Gregory's Server@AlexanderKingsbury regardless of this philosophical debate, which can be an interesting one, I do less harm to the planet than a billionaire.
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@AlexanderKingsbury I think the majority of us are just flawed humans trying our best, doing some good and some harm, and its overly simplistic to describe most of us as good or bad. But I also believe the people hoarding that much of the planets resources are killing us and that does change my calculations. Do you have a specific amount of wealth where someone becomes fundamentally a bad person? A billion dollars apparently makes someone bad; is that the exact number? Can you have $500 million and not be a bad person? @AlexanderKingsbury I think our problems are systemic and ultimately it's complicated, but if you're hoarding more resources than most of us earn in a lifetime I'm at the very least suspicious of you. You do not get to be one of the richest in this sick system, and stay there, without crushing many underfoot. Simply her and other billionaires use of private jets is killing people. @AlexanderKingsbury @kitoconnell Well put; scapegoating (judging people as a group to blame them collectively for stuff) is not exclusively a right-wing thing. Even though the targets are not nearly as vulnerable (so I’m not *that* bothered) the line of thinking is eerily similar. @mkoek @AlexanderKingsbury as a silent tear falls down the cheeks of all the billionaires on my friends list... @mkoek @AlexanderKingsbury more seriously, there's something fundamentally different to me between lumping the 12 or 15 richest people on earth (or whatever it is now) together into one group, and lumping together an actually vulnerable, oppressed group. Billionaires aren't subject to harmful marginalization. Things can be surface level similar without being the same.  @AlexanderKingsbury @kitoconnell I have a really hard time imagining that people are “good” or “bad” People can take “good” or “bad” actions (all relative). Taylor Swift does good things; she does bad things I think the important point is that hoarding far more money than you or your family could use in a lifetime is definitely a bad thing (My long-winded way of saying I will be ignoring the Super Bowl and Taylor Swift completely — fuck em all) "I think the important point is that hoarding far more money than you or your family could use in a lifetime is definitely a bad thing" I don't have the slightest clue what she does with her money. Supposing she were to give lots of money to charity, for example...is it still bad that she has that money, if she does good things with some of it? @AlexanderKingsbury @peterbutler hanging onto that much money fundamentally means you are not doing enough good things with it to offset the harm you are doing. "hanging onto that much money fundamentally means you are not doing enough good things with it to offset the harm you are doing." That seems to change the calculus a bit. It seems like the question isn't how much money you have, but whether or not you're doing more harm than good. @peterbutler @AlexanderKingsbury @kitoconnell Isn't he just? Dedicated sealion accounts are weird. @pstewart @AlexanderKingsbury @kitoconnell It’s like a nihilist’s version of the Socratic method If you’ve got something to say, say it, THEN ask your questions |
@kitoconnell
I just find it interesting to ask people who accuse other people of being bad people or not good people if they regard themselves as good people.