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this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2023
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I mean - I dislike financial inequality as much as the next person, but attributing the failing education system and polarization to “billionaires” will get us nowhere.
The vast majority of politicians, educators, propagandists and just insecure people are not billionaires. Don’t take away their responsibility, they are not mindless babies.
Except that the money flowing to the top 1% are the result of politics. The tax cuts which funnel money out of the public coffers and into billionaires' pockets also require cuts to services, like education. Polarization is what's required to motivate voters to continue to vote against their own interests. They're very much connected.
The question then is why the 1% have such influence. Why is lobbying even legal when politicians are supposed to represent the people. Why are politicians allowed to trade stocks with inside information on policy. Why do we allow money to corrupt democracy.
Other countries have the problems of first past the post (and I’m it’s biggest critic) but I don’t think politics is as polarising like a team sport as in the USA, and monetary incentives like lobbying are illegal in most countries
I agree. In general, lobbying is a much bigger issue than the “billionaires”. Lobbying exists at all levels. You can have a dinner with a local politician for a very affordable fee ($3-5K), and meet the former or the future president (maybe even the current) for $200-300K. Lobbying is everywhere, it’s not limited to billionaires.
Being in 1% by income makes one barely a millionaire. Most likely not even that if they live in an expensive city and have a family.
0.1% is probably more accurate, but the general idea is the same
It’s not the same. Blaming a group of people without understanding who is in that group is not very thoughtful. This reeks of “kill the rich” or, more accurately, “kill whoever is more rich than me”. If you want to target someone with your frustration, understand at minimum who you are targeting.
Everything is connected if you look deep enough. People who drive rolling coal cars and hate “the libs” are responsible for their action. Choosing an ideology, watching propaganda, immersing oneself in hate are all actions. Sure, billionaires are having an outsized impact on the world. That’s power. In general - power does corrupt. We, the people, have to take responsibility for our actions, not expect billionaires to stop growing and exercising their influence. It’s easy to blame “the billionaires” for making someone a shitty person.
Except the billionaires are the ones lobbying for cuts to education, buying up all the housing, lobbying against increasing minimum wage keeping people desperate, buying up all the media and turning it into propaganda, are responsible for dumping chemicals that impact growth and development in our water system, etc. Etc. Every failing in our society has billionaires behind it. Yes people are responsible for their actions, but just like you would blame Kim Jong Un for the beliefs of one of his brainwashed citizens rather than blame them, you should also be blaming billionaires and oil execs for people 'rolling coal to piss off the libs'. They've been just as thoroughly brainwashed and propagandised, and just as intentionally.
No, I wouldn’t solely blame Kim Jong Un if a soldier from NK kills a member of my family. The ultimate goal of a totalitarian regime is to convince people that they are powerless, that they need a leader to guide them. This takes away all agency and responsibility (where it matters).
Don’t fall into the same trap. Everyone is an individual, everyone can and should learn. Everyone is ultimately responsible for their life (excluding situations where people are physically constrained by an abuser).
Blaming the “billionaires” is a fruitless endeavor. Do you think if we get rid of billionaires we will automatically live in a just society? There will always be people with more power, billionaires or not.
Worldwide, I am in the 1%. You are most likely too. For a lower class family in Pakistan you are a billionaire.
Really? You have 30 million dollars? I sure as hell don't. https://www.knightfrank.com/research/article/2021-03-01-how-much-wealth-gets-you-into-the-global-top-1
The highest data point referenced in the article you link to is Monaco with $12.4M. Not sure where you are getting the $30M number.
Anyway, as I said, globally you and I most likely are in the 1%. Not in the US, a very wealthy country.
Edit: here is an interesting data point for you: Kenya is listed last on that graph with just $20K. Do you know how wealthy Kenya is overall? It’s at the 59th place globally. Out of 173 countries.
So yes, you and the majority of people posturing in these comments are the 1% globally. Enjoy this realization, fellow onepercenter.