this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2025
358 points (96.6% liked)

Ask Lemmy

33954 readers
788 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Elaborate and explain

(page 2) 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] DeathToUS@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Don't put us on the same list with the rest of the world and 8 billion pretty much win.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (7 children)

Ok, let’s look at this…

IF billionaires were removed from the picture, what would be the result?

There would be investment assets in various holding entities that would then be what, up for grabs? Sold off? Put in probate? Trillions in stock alone would suddenly be ownerless. How would that affect the market and the regular person’s investments?

Multiple BoD positions and CEO positions opening up. How would those be compensated? Just make more people rich?

Material possessions originally worth absurd sums now up for grabs to nobody who could realistically afford to use or maintain them (yachts, palatial homes, etc). Manufacturers of luxury goods would vanish (stupidly expensive watches, clothes, cars).

How would you prevent some other greedy, power-hungry f_cks from taking up the reins and putting us right back where we started? There is no point in civilization’s history where greedy f_cks haven’t existed, so how do you prevent their grubby fingers from tipping the scales right back in favor of piling all the money and power in their corner?

What are the unintended consequences?

(This is NOT an argument implying we should keep billionaires, just asking realistically and pragmatically what the result would be should they no longer exist)

[–] thatcrow@ttrpg.network 2 points 1 day ago

The correct answer is to redistribute their wealth.

[–] Lag@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

The same removal mechanism will need to keep new rich people from getting too rich. In general everything could stay the same in terms of assets if they are divided more equally. Even a billion dollar yacht could be divided and rented out. Who's paying for a billion dollar yacht vacation when there is no ultra rich? Divide that shit again into 500 admissions for a boat party until it doesn't make sense to upkeep.

[–] TheThrillOfTime@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Pretty simple and effective.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] wildncrazyguy138@fedia.io 23 points 2 days ago (5 children)

If the people were all invested in taking out the billionaires, then the people would win, hands down.

But if, as in the current situation, the people have higher priorities, in which 50% do not find billionaires to be an existential threat, and at least 300 million think they are simply temporarily embarrassed billionaires themselves, then the billionaires win, that is, until the Earth inevitably cannot support them any longer.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] ChicoSuave@lemmy.world 21 points 2 days ago

The billionaires spend a small fraction to some idiots to betray their fellow non-billionaires. It's probably about a million people versus the masses.

[–] SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

Don't worry, the entire system is collapsing from mismanagement.

[–] DarkSpectrum@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (4 children)

With modern drones and AI tech?

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org 14 points 2 days ago

The billionaires. People dumb AF. Billionaires have money to manipulate people to think they are doing good while they are fucking humanity.

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 days ago

What are we measuring. Like just a braw? A unanimouse revolution?

[–] splount@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If organized, the billionaires lose. It's really that simple and that difficult.

[–] BaroqueInMind@piefed.social 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Okay, then go start organizing?

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] killabeezio@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago

Cash me outside

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 4 points 2 days ago

We're already seeing the results of the fight, so no need to elaborate on who would win and how

[–] zeropointone@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The billionaires. There are many reasons, but my favorite is the Matthew effect.

[–] tetris11@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (5 children)

Matthew effect.

For anyone wondering, the effect describes the uncanny ability for rich people to put on red outfits and act like blind devils whilst bending the law in their favor as they bask in their own self-proclaimed peity

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] mintiefresh@piefed.ca 7 points 2 days ago

Their divide and conquer strategy is busting our asses.

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip 8 points 2 days ago

While arriving for the competition, all 8 billion got wedged into the doors of the arena Three Stooges style and were unable to compete.

[–] Typewar@infosec.pub 2 points 2 days ago

What kind of battle are we taking about? Violence? Then 8 billion people would win because the combined force of knowledge.

This question also really depend on strategy. You know a billion worth doesn't need to be all in cash. Before cash was a thing, we traded items.. but it's rare to trade items that are exactly worth the same, so money is a nice way to compensate that.

The billion worth can all be spent on defense, it can all be spent on pleasing the 8 billion people. It can be spent to create harmony instead of hatred.

load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›