I pit Bill Gates

The BBQ Pit
1

Is this one easy, or what?

To cut to the chase, here we have the most successful robber baron in history, and consequently the richest man in the world. I doubt he could have fully anticipated just how much his stealing and industrial genocide would make him, but there he is all the same. He’s hardly unique in his methods; he just happened to be sitting on the mother lode.

Let’s not dwell on his physical appearance extensively, but let’s dwell some. Turn over a rock in your back yard and you are likely to come across one or more Bill Gates lookalikes. The man has always resembled a grub, and age has not dignified him. Now, we mustn’t be mean or mean-spirited about another’s looks, but still…

He announces that he will donate about 95% of his ill-gotten fortune to various charities and other good works. Suddenly, if not declared a hero, he gets people thinking, “Well, I guess that’s alright, then. That’s a lot of money!”

But let’s break it down. His fortune is currently estimated at over $50,000,000,000, but let’s stick with 50 just to have nice, round number to work with. All things remaining equal, which of course they won‘t, that would leave but $2,500,000,000 for Gates’ heirs and assigns, and split however many ways it will be, still not a bad start in life. This would not be counting however many other billions Gates has socked away invisibly in his estate.

My issue is that, with a known thief, is not restitution to the damaged parties the priority? If he wants to be regarded by posterity as, ultimately, a real good guy,
should he not have seen to the compensation of those he stole from in the first place? Admittedly, there are so many to consider that the task might prove effectively impossible to accomplish 100%. But shouldn’t he have started there, and made at least some attempt to account monetarily for his various atrocities?

Of course, I’m being deliberately naive in my presentation. Still, I would ask, what message are we sending to future generations?

Parent: “Don’t steal from me. That’s bad. But steal as much as you can from others, without getting caught. That’s clever.”

Parent: “Don’t lie to me. That’s bad. But lie all you can to others, without getting caught. That’s clever.”

Parent: “If you’ve stolen and lied successfully enough, you can make recompense for it here on Earth by giving some of your money away not to those from who you stole initially, but to organizations which figured not-at-all in the acquisition of your money, one way or the other.”

2

As much as I dislike Bill Gates and Microsoft, do you have any evidence that Bill Gates has stolen anything in his life? And what is “industrial genocide”?

3

I skimmed over it and read “genocide” and “his various atrocities” and declined to comment thinking the OP is a woosh.

4

:confused:

5

1999 called. It wants its rant back. Seriously. I’m on the phone with it now.

“Industrial genocide?” “Atrocities?” This may not be a whoosh rant, but it certainly is daft.

6

I guess this explains why my computer is cackling evilly while twirling its moustachios.

7

I don’t know if it’s deliberate but it sure is stupid. :rolleyes:

:smack:

8

Out of curiosity, I checked dr mark’s previous recent posts. He was asking people on ATMB about [thread=366409]extremely long posts[/thread]. Said he wanted to post a really long pit.

Sorry, marky my boy, on length along I have to give you a neutral grade. About 2700 characters, not too bad, but certainly nothing like the 10,000, 20,000 character posts that were being talked about. You’ve disappointed me.

:wink:

9

Doh! Make that “on length alone”.

10

I wonder what is Doctorate his in? I’m thinking Thinkology.
This Op is a good lesson in how to ruin an Easy Pitting with too much hyperbole.

Jim

11

2/10. And that’s being generous.

A few points of feedback, just so you’ll learn something for next time;

  • pittings that focus on physical appearance have a long, long history of turning nasty. Is this really all you got?

  • you could write a book on Gates’ and Microsoft suspect business practices, and I’m sure you’ll find one already written. But simplifying it down to “he’s a known thief and a bad, bad man” just makes you look dim.

  • You do realise that those figures you’re quoting there aren’t actually dollars in the bank? No-one is going to actually see all that cash.

12

It’s about time someone exposed this man for what he is. At least half a dozen times since 1985 or so, this Gates fellow has burst into my home at some random hour, terrifying me and the parakeets, and, waving a nickle-plated pistol for emphasis, has ordered me to buy whatever version of computer operating system his horrible company was currently flogging. I tried to resist, but after he twisted the head off the third parakeet, I was willing to to do pretty much anything he asked. And it’s not just that; after I buy one of these worthless products, before I can use them I have to enter some 26-character string of letters and numbers that’s so hard to remember, my head feels like it’s gonna asplode.

I’ve tried and tried to get something done about it, but the cops just laugh at me. Fact is, I think they’re in on the whole racket. I tells ya, it’s a wonder I haven’t had a heart attack already.

13

A few years ago, Mr. Gates broke into our favorite charity (The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) and forced them to accept his donation of $20 million dollars.

What a thief!

14

Wikipedia took me to this article, which may be relevant to the OP.

15

Ah, how I’ve come to love the annual April meltdowns.

16

  • Robber baron and industrial genocide my ass. Some people are just pissed off he is a better businessman than themselves. And of course, success just generally piss off some people to no end. Personally I think it’s great, that for once it’s not the bankers, investors or stock brokers that scores all the money, but the little nerd. Hooray for Gates.

  • Never seemed so to me, but so what if he looks like a garden rock? Couldn’t care less.

  • Saying he wants to donate most or all of his fortune before dying is not something new. He’s been saying so for years. And already donated billions of dollars. He’s probably up there on the list of people who throughout the history of mankind has donated most money.

(Personally I’m a Mac guy.)

17

Well, according to that article, BG donates 2% of his net worth, not 2% of his yearly salary. Six billion dollars is probably a lot more than 2% of what he makes per year, right?

When we talk about how much people should give to charity, it’s usually a percentage of yearly salary, as it appears to the IRS, not a percentage of net worth. Imagine if you owned a million dollar home but only made $30K/year? After insurance, property taxes, utilities, etc; you’re expected to donate say, 3% of a million dollars? Yikes!

Besides, I’m kinda with Ayn Rand about charity. It ain’t a human moral obligation.

18

I didn’t say that this was The One. When I post It, I’ll tell you, so you‘ll know.

19

You rationalizers of Gates’ practices make me sick. Truly, you are comparable to the prisoners in concentration camps who come to identify with and even worship their prisonkeeps. That’s easier than confronting the cruel truth, eh?

20

Especially when they lead to May bannings.