Yeah there’s a huge difference between millions and billions. I think Americans generally don’t get this because when numbers get that big, they are hard to visualize and understand. Likewise, the way Americans talk about trillions (when discussing debt or war costs) without seeming to really grasp HOW FUCKING BIG…

I’d argue super wealthy tend to lack understanding of challenges most Americans face. Also, having only super wealthies as decision makers very much lacks diversity of view point.

Yeah, that guy. I was trying to point out that he is stupid, yet rich. I didn’t do a great job, obviously.

I kind of hated Bill Gates in the 90s, but that’s because I had a mac and thought he was stealing every good idea from it and getting away with it.

I think, too, that there’s a problem with assuming that wealth is indication of brilliance or success. The people who grew up with substantial privilege are the ones who are more likely to be wealthy. Self-made millionaires are overwhelmingly a myth.

I believe some recent studies have shown the rich are far less compassionate and have less empathy than average people. So putting them in charge of helping those less fortunate would be a mistake.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with being a billionaire. But when you’ve built a campaign on how you’re going to “drain the swamp” and shake up the establishment to fight for the (white) working man...handing jobs to a crew of billionaires as rewards for loyalty during the campaign isn’t exactly delivering on that…

“who don’t have an outrageous amount of lucky things go their way, then we can talk”... Agree! - “lucky things” such as being handed a million dollars to *cough*boot-strap* yourself up from, for one.

You don’t create successful companies and become independently wealthy by being stupid.

It’s not like Jesus said that it’s almost impossible for a rich man to get into heaven. But when you have guys who only use Jesus to tell women what they can and cannot do to their bodies, or to justify bad things happening to other people (the Lord meant for you to get raped, it’s Jesus’ plan for you), I doubt they…

I don’t remember who said this: “You don’t make a million dollars, you STEAL a million dollars.” Some millionaire said it (when having millions rather than billions was still impressive.)

You can make a pretty convincing case that it is inherently wrong, ethically, to remain a billionaire. Regardless of how you became one.

it’s getting harder and harder to be a billionaire without sacrificing principles and ethics

Pretty much this. It’s gotten to the point where yes, we absolutely demonize “success”, because we’ve seen time and time again that most of these billionaires are demons. 

He got his start by throwing the moneylenders out of the temple and then taking their money, guns blazing. It’s true. I read the Bible.

Too true. If Jesus was alive today he would probably be a billionaire as well.

You show me a billionaire who became a billionaire a) ethically b) on his or her own merit c) WITHOUT SOME RIDICULOUS SCAM THAT DEFRAUDED MANY MANY PEOPLE (hi, Theranos!) d) who don’t have an outrageous amount of lucky things go their way, then we can talk

Yeah, you don’t see people hating on Mark Cuban or Howard Schultz or Bill Gates for a reason.

I was about to write almost verbatim what you said. I was gonna write, “There’s nothing inherently wrong with being a billionaire, the problem is with how they became billionaires.” 

There’s nothing inherently wrong with being a billionaire. The problem is that it’s getting harder and harder to be a billionaire without sacrificing principles and ethics.