alt Hacker News> If you turn a paid job into an unpaid hobby then people can't make a living off it.
The invisible hand only applies here if the goods are identical, and since we're talking about unique works like books, they are definitely not equal. What one another charges does not dictate what another author charges.
> The only people who can get anywhere with that are people who already have money or some sugar daddy (or mummy.) Many of us have to work to survive. Ever heard of the working class?
Wow, do you have any idea how many open source software contributors are living on Ramen and are on the side of the working class?
"Wow, do you have any idea how many open source software contributors are living on Ramen and are on the side of the working class?"
Maybe those types are eating ramen because they aren't getting paid for their work? There's a thought. In some places if you get caught doing that while on unemployment benefits, you will get those stripped from you too.
I don't like our economic system much either. It's run on creating debt. You have to have money and support from elsewhere or you sink.