Well actually, I put my chance of winning without playing only fractionally less than winning through playing! If the odds of winning are 77,000,000 to 1, then surely that's a similar level of improbability to suddenly finding the cash accidentally transferred to my account, or buying a painting at a flea market and it turning out to be a Van Gogh?!
But I do have to admit the attraction, and it shows again how terrible we humans are when it comes to probability. Indeed, given how so much of our lives are based on reaction to risk, then it's surprising there isn't more focus on educating us, or at least the young, more on the topic. A fundamental goal for society is proper use of its resources, but it always amazes me how we can pour resources into combating the miniscule risk of terrorist blowing up our plane, when we're far more likely to kill ourselves or each other in the drive to the airport.
I guess such nightmares are the corollary of keeping the dream of instant luck alive. But it's a question whether it's a dream worth keeping, given evidence such as the fact that people are likely to spend more on a lottery, the poorer they feel themselves to be (and hence the less they can afford the gamble).
Personally I think given that I know the odds, and how irrational it is to play, it's an act of principle to abstain. But that's not to say i'm tempted, though being honest i have no problem with never winning the lottery - as long as none of the people I criticize for playing it do - they'd never let me live it down!
Anyway, as I said, I still find it an interesting topic, which is why I watched the Cutting Edge program on Lottery winners. I really like Cutting Edge, since I think it's reality TV as it should be - interesting insights into the lives of others in our society. But such television needs to be actually instructive, not just voyeurism or freak show. I guess one useful rule should be that reality TV should only be about people who don't particularly want to be in it! That's why the endless torrent of talent or big brother type shows get to me - these aren't telling us a real narrative, they are providing an outlet for someone to project an image, and normally a pretty obnoxious one at that (the sort of person arrogant or vain enough to want to be on TV is not the sort of person I want on it!).
As a second rule, the filming itself should try to be as unbiased and unmanipulative as possible. If there's one thing that gets my blood boiling it's emotive sound tracks to 'real life' stories, or even, most vexing and disgusting of all - slow motion shots. The sad thing is, in some cases there might actually be a nugget of worth in the tale being told, but given such shameless and obvious attempt to whip it into something more, then whatever good is long buried in nauseating fakery. And it's not just annoying, I think it's downright destructive to our society. Despite the regular cries that hollywood fools us into thinking life is something it isn't , at least in movies and tv series it's pretty obviously a work of fiction. But real life TV tries to have its cake and eat it - portaying itself as 'real' and hence valuable, but relying on the tricks of the makebelieve trade. Given how successful the manufactured 'pop star'morons (alas the moron bit is the only genuine part) can be (at least for their creators) then there is a frighteningly large amount of people who buy into it...and what that means for their general world view I shudder to think. One only has to look at how real tragedies, which need no slow mo or heart wrenching music to convince us of their importance, have started to also need a similar treatment on the news, or in charity appeals, to see how corrosive this can be. For some, it ain't real, unless it's at half speed.
BUT - cutting edge I'm glad to say isn't like that. It's interesting, informative, and I have to say genuinely heartwarming in how it sometimes portrays the best in 'ordinary' people. Nothing special, nothing 'superstar'- just examples of decency and solid character in everyday humans. Though admittedly this episode wasn't really about everyday humans - given they'd all had windfalls of several million pounds. But even still, they were still plainly very ordinary, despite their extraordinary circumstances. There was of course some examples of stereotypical lottery winner brashness, the guy with the multiple Aston Martins or the ridiculously large houses, but they weren't dwelled upon and the tone of the program definitely wasn't a 'wow look at them living it up' type thing. But in fact, it seemed the win had changed the people they new, more than it had changed them. The tales of envy and jealousy one could expect, but more relevant to the human condition was how when generosity was shown to friends and relations, it was sometimes never enough. And this I think was the most interesting point - that the perception what it's like to win the lottery, is sometimes worlds apart from the reality. I think the common notion is if you win you're setup for life, with no cares in the world. And of course most don't have real financial woes after - but only those who win mega amounts. A million pounds might be a lot, but it's a couple of houses, or a decent salary every year for the rest of your life - but you're not exactly Bill Gates. Of course it's much better than not, but the small shared wins don't necessarily mean you won't ever have to work again. For many, it's not infinite cash, but the problem is everyone thinks of it as such.
Of course some do win ridiculous amounts, 10, 20, 30 million...and they really are 'millionaires' (by which I mean can spend a million, not are worth one). But not all winners are - and the dream they get isn't what everyone dreams it is.
And of course with any thing dealing with such astronomical odds, there's going to be the freakishly unlucky as well. The poor guy who did win, and was officially recognized as having done so, but lost the ticket and hence couldn't collect. How much worse that is in bad luck, than actually winning is in good. The dream that slipped away is so much more appealing than the one which is forever ahead of you....
Which is another reason why I can't ever play the lottery, because if I did, I'd have to always play, with the same numbers, since I while I can discard the chance of winning, I couldn't bear the risk of almost winning.
If you're not in you can't win, but you also never lose.
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