MrAlanCooper2d ago

The Epstein Class believes that providing citizens with enough money to live a decent life while not requiring them to work will spoil them and turn them into useless marshmallows with toxic ideas, anti-social behaviors, and will actively tear at the social fabric.

Many experiments in Universal Basic Income have proven this to NOT be the case.

However, empirically, it turns out that giving someone 50 billion dollars causes them to cease making useful contributions to society, turns them into useless marshmallows with toxic ideas, anti-social behaviors, and they actively tear at the social fabric.

Show threadJack William Bell2d ago

@mralancooper

Statement of fact: Being absurdly rich results in an isolation from reality and being surrounded by people who will feed you information you want to hear and otherwise flatter your worst instincts; all for money or to serve their own interests.

Theory: Therefore, being absurdly rich is a risk factor for mental health, especially for anyone already prone to narcissism or delusional thinking or who lacks self-awareness. It's like smoking, but for crazy…

Show threadKim Possible 1d ago
@jackwilliambell @mralancooper I think in many cases, those personality traits are what got them their absurd wealth in the first place. You have to be willing to step on people without compunction.
Show threadMrAlanCooper1d ago
@kimlockhartga @jackwilliambell
Yeah, could be. But, "everyone has their price," so they say, and even principled people can fall under enough pressure. Page and Brin were genuine geek engineers whose boldly stated position was "Do no evil." So, I think it's the money. Millions aren't enough to move people's needle, but billions are.
Show threadJack William Bell1d ago

@mralancooper @kimlockhartga

Also, there are those who hit the uterus jackpot and are born rich. Most of them end up the same kind of special flowers; only a very few manage to retain their essential humanity when raised in the hothouses of the rich.

There is even research on this, albeit not focused on the extremely rich we are discussing:

> https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/wealth-empathy

And there are exceptions which prove the rule, even among those who got there the hard-nosed way. Chuck Feeney, for example.

Show threadMrAlanCooper

@jackwilliambell @kimlockhartga
"Uterus jackpot" I love it!

As I tell most everyone, the way to succeed in life is to choose better parents.

Mar 20 at 7:03pmWeb
Show threadJack William Bell1d ago

@mralancooper @kimlockhartga

I must admit that is a paraphrase of a @pluralistic saying. Not original to me.

Show threadMrAlanCooper1d ago
@jackwilliambell @kimlockhartga @pluralistic Of course it is. That guy has ALL the cool sayings.