this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2023
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Late Stage Capitalism

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[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 year ago

Anyday now it will trickle down. We just need to go through one more round of budget cuts in the healthcare and education sector and then we'll probably be fine.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Maybe its cause I’ll never be a billionaire that I don’t understand it. But can anyone ELI5 what you could possibly do with that much money except to give it all away or pass it along to your next of kin when you die? It’s physically impossible to spend all that money, right?

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (3 children)

It’s a score. It’s how well you do at capitalism. Number goes up, you did good. It’s not a practical thing. Even at 1bn they had enough to set them, their kids and their grandkids up for life. It’s all about the bragging rights.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago

Even at 1bn they had enough to set them, their kids and their grandkids up for life.

It's enough to set up the rest of your family for life forever via passive income (unless one of your fail children spend it all which is always possible)

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

Exactly.

You could remove a 0 from their net worth and they’d still act exactly the same, because it’s not about the number, it’s about having the most. There is no finish line.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

So how much do you need to win?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

More than the next guy.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

They’ve already won. They’re going for the high score like the high score on an arcade game.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

https://youtu.be/7ApjSrB6E1c

You use your money to influence politics so that you can make more money so you can influence politics better so you can make more money faster.

Whoever has more money has more power... Too make more money lol.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

At that point of wealth you aren't thinking about spending money as an individual, or even an individual family (even including hangers on and staff). You are essentially a representative of a power that parallels governments, with worldwide reach, and will think along those lines. You want to implement worldwide policies, dictate the tides of capitalism, play with your own regime change politics, break the barriers of old age, gene manipulation, and get the process started on astro-mining and colonizing Mars.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

It's sillier than that and with a lot more solipsistic belief in wanting something and throwing money at that desire making it happen.

https://aiascendant.substack.com/p/extropias-children-chapter-1-the-wunderkind

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/sep/04/super-rich-prepper-bunkers-apocalypse-survival-richest-rushkoff

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

except to give it all away or pass it along to your next of kin when you die

That's the neat part. They're gambling on living forever. think-mark

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

You could indulge your minute desires. You don't just buy s cool car. You buy a new cool car every month, or whenever you see one you like. Houses, jets, yachts. Whatever you want, you can simply get. Like a capricious toddler, throwing a tantrum. It's also why several of those bastards are aiming at the space (besides wanting those sweet airspace contracts).

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

How old is this? I was under the impression that big brain Musk lost a whole bunch of money after he tanked Twitter.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Looks like that is a 2021 report but not sure. I know Forbes runs this every year and the current graphic compares to 2020

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I found the actual list for 2023. Kinda crazy that Bill Gates has dropped to #6 and Zuckerberg isn't on the top 10 list at all anymore.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I’m actually lmao at the fact that Donald trump is no longer on the list anymore. Now the truth comes out why he is asking all his followers for donations to cover his legal defenses for all his fraudulent activities.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I do not know Comrade, I found it on some Polish website quite recently

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hmm, anyone remember what the title of the first Metallica album was? I feel like it's relevant to these gentlemen.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Title of ninth track from Pink Floyd's 1973 album also works

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Huh... that's odd. This is the exact same names and order as a list which I've got.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I found this embarrassing til I realised that it was Forbes, who will be making it out to be a good thing.