Billionaires....all weird

[Tero]

Why do they want to support on one hand all this freedom, no regulations, no taxes etc. And on the other hand misogyny, extreme religious rules. Vance is the product of Peter Thiel. There is also a Musk connection.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel

And he is gay. So I suppose misogyny could be part of his views.

[Tero]

https://www.threads.net/@serenablue2024 ... GwRl48zo5w

Elon Musk wants to defund Planned Parenthood, ACLU and any other organization he deems as “Progressive”.

Basically, he wants to take this country backwards…

How far back exactly… I don’t know.

[Brian Peacock]

How Wealth Reduces Compassion

As riches grow, empathy for others seems to decline

By Daisy Grewal

Who is more likely to lie, cheat, and steal—the poor person or the rich one? It’s tempting to think that the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to act fairly. After all, if you already have enough for yourself, it’s easier to think about what others may need. But research suggests the opposite is true: as people climb the social ladder, their compassionate feelings towards other people decline.

Berkeley psychologists Paul Piff and Dacher Keltner ran several studies looking at whether social class (as measured by wealth, occupational prestige, and education) influences how much we care about the feelings of others. In one study, Piff and his colleagues discreetly observed the behavior of drivers at a busy four-way intersection. They found that luxury car drivers were more likely to cut off other motorists instead of waiting for their turn at the intersection.

This was true for both men and women upper-class drivers, regardless of the time of day or the amount of traffic at the intersection.

In a different study they found that luxury car drivers were also more likely to speed past a pedestrian trying to use a crosswalk, even after making eye contact with the pedestrian.

In order to figure out whether selfishness leads to wealth (rather than vice versa), Piff and his colleagues ran a study where they manipulated people’s class feelings. The researchers asked participants to spend a few minutes comparing themselves either to people better off or worse off than themselves financially. Afterwards, participants were shown a jar of candy and told that they could take home as much as they wanted. They were also told that the leftover candy would be given to children in a nearby laboratory. Those participants who had spent time thinking about how much better off they were compared to others ended up taking significantly more candy for themselves--leaving less behind for the children...

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... ompassion/

[Brian Peacock]

I’m a therapist to the super-rich: they are as miserable as Succession makes out

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard the term “first world problems”, my bank account would look similar to those of my clients. I work as a psychotherapist and my specialism is ultra-high net worth individuals.

I got into working with billionaires by accident. I had one wealthy client, who passed my name around to their acquaintances. They are called the 1% for a reason: there are not that many of them and so the circle is tight.

Over the years, I have developed a great deal of empathy for those who have far too much. The television programme Succession, now in its third season, does such a good job of exploring the kinds of toxic excess my clients struggle with that when my wife is watching it I have to leave the room; it just feels like work.

What could possibly be challenging about being a billionaire, you might ask. Well, what would it be like if you couldn’t trust those close to you? Or if you looked at any new person in your life with deep suspicion? I hear this from my clients all the time: “What do they want from me?”; or “How are they going to manipulate me?”; or “They are probably only friends with me because of my money.”

Then there are the struggles with purpose – the depression that sets in when you feel like you have no reason to get out of bed. Why bother going to work when the business you have built or inherited runs itself without you now? If all your necessities and much more were covered for the rest of your life – you might struggle with a lack of meaning and ambition too. My clients are often bored with life and too many times this leads to them chasing the next high – chemically or otherwise – to fill that void.

Most of the people I see are much more willing to talk about their sex lives or substance-misuse problems than their bank accounts. Money is seen as dirty and secret. Money is awkward to talk about. Money is wrapped up in guilt, shame, and fear. There is a perception that money can immunise you against mental-health problems when actually, I believe that wealth can make you – and the people closest to you – much more susceptible to them...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... llionaires

[Tero]

On the topic of abortion and corporations: corporations do not have babies. A few dead in the parking lot does not reduce the work force much.

[Tero]

The platform of the Koch brother still alive:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heritage_Foundation

[Sean Hayden]

I’m a therapist to the super-rich: they are as miserable as Succession makes out

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard the term “first world problems”, my bank account would look similar to those of my clients. I work as a psychotherapist and my specialism is ultra-high net worth individuals.

I got into working with billionaires by accident. I had one wealthy client, who passed my name around to their acquaintances. They are called the 1% for a reason: there are not that many of them and so the circle is tight.

Over the years, I have developed a great deal of empathy for those who have far too much. The television programme Succession, now in its third season, does such a good job of exploring the kinds of toxic excess my clients struggle with that when my wife is watching it I have to leave the room; it just feels like work.

What could possibly be challenging about being a billionaire, you might ask. Well, what would it be like if you couldn’t trust those close to you? Or if you looked at any new person in your life with deep suspicion? I hear this from my clients all the time: “What do they want from me?”; or “How are they going to manipulate me?”; or “They are probably only friends with me because of my money.”

Then there are the struggles with purpose – the depression that sets in when you feel like you have no reason to get out of bed. Why bother going to work when the business you have built or inherited runs itself without you now? If all your necessities and much more were covered for the rest of your life – you might struggle with a lack of meaning and ambition too. My clients are often bored with life and too many times this leads to them chasing the next high – chemically or otherwise – to fill that void.

Most of the people I see are much more willing to talk about their sex lives or substance-misuse problems than their bank accounts. Money is seen as dirty and secret. Money is awkward to talk about. Money is wrapped up in guilt, shame, and fear. There is a perception that money can immunise you against mental-health problems when actually, I believe that wealth can make you – and the people closest to you – much more susceptible to them...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... llionaires

I'm confused. Is this person arguing that the wealthy are just like the rest of us, because of how much money they have? They're clearly connecting their client's issues to their wealth (eg more money means less meaning). But the problem of meaning is just human. They do the same thing with the problem of companionship. So the only reasonable conclusion seems to be that wealthy people are just like the rest of us, they have all of the same problems (because of how much money they have), except they have a shit ton of money.

[Svartalf]

If they don't know what to do with their dough, I'm taking donations, a couple thou a month would do wonders for my lifestyle, and hopefully my mood, especially if my being visibly worry free attracts some gerontophiliac young ladies to me.

[Tero]

Threads
The richest man in the world can’t find anything better to do than steal Social Security checks from old people 

[Brian Peacock]

I’m a therapist to the super-rich: they are as miserable as Succession makes out

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard the term “first world problems”, my bank account would look similar to those of my clients. I work as a psychotherapist and my specialism is ultra-high net worth individuals.

I got into working with billionaires by accident. I had one wealthy client, who passed my name around to their acquaintances. They are called the 1% for a reason: there are not that many of them and so the circle is tight.

Over the years, I have developed a great deal of empathy for those who have far too much. The television programme Succession, now in its third season, does such a good job of exploring the kinds of toxic excess my clients struggle with that when my wife is watching it I have to leave the room; it just feels like work.

What could possibly be challenging about being a billionaire, you might ask. Well, what would it be like if you couldn’t trust those close to you? Or if you looked at any new person in your life with deep suspicion? I hear this from my clients all the time: “What do they want from me?”; or “How are they going to manipulate me?”; or “They are probably only friends with me because of my money.”

Then there are the struggles with purpose – the depression that sets in when you feel like you have no reason to get out of bed. Why bother going to work when the business you have built or inherited runs itself without you now? If all your necessities and much more were covered for the rest of your life – you might struggle with a lack of meaning and ambition too. My clients are often bored with life and too many times this leads to them chasing the next high – chemically or otherwise – to fill that void.

Most of the people I see are much more willing to talk about their sex lives or substance-misuse problems than their bank accounts. Money is seen as dirty and secret. Money is awkward to talk about. Money is wrapped up in guilt, shame, and fear. There is a perception that money can immunise you against mental-health problems when actually, I believe that wealth can make you – and the people closest to you – much more susceptible to them...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... llionaires

I'm confused. Is this person arguing that the wealthy are just like the rest of us, because of how much money they have? They're clearly connecting their client's issues to their wealth (eg more money means less meaning). But the problem of meaning is just human. They do the same thing with the problem of companionship. So the only reasonable conclusion seems to be that wealthy people are just like the rest of us, they have all of the same problems (because of how much money they have), except they have a shit ton of money.

I think the psychological issue is that the money doesn't deliver the happiness or the sense of contentment &/or security that these people say/believe it does/should.

[Sean Hayden]

That makes sense, and maybe that’s what he wants to say. But it reads like the money is a cause. It’s not just that money won’t prevent these issues, he’s saying it can actually hurt you. He goes so far as to credit his middle class upbringing for his not having them. But people from all socioeconomic backgrounds have these problems.