News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Blow up: how half a tonne of cocaine transformed the life of an island. Parent comment

Re:Blow up: how half a tonne of cocaine transformed the life... by Joakal on Saturday May 11, 2019 @10:34PM (#19889760)
High risk, high reward. Drug lords offer wealth, rich, or just a job, etc.

Look at people doing lottery, etc. Poor uneducated people tend to do it. If people are more educated, they will tend to avoid unnecessary risks (in part because stable jobs = eventual goal achievement).

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Blow up: how half a tonne of cocaine transformed the life... by chewz on Sunday May 12, 2019 @07:30AM (#19891290)
> If people are more educated, they will tend to avoid unnecessary risks

I can assure you that education has nothing to do with it. Educated / better off people will take similiar risk/reward decisions just at different point of utility function.

What is different is that having a little more money gives you some breathing space and allows you to optimize risk/reward over longer term which usually is leading to smarter decisons.

https://brilliant.org/wiki/utility-functions/

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Blow up: how half a tonne of cocaine transformed the life... by RandomBacon on Saturday May 11, 2019 @10:42PM (#19889796)
I read a brief post by someone why made decent money smuggling drugs in a prop plane across the US. He only did it a couple of times (didn't let greed take over). He didn't go into details, but I imagine some people feel like they can mitigate the risk, or don't have much to lose.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Blow up: how half a tonne of cocaine transformed the life... by ngold on Saturday May 11, 2019 @11:17PM (#19889894)
I remember reading that you have 2 years max to make money and get out before your guaranteed to get busted. It was a fun book. Personally I wouldn't recommend the lifestyle choice.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Blow up: how half a tonne of cocaine transformed the life... by GreeniFi on Saturday May 11, 2019 @11:31PM (#19889949)
...your investment may go up as well as down...
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Blow up: how half a tonne of cocaine transformed the life... by RandomBacon on Sunday May 12, 2019 @09:05PM (#19895695)
What book was that?
[ Parent | on HN ]