this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2026
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Don't be mean. I promise to do my best to judge that fairly.
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Twitch streamers, YouTubers, only fans, unrelated but scalpers probably belong here as well.
Scalpers aren’t really living off the hospitality of others, they’re taking advantage of illiquidity to create arbitrage and fuck over regular people.
Doesn't matter how they are taking advantage, they are still parasites.
They're the only actual parasites in that list, the rest just provide a service people pay for. Which is closer to the parasitus class described in the OP.
We shouldn't act like the consumer isn't a part of the problem. The scalper can scalp because the consumer will consume.
So Ticketmaster did nothing wrong? Yea... no. Don't victim blame. That's also scum behavior.
I'm not victim blaming, the scalpers need someone to sell to in order for there to be a profit. Yes Ticketmaster are scumbags, that doesn't change the fact that there were plenty of consumers ready and ravenous for a chance to see their favorite artist live (artists making money from the scalpers buying from Ticketmaster, whether for themselves or their label).
Should consumer protections be put in place? Probably, but I think that's more or less kicking the can down the road. People need to vote with their wallets, giving money to scalpers is effectively allowing Ticketmaster's scheme to work. Yes, it is predatory. Yes, it is scummy. No, the consumer is not faultless — they are essential for the scheme to work.
Nobody votes with their wallets when capitalism is the only choice. It's exploitation or nothing.
Really? How come I'm not going to expensive concerts?
It is funny show anti-scalping advocacy is focused solely on luxury items.
Exactly! “Oh you can't reasonably afford going to a Taylor Swift concert with these prices.” Yeah I somehow afforded going to Napalm Death and Cradle of Filth and local bands just fine, so this sounds like an entitlement issue.
Yeah you'll have to help me understand why people didn't have a choice to simply not buy from scalpers. Were they holding guns to their heads?
Because tickets are a limited commodity. A show's sold out, but scalpers and shitheads like Ticketmaster with their variable pricing being the only choice by the time anyone without bots is shopping? Guess what price everyone else is paying...
Because people aren't a hive mind. Voting with the wallet doesn't really work on limited luxury goods due to population scale.
Something like concert tickets or any luxury good is in such a low supply that there will always be enough people with more money or credit than sense.
So there pretty much isn't a choice of not buying and prices eventually getting lower. The prices of luxury goods will always be as high as possible and thanks to population scale and ad campaigns, that's going to be rather high.
Though don't get me wrong, im not advocating in defense of buying expensive useless shit. I've quit quite a few things and at least one addiction because the price rose above some predetermined limit. Just that the voting part doesn't really work anymore.
Sounds like Ticketmaster found the people voting with their wallets to pay the price and go to the concert. As Jimmy Carr has put it, “You wanted to come see me? Looks like you did great.”
I do completely agree with him. As i said, I'm not defending it. A simple solution is to just not buy it. It is a luxury good after all.