this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2024
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I was gonna include a third option about how money is easier to achieve without considering the morality of your actions but that's not really a philosophy as much as it is an objective fact.

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

Probably neither. As far as I can tell rich people are completely unremarkable. Some use their money for good, some for evil (and the media loves that) while most just buy tons of stupid shit and enjoy the good life.

I guess the media thing is the real answer. You don't hear much about Bernard Arnault because he's boring, while Musk is walking clickbait.

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

Money=power. Power corrupts. Absolute power, absolutely corrupts.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Money doesn't equal power. They will have correlated retaltionships but correlation doesn't equal causation. For instances where there is an initial absence of both, the introduction or money is more common to follow the person's pursuit of power. Most people who weren't born to generational wealth won't achieve a wealthy enough accumulation until later in life and it well it may be hard to teach an old dog new tricks, it's nothing compared to motivating some one who has reached a point of enought financial security to retire.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (6 children)

Both but I believe to a certain degree a person can have a certain amount without it corrupting them. Beyond that point, everyone is corrupted. There are no truly benevolent billionaires because a person must engage in various questionable practices to keep growing their wealth at such an exponential rate. Basic market economics dictates that a business entity competing for a limited market share must repeatedly find new ways to make more profit by using strategies their competitors aren't. This includes but is not limited to skirting around regulations and laws, and somebody unquestionably runs those companies.

I also think most people massively underestimate the impact that conditioning puts on a person's outward demeanor, but that leads into a deeper tangentially related discussion. Regardless, people are complex creatures.

β€”To put it simply, to become a billionaire or even a typical* megamillionaire a person must invariably step on someone else.

*The only exception I can think of are SOME lottery jackpot winners.

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