# Survival of the Richest **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 18, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592 "2020-01-18T01:06:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2020, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/21 "2020-01-19T11:09:01Z")
Actually, I was agreeing with you. Sorry if that wasn’t clear. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2020, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/22 "2020-01-19T14:35:54Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > They realise it only too well. That’s why they are putting so much thought into how to maintain some semblance of wealth and status in the absence of government. > > But their whole thinking is childish. Do these guys understand nothing about life and people, apart from how to make money? Wealth can be relative. But if the current members of the super wealthy truly get the system they think they want, their folly is in assuming that they will remain members of that class. Capitalism can be predatory, and without restrictions, it devolves into capitalist system that becomes anti-competitive. Economic and political stability when there are mechanisms that maintain a competitive balance and fairness. Over time, the survivors of this competition engender bitterness. As I’ve said before, all of us are hardwired with an inner “fairness” meter. People realize when they’re getting screwed, and they don’t care whether the letter of the law sanctions inequality. Typically, though, the response from the elite isn’t enlightenment. It isn’t eureka; it’s more often than not a doubling and tripling down on their insistence that they remain at the top of the hierarchy. Without an intervention, this is where human civilization is headed in the 21st Century, and it’s not just an American problem. The pace of dislocation and the resulting tumult will likely occur with shocking rapidity as climate change worsens and creates existential scarcity within political boundaries. And with it, the likelihood of massive and destructive war also increases. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/23 "2020-01-19T16:37:55Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > I’m going to go with defending their stuff from assholes like the OP that want to murder them. I’ll let the OP deal with your slander. No, the security forces will mostly be dealing with starving women and children until they figure out how to remove the shock collars and deal with their employers. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2020, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/24 "2020-01-19T17:04:42Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > The kind of competent elite bodyguards you would actually hire if you could afford it (retired special forces, etc) I would expect to be professional, good at their jobs, use their brains and hopefully not do anything that would result in war crimes/guillotining. Note, those people don’t work for peanuts and definitely not for shock collars or scraps and a pat on the head like a dog. I suppose their thinking is that they’ll get a few elite operators to be their personal praetorians in exchange for a share of civilized life when the World falls apart, becoming the high ranking Barons who train and command the shock-collared mooks who Will Fight For Food. Of course that counts on that the competent elite operators never come to the conclusion that the overlords intend to dispose of them once there are enough numbers of trained mookdogs and competing peers. If that happens, shortly the corporate/investment billionaires of the Old Regime somehow stop being overlords, and many of them just stop being. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/25 "2020-01-20T11:58:14Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Of course that counts on that the competent elite operators never come to the conclusion that the overlords intend to dispose of them once there are enough numbers of trained mookdogs and competing peers. If that happens, shortly the corporate/investment billionaires of the Old Regime somehow stop being overlords, and many of them just stop being. They won’t have to reach that conclusion. As soon as everything collapses, the overlords will have nothing left to offer the elite operators, and thus won’t be needed any more. “Hey, boss - this is my house now. Hit the road.” ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/26 "2020-01-20T15:42:24Z")
The article OP links to is interesting, and should be eye-opening … for those of us whose jaded cynicism wasn’t already sickened by these realities. Yet someone read the article (perhaps) but with a very different perspective: > [@Oredigger77](#): > > It seems like this is exactly what people here have been wanting, ultra rich that believe that climate change is the worst thing happening in the world right now. If you had Greta Thornberg’s belief and say a billion dollars what would you do?.. > [@Oredigger77](#): > > I’m going to go with defending their stuff from assholes like the OP that want to murder them. Dear **Mr. Oredigger77** : I have neither questions nor answers for you. To the contrary I’ve quoted yours as an example of the sort of “thinking” where attempts at human communication between you and rational thinkers are doomed. You may have had a high IQ as a toddler, but thereafter raced to the bottom and by now have devolved into stupidity. There’s no way you will ever find a way to learn or have sense pounded into your head. You are a living symbol of the perverse and deliberate American imbecility that brought us Donald J. Trump. Congratulations, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/27 "2020-01-20T16:47:18Z")
I’m comfortable with that. Its a shame that your side of the Dem party is going to reelect an idiot like Trump who I haven’t voted for an never will. I guess those who are incapable of learning get to feel smug. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/28 "2020-01-20T17:17:20Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > Its a shame that your side of the Dem party is going to reelect an idiot like Trump Blaming Democrats, who didn’t nominate or vote for Trump, for being the ones who “elected” him or are “going to reelect” him is sheer craven responsibility-ducking. The people who actually supported the idiot Trump are the ones responsible for his Presidency. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/29 "2020-01-20T17:32:41Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > It seems like this is exactly what people here have been wanting, ultra rich that believe that climate change is the worst thing happening in the world right now. If you had Greta Thornberg’s belief and say a billion dollars what would you do? Counter the corrupting nature of fossil fuel money that greatly helps elect or re-elect ignoramuses into high office. ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kearsen1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen1)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/30 "2020-01-20T17:40:44Z")
Garner enough money to become wealthy, you can turn that wealth into power. (Regardless what the government does or does not protect) Guess who wins in a world where the ‘wealthy’ have armed guards and you have a stick. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/31 "2020-01-20T17:55:34Z")
It’s all very well to have power and armed guards, until quite suddenly you don’t. See: any number of erstwhile autocrats and emperors. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/32 "2020-01-20T18:09:03Z")
Note also that very few autocrats and emperors seized power by being rich - they seized power by having people loyal to them. \*Then \*they got rich. You can’t buy loyalty with money. People who’ll fight for cash won’t hesitate to “renegotiate” the terms of their employment at gunpoint if the opportunity arises. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/33 "2020-01-20T18:34:21Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Blaming Democrats, who didn’t nominate or vote for Trump, for being the ones who “elected” him or are “going to reelect” him is sheer craven responsibility-ducking. The people who actually supported the idiot Trump are the ones responsible for his Presidency. And yet many of the people who voted for Trump have talked about being ignored or looked down on by the coastal elites as a reason for their votes. Even the out of context despicable’s comment by Clinton is still used to motivate Trump’s base. Sure you could blame the people who voted for trump as the sole focus of evil in the world or we could try and solve the problem by not calling them the scum of the earth at every opportunity I see people on this board wanting the total destruction of the Republican party and hating the people who voted for trump and I’m get why Trump’s support hasn’t wavered. If his support doesn’t waver then the Dems have to overcome it with enthusiasm. Telling people that if they don’t want to take the rich’s money they are stupid and evil certainly doesn’t help the enthusiasm of people in the middle and that is the fastest way to get Trump reelected. Of course the other option would be not hating the evil bastards that voted for Trump last time and working with them to get them to leave trump but I haven’t seen anything that could work in that direction. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/34 "2020-01-20T19:28:10Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > And yet many of the people who voted for Trump have talked about being ignored or looked down on by the coastal elites as a reason for their votes. That is likewise sheer craven responsibility-ducking. If you’re going to make your vote for POTUS all about your personal hurt feelings that “coastal elites” are allegedly “ignoring” or “looking down on” you, instead of about your informed mature opinion about which of the available candidates would be the best at governing, that act of petulant irresponsibility is entirely on you. I myself often feel unfairly looked down on or maligned by lots of other American voters, but I don’t take that as an excuse to make deliberately stupid choices just to piss those other voters off. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/35 "2020-01-20T19:55:38Z")
> [@Kearsen1](#): > > Garner enough money to become wealthy, you can turn that wealth into power. (Regardless what the government does or does not protect) > > Guess who wins in a world where the ‘wealthy’ have armed guards and you have a stick. The armed guards, generally. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/36 "2020-01-20T20:31:01Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > I’m comfortable with that. Its a shame that your side of the Dem party is going to reelect an idiot like Trump who I haven’t voted for an never will. I guess those who are incapable of learning get to feel smug. I wonder what you imagine “my side of the Dem party” to be. I scored with Yang, Buttigieg , Bloomberg, Biden and Klobuchar on the recent alignment quiz. In your diction is “the other side of the Dem party” those of us who, in contrast to you, have a 3-digit IQ? Who did you vote for in 2016? Nitwit Johnson? Or were you too hung-over to get out of bed on Election Day after a whiskey-drinking orgy with your fellow Tucker Carlson junkies (or whoever you get your decrepit thinking from)? ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Kearsen1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen1)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/37 "2020-01-20T20:33:10Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > The armed guards, generally. Which is exactly why you not only have to be powerful, you have to be popular as well 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/38 "2020-01-20T21:04:34Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > I’m going to go with defending their stuff from assholes like the OP that want to murder them. The OP most certainly did NOT express a desire to murder anyone. Any other posts you’d like to distort? Any other made-up falsehoods to throw into the thread? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/39 "2020-01-20T21:08:28Z")
> [@Kearsen1](#): > > Garner enough money to become wealthy, you can turn that wealth into power. (Regardless what the government does or does not protect) > > Guess who wins in a world where the ‘wealthy’ have armed guards and you have a stick. If things get bad enough wealth will be measured in canned goods and bottled water, not who has a large number in a ledger somewhere or even bars of a shiny yellow metal. In the end, the “elite guards” will be the ones in charge because they’ll be the ones to take the canned goods from everyone else. An inconvenient former billionaire or two would be a minor obstacle. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592/40 "2020-01-20T21:11:11Z")
> [@Kearsen1](#): > > Garner enough money to become wealthy, you can turn that wealth into power. (Regardless what the government does or does not protect) > > Guess who wins in a world where the ‘wealthy’ have armed guards and you have a stick. It’s quite apparent you didn’t read the article. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/survival-of-the-richest/846592.md?page=3)