In The Avengers Tony Stark wanted a suit in every city around the world to protect the world against it's biggest threat - the rise of super-villains, global terrorism and the eventual Endgame. 

Now in our reality, our biggest threats come in the form of fire, flood, famine, climate change and because this is 2020 - disease. 

I waded through a Facebook thread, initially asking the question : why billionaires don’t use their money to solve world problems?

With influence and vast financial resources to throw into aid, development and support, why shouldn't we be expecting the super-rich to do more for humanity, other than continue to pursue wealth, and expansion of their own ventures/interests? 

Better yet, is it even fair to ask that from the super-rich? That they put aside their own pursuits and their own money, for the enrichment the greater good?

When you reach a certain level of wealth, is there a moral responsibility to give back?  

 

None of these nice behaviours you're describing sound like capitalism. The game is to get as much money as you can, giving it away is not part of capitalism.

Yes, we out number them so unless they want us to string them and their children up by their insides they need to remember society is a 2 way street.

But the people will never rise up against their masters. We are programmed to obey. Hell half the US believes that increasing corporate profits is worth risking their lives for. Also they repeatedly support people who raise their taxes to lower the taxes on the rich.

People keep the money in the families. While some new wealth is made each year, most wealth in the US is old money from the days of slave labor. Most politicians come from old wealth families. These families generate wealth and use it to keep their families rich in future generations.

The nouveau riche do just what you say, build up funds, then spend it all before they die. They generally leave behind very little legacy though. Old money however is very concerned with the family name and allowing their children to be part of the American faux-aristocracy, which revolves around being rich enough to get access to elite things like Harvard and Yale educations, access to private communities and clubs, ect.

Too bad we can't get some global pandemic to wipe out the rich elite. Even if just old money. Blank slate us. C'mon, covid, do yer job!

I don't really understand the worship of wealth and celebrity, it's a very US thing, but the celebrity worship has well and truly caught on here.

I have no problem saying that billionaires should do their fair share and they should certainly fix any issues they directly cause.
By why are people lining up to give ego hand jobs to Musk and Jobs? I have no idea, both seem less than stellar humans.

I think everyone should pay their share, and to anyone who wants to "eat the rich" My question is always the same... What percentage of your time and money do you donate? If you try to tell me you can't afford to give now but would if you were wealthy... Nope!

Let's not forget the work of Buffet and specifically Gates, he's practically wiped out Malaria, which is not a bad effort.

May 2, 2020 16:03:39 GMT iNCY said:

I don't really understand the worship of wealth and celebrity, it's a very US thing, but the celebrity worship has well and truly caught on here.

I have no problem saying that billionaires should do their fair share and they should certainly fix any issues they directly cause.
By why are people lining up to give ego hand jobs to Musk and Jobs? I have no idea, both seem less than stellar humans.

I think everyone should pay their share, and to anyone who wants to "eat the rich" My question is always the same... What percentage of your time and money do you donate? If you try to tell me you can't afford to give now but would if you were wealthy... Nope!

Let's not forget the work of Buffet and specifically Gates, he's practically wiped out Malaria, which is not a bad effort.

To be fair, I want to eat the poor too.

EDIT: I just assume the poor would taste worse.

May 2, 2020 10:32:24 GMT NATH45 said:

Better yet, is it even fair to ask that from the super-rich? That they put aside their own pursuits and their own money, for the enrichment the greater good?

When you reach a certain level of wealth, is there a moral responsibility to give back?  

 

No.

- Ayn Rand