Many years ago, I used to work in infosec. One of my employer’s clients was a big and famous brand well-established in the luxury sector. One day, a colleague of mine was sent to test their POS. Inside one, he found a single transaction for around 6M € from a credit card swipe. It wasn’t a payment made from a bank transfer or a check, just a single credit card swipe! At the time, I couldn’t even dream a card with such a credit allowance would exist. I had a pretty good living then, with money for the rent, daily expenses, and even some savings. Still, for an instant, I remember feeling like a poor child living in a house made of mud.
It’s interesting that the wealth bar of the 400 richest Americans is about 6-times as long as the author needs to say some interesting points.
I’d argue that’s another good argument for seizing their assets and making them pay for their asshole behaviour.
Honestly, probably the only way to save the Environment and Democracy. Too much power in the hands of the few leads to perpetual effective monarchy. It’s why the Founding Fathers were against large amounts of inherited wealth, particularly inherited wealth that creates dynasties in perpetuity.
I know people don’t like the Founding Fathers that much lately, and I see why, but conservatives really don’t understand them, and deliberately misrepresent them, because not doing so would undercut all conservative “policies”.
World’s a mess because of inequality and the concentration of almost all wealth and power into the hands of a small amount of sociopaths. I honestly think the only way to solve this permanently is to cap the amount of wealth and power any individual or family can have.
You put that perfectly. Thank you.
I’ve lost the will to live. Why do this place even exist?
I don’t like how American - centric this is but otherwise very… impressive
I recommend visiting Gapminder. For example the Dollar Street, where you can get an inside how different life around the world is, depending on income.
Also, it’s various other statistical tools like this animated graph, where you can see the billionaires running away to the right. Also interesting is the short blip of people having more wealth at around 1980 - 2010, which immediately got sucked back into “slightly right of extreme poverty mountain”.
It also seems very American to me that there is not a single mention of climate change in there
Because America is where most of the world’s wealth resides
Ok Google, look up richest country PPP
Very well made. Is the definition of doomscrolling.
They are so rich that my browser crashed while I was trying to speed scrolling the page to the end
On Android - it just kept resetting back to the left again…
to the left
Sounds like Android is correctly interpreting how to respond to this webpage.
Same on my iphone lmao
“It has to stop” I agree. But how do I make it stop? There’s a lot of talking about what is the issue and its consequences, I say this also for climate change. But they don’t say what can we do about it
Ok tankie
See, this is the fucking problem right here. You are a commoner. The person you replied to is a commoner. Compared to the ultra rich anybody but that tiny tiny subset of people are commoners. As long as we keep name calling and pointing fingers at each other this shit will never change and we’ll be rolling around in the mud until we all fry under the sun.
I understand your frustration, we all feel the same way. Let’s direct that frustration at the people and the system that is telling us to turn on each other simply so we are blind to how we’re all being played for fools.
Aye the rich are likely very nutritious
“Derpa derpa dankie”
A possible solution could be to limit the personal (family?) wealth, fortune, possession, etc. to for example 100 million. That should be enough to live a luxury lifestyle and give your children’s children a ‘care free life’. Everything above that amount goes to the aid of the less fortunate, public and social improvements, energy transition, solving pollution problems, etc. (worldwide). In exchange you get a certificate with: “Congratulations you won capitalism!”
P.S. When you ‘cheat’ you get 1 dollar (or equivalent) and may start over. In addition and not exclusive of all possible legal proceedings.
P.P.S. The above is just an example to illustrate that there are possibilities. But this doesn’t solve all problems of inequality or everything else that is wrong on this planet.
P.P.P.S. Too many people think the have the possibility to also collect wealth above the 100 million ( or think they are entitled to an amount above that). They will protest and vote against any such solution. (I’m not talking about those 400 Americans from the website graphic).
Reminder that the money is printed out of thin air and it’s not really that we need anyone’s stored wealth. Not even liquidating a mansion or ten from a billionaire, or from all billionaires, is going to solve our problems. Sure they are worth a lot to one person, but how much is a mansion worth to society in effect? Not much really.
The system is designed to have poor people. It must so that there is incentive to work. Otherwise we would have to force people to work. I’m not trying to justify the ways things are, I just don’t see going after stored wealth as solving the problem especially when it is not their assets we need or their made up currency.
Not to be fatalistic deliberately, but what can we do about it? If we try to take on the system individually, we face the Plucky Ninja problem. If we try to coordinate, it’s too big a movement to keep secret, so the rich and powerful can subvert it before we get anywhere. (They’re doing a pretty good job of it already.)
“Congratulations you have won capitalism! Here is your signed certificate.”
I went to that link and it was horrible, no the site is simple it’s just when it went to Bezos … then look at all the things we could have to make things better (free healthcare, free college, etc) just sickening.
BuT hE’s A pHiLaNtRoPiSt! He HeLpS SoCiEtY…
…to maintain the status quo of undertaxing rich people and letting monopolies rule industries.
And actually he does not have any money because its just his assets and what other people think they are worth but he is actually quite poor because he immediately spends all the money he makes to invest into new ideas to make the world an even better place for everyone.
We know he can’t quickly withraw the money at a good rate bit that does not make him not rich AF.
Soon™ iwill have a panic attack, hemlp me🤕
Comparing myself to the ultra rich doesn’t affect me any more than comparing myself to super athletes. It’s the people around me that matters and they’re not significantly more wealthy than me. You’ll never be content in your life if this is the bar to reach.
I think that the comparison is a bit flawed in the way that comparing pretty much any of us to one of the super-rich is more akin to comparing a patient in a state of clinical death to the Warhammer 40k™ top-tier warriors, not just pro athletes
If I were to dedicate all my life to sports I would maybe make it into the pro level during the lifespan, even if that would mean that I’d have to choose some sport that allows old people 🌚
I I were to continue working the way I work today and get a hundred times raise in payment, it would take me about 60 thousands of years to get what Jeff has and that is if I don’t eat or rent a flat anymore.
That’s quite a bit of difference, don’t you think?
Other people’s health is not a zero-sum game. There is an increasing wealth gap wherein the resources and value of humanities labour are being increasingly concentrated in the hands of a tiny minority to the detriment of everyone else.
It’s like being at a party where just before the food is served some unhinged lunatic runs in and manages to somehow fit all the food for the entire party into their underwear and run off with it.
People saying “hey, maybe we shouldn’t invite that person to parties anymore” and you reacting like “well, I don’t compare how much food I have with people who have stolen all the food. All that matters is that you’re all just as hungry as I am. You’ll never feel full if you compare yourself to someone who stole all of the food!” is very difficult to respond to in a way that is compatible with the way the Beehaw community works…