David Lo Pun

Hi there’s no situation where billionaire - even when they donate all their money to charity - is a good billionaire.

Their grotesque wealth is *always* built on exploitation and even when they give it away they’re exercising power they should never have had.

Nov 17, 2022 at 2:33amMoa
Show threadDavid Lo PunNov 17, 2022

Billionaires and the system that creates them necessitate charity.

It’s a loop.

They’re giving back a portion of what they stole in a fashion which benefits them.

Show threadhailee she/herNov 17, 2022
@helpmeskeletor billionaires should not exist
Show threadAmras Nov 17, 2022

@helpmeskeletor Capitalism necessitates philanthropy because of the imbalance between consolidated, private wealth and mass, public strength. It’s a smokescreen to divert attention away from the hideous reality that there should be no billionaires.

Charity is not philanthropy.

Show threadVoradams Nov 17, 2022

@helpmeskeletor don't forget the implied hubris of thinking they can do better than governments and the public service in allocating money.

Especially since most billionaires go out of their way to avoid paying taxes. Partly by donating to charities.

Show threadBriannaNov 17, 2022
@helpmeskeletor except Mackenzie Scott.
She got her money in a divorce and is just giving allot away
Show threadALL CAPS 🧢🧢🧢Nov 17, 2022

@helpmeskeletor Hmmmm….the founder of Patagonia never wanted to wealthy, despised the disparity between rich and poor, and just convinced his family to give up their stake in the company so that it could be set it up as a charity that they don’t control.

I’m not sure who was “exploited” on their path to becoming billionaires. but Patagonia is purportedly one of the best employers in the US.

Show threadDavid Lo PunNov 17, 2022
@nawksi They keep getting caught doing human trafficking but also benefitting from cheap labour in the global south.
Show threadsarah gilbertNov 17, 2022
@nawksi @helpmeskeletor let’s not forget that everything Patagonia makes is plastics, and expensive ones at that, that have helped pollute every waterway on the planet with microplastics. makes those pretty photos of people at waterfalls wearing Patagonia less charming
Show threadStephenCNov 17, 2022
@helpmeskeletor that may be true. But bad people can do good things.
Show threadsarah gilbertNov 17, 2022
@helpmeskeletor I got into it with a tour guest one day on a walking tour who thought he’d zinged me with the evidence that riches ARE good because bill gates gives money! that power is so great! and his wife had to interrupt him starting a fight as I heatedly said no he did NOT know better than poor people what to do with money and charity wouldn’t be necessary if people didn’t hoard wealth
Show threadeuroplus Nov 17, 2022
@helpmeskeletor This is a position I've been moving towards over the past few years - I'm at the point of feeling there are no moral grounds on which someone can amass that much money. It's obscene.
Show threadKayvon McBrideNov 17, 2022
@helpmeskeletor this is very flawed thinking, success=exploitation? If I make every good decision possible while making to the pinnacle of success your saying It doesn’t matter because everyone can’t be a billionaire too? Of course there are difficult decisions that have to made to be a billionaire but the truth is there is questionable decisions made to reach any level of success. The manager at the local 7/11 isn’t inherently a better person than a random billionaire just because he has less money. I’m not even a advocate for billionaires just not a fan of this mindset.
Show threadMaia KB ChowdhuryNov 17, 2022
@helpmeskeletor I would like to think this will not always be the way.
Show threadKallyNov 17, 2022
@helpmeskeletor I have two exceptions: Mackenzie Scott, and Mark Cuban. Thanks to Mr. Cuban and Cost Plus drugs, my medication is much, MUCH less than I would normally have to pay.
Show threadDryer LintNov 17, 2022
@helpmeskeletor You might benefit from an economics chapter on free exchange. And a chill pill.
Show threadGiantNov 18, 2022
@helpmeskeletor I’m always surprised at the number of apologists for the rich. What’s up with that?
Jfc guys, they don’t need your help