

(Image by sandara.)

(Image by 1nkor.)

“No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away.”

Sir Terry Pratchett (28 April 1948 - 12 March 2015)

Today, 6 years ago my favorite author died. Sir Terry Pratchett became 66 years old, and during his too-short life he wrote over forty amazing books, most of them parts of his Discworld series. Even when he developed Alzheimer's disease, he would keep writing, and though his later books are not entirely up to the same standard as those he wrote in his prime, they are still amazing books. He was just an extremely talented writer, who even with Alzheimer's could write smart, funny and thought-provoking stories.

Though set in a fantasy world, his characters are realistic and very deep, and the stories often mimic our world and problems, such as poverty, racism and gender inequality. This is done with humor and warmth, and often very subtly.

In addition he had a way with words, and the amount of cite-worthy quotes from his works is boundless. In one of my fanfiction stories I begin each chapter with a quote that fits the chapter's contents, and it's never hard to find one to match. The problem is rather choosing between the many options...

I shall end this In Memoriam with one of my favorite quotes:

Vimes 'Boots' Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness

The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

― Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms

(Image by Kenu.)