The most well-known lists that rank the wealth of individuals are Forbes’ various lists, including the Forbes 400 for the United States and the Forbes World’s Billionaires list for international rankings. As of 2023, to be included on the Forbes 400 list, which ranks the wealthiest individuals in the United States, a person needed to have a net worth of at least $2.9 billion
My point is that we often forget how rich the rich are. Human brain just is not good operating with billions.
During the Occupy Wall Street days a group of guys started yelling at my wife and I, calling us 1%'ers because we were having dinner at a “nice” restaurant (~$200 for ap, entree, dessert, drinks, and tip). I realized how clueless most people are about what truly rich means.
I’m wealthy, not gonna lie, but I’ve also had two serious health scares, one being cancer. All it takes is one prolonged bout with cancer to fully wipe the proceeds from our 25 year career in tech. That’s not rich, that’s called wealthy enough to be able to take a breath from under this boot were under.
Ten years ago, a dear friend, a genius, and highly regarded in his field (not tech) had a house in an affluent neighborhood, a BMW, nice clothes, nice watch, kids taking dance and music lessons, etc. The full blown suburban Bliss lifestyle. One nervous breakdown led to job loss, to divorce, to mental health issues, to drug use (though mostly weed), to now living with his elderly mom in a run down trailer in the bayou. That slide to ruin took less than the ten years but I rounded up. Now look at Elon. A hundred kids, baby mommas everywhere, some suing him, his mental breakdown led to blowing 44BILLION on a dying platform, and none of it even makes a dent.
Its insanity, he could quite literally burn his fortune and I don’t think the flames would consume it fast enough to burn it all. Our systems become nonsensical when individuals control this much. Most people are financing everything, one mistep and they’re done for, yet these goliaths are meandering around, shitting the bed, and it doesn’t even register in their conciousness. Fucking insane.
I still call the guy with 900 mil “ultra wealthy”.
Obviously not for 35K guy. :)
Edit: asker chatGPT about it:
My point is that we often forget how rich the rich are. Human brain just is not good operating with billions.
During the Occupy Wall Street days a group of guys started yelling at my wife and I, calling us 1%'ers because we were having dinner at a “nice” restaurant (~$200 for ap, entree, dessert, drinks, and tip). I realized how clueless most people are about what truly rich means.
I’m wealthy, not gonna lie, but I’ve also had two serious health scares, one being cancer. All it takes is one prolonged bout with cancer to fully wipe the proceeds from our 25 year career in tech. That’s not rich, that’s called wealthy enough to be able to take a breath from under this boot were under.
Ten years ago, a dear friend, a genius, and highly regarded in his field (not tech) had a house in an affluent neighborhood, a BMW, nice clothes, nice watch, kids taking dance and music lessons, etc. The full blown suburban Bliss lifestyle. One nervous breakdown led to job loss, to divorce, to mental health issues, to drug use (though mostly weed), to now living with his elderly mom in a run down trailer in the bayou. That slide to ruin took less than the ten years but I rounded up. Now look at Elon. A hundred kids, baby mommas everywhere, some suing him, his mental breakdown led to blowing 44BILLION on a dying platform, and none of it even makes a dent.
Your second paragraph could be fixed by the US not having the worst Healthcare system on the entire planet.
And we can pay for that by taxing the ultra wealthy and eliminating billionaires
Its insanity, he could quite literally burn his fortune and I don’t think the flames would consume it fast enough to burn it all. Our systems become nonsensical when individuals control this much. Most people are financing everything, one mistep and they’re done for, yet these goliaths are meandering around, shitting the bed, and it doesn’t even register in their conciousness. Fucking insane.