1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:04,720 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio Welcome back to the show they called 5 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:30,240 Speaker 1: me Bet. My colleagues Matt and Noel are away at 6 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: the moment and will be returning soup. I'm enjoyed as 7 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:38,160 Speaker 1: always with our super producer Paul, Mission Control decand most. 8 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 2: Importantly, you are here and that makes this the stuff 9 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 2: they don't want you to know. Tonight's episode will be 10 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:53,160 Speaker 2: a little bit different. Fellow conspiracy realist, It's just us here, you, me, Paul, 11 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 2: and the Nessay gathered around the digital fire and the 12 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 2: great darkness of civilization. As we're recording, the US Congress 13 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 2: just held another hearing on the existence of UFOs or 14 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 2: UAP as they call them, and several of our good 15 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 2: friends were in attendance. I want to give them a 16 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 2: shout out. This includes folks like Jeremy Corbel and Payne Lindsay, 17 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:20,400 Speaker 2: both of whom are recurring guests here on stuff they 18 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 2: don't want you to know. Do check out their shows, 19 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 2: Pain does shows like Up and Vanished, and of course 20 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 2: high strange, and I can't say enough good things about 21 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:37,039 Speaker 2: Jeremy's show Weaponized with George Knapp. Anyhow, we will be 22 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 2: following up on those events very soon. In the meantime, 23 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 2: of course, let's say the quiet part out loud. Things 24 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 2: are getting rough. The world seems chock full of looming 25 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 2: ecological disaster. This will affect every living creature on the planet, 26 00:01:53,520 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 2: and every human being, regardless of demographic still gather you 27 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 2: rosebuds while ye may has. Robert Herrick once wrote, we 28 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 2: can't spend all our fleeting time on the planet worrying 29 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 2: about stuff, and billionaires are no different. So this got 30 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 2: me thinking, returning to something I've been thinking about for 31 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 2: quite some time, and maybe you've thought about this too. 32 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 2: What about those billionaires? You know, when they're not moving 33 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 2: nations and corporations, what are they doing for fun? You know? 34 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 2: What hobbies do billionaires have? And what should we non 35 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 2: billionaires think about those pursuits? Here are the facts. Okay, 36 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 2: First things first, it's helpful to get past the noise 37 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 2: and figure out just how many billionaires exist. Figuring this 38 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:54,679 Speaker 2: out is really tricky for a couple of different reasons. 39 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 2: The first reason is the concept of money and wealth 40 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 2: gets kind of muddy. At the very tip top of 41 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 2: the socioeconomic hierarchy of our time. Wealth estimates for billionaires 42 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 2: don't just rely on physical goods or physical assets like 43 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:14,600 Speaker 2: cash and property. They also rely on things like an 44 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 2: individual's stock and individual's investments, and both of those, as 45 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 2: we've proven in previous episodes, can be alarmingly intangible concepts. 46 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 2: They play a huge, huge role in the calculation of 47 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:33,239 Speaker 2: billionaire wealth. I mean, not too long ago, Elon Musk 48 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 2: had his wealth estimates vary widely, and it was all 49 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 2: due to the platform formerly known as Twitter, now known 50 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 2: as x. The second reason this can be difficult is 51 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 2: because some very very powerful individuals are frankly beyond any 52 00:03:55,360 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 2: realistic estimate of wealth. One excellent example of this the 53 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 2: West would be the current strong man of Russia, Vladimir Putin. 54 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 2: No one really knows how much money or influence Vladimir 55 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 2: Putin personally controls. That is by design, and as troubling 56 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 2: as it is to admit this individual, Putin is not 57 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 2: unique in that situation. Privacy is a huge currency of 58 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 2: the very wealthy, and controlling the way they are presented 59 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 2: to the public is another big, big part of their calculus. 60 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 2: So those are two problems. What is money at the 61 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 2: very top or what is wealth? And how transparent or 62 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:50,159 Speaker 2: how obtuce is an individual's possession of this So outside 63 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:54,720 Speaker 2: of intelligence circles, one of the best public sources for 64 00:04:55,320 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 2: billionaire wealth is an annual list compiled by Forbes Maga magazine. 65 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 2: It's been coming out for many years now. It is named, 66 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 2: in a burst of creativity, the World's Billionaires. As of 67 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 2: twenty twenty three, the year we record this, Forbes Magazine 68 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 2: found that there are a total of two thousand, six 69 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 2: hundred and forty billionaires. That feels like a lot of people. 70 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 2: Two thousand, six hundred and forty different people personally possess 71 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 2: a billion or more dollars. Sounds like a lot until 72 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:38,280 Speaker 2: we realize that there are officially an estimated eight thousand, 73 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 2: fifty million, eight hundred seventy seven thousand, six hundred and 74 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 2: sixty one two three seven people on Earth. You can 75 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 2: go to a handy website called world Dominer to get 76 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:59,239 Speaker 2: the up to the second estimates. It is a scary, 77 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 2: scary statistic stick to watch. So that's a very small 78 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:08,440 Speaker 2: percentage of the population, and that number two thousand, six 79 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,799 Speaker 2: hundred and forty billionaires. That's actually down from the previous 80 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:16,159 Speaker 2: couple of years. Just last year, for example, there were 81 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 2: two six hundred and sixty eight billionaires on the planet. 82 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 2: In the space of just one calendar year, two hundred 83 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 2: and fifty four people lost their billionaire status. Now you've 84 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:31,599 Speaker 2: heard of a lot of these people, or you've certainly 85 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 2: heard of their industries. We're talking about former crypto emperors 86 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:40,040 Speaker 2: like Sam bankman Fried or his co founder Gary Wang. 87 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 2: We're talking about folks like the musician and entrepreneur Ya 88 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 2: formerly known as Kanye West. And sorry that you had 89 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 2: to learn about the bad news here, Paul Kanye is 90 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,760 Speaker 2: officially no longer a billionaire. We're also talking about scads 91 00:06:55,760 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 2: of tech tycoons, at least nineteen founders of what are 92 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:04,480 Speaker 2: called unicorn companies. These are people like Alex Attala and 93 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 2: Devin Fenzer of the NFT marketplace open Sea, and folks 94 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 2: like Pedro Francesci of the credit card associated company Brex. 95 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:19,880 Speaker 2: Now there are some people who drop out of the 96 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 2: billionaire club by their own hands, by choice. One would 97 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 2: be the founder of Patagonia. Yvonne Schnard created this outdoor 98 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 2: clothing and gear making empire way back in nineteen seventy three, 99 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 2: and recently donated his personal fortune to a trust and 100 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 2: an NGO that is meant to fight environmental crises. This 101 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 2: move was made in September twenty twenty two, so last year, 102 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 2: almost a year ago now. And when yvon did this, 103 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:58,760 Speaker 2: he removed himself from the rankings. He is no longer 104 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:02,640 Speaker 2: a billionaire. It long criticized this sort of hoarding of wealth, 105 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 2: So good on you, Yvonne. As a percentage of the population, obviously, 106 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 2: billionaires are a laughably small demographic, Yet it should come 107 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 2: as no surprise that this tiny, tiny slice of humanity 108 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 2: has a cartoonishly outsized influence on pretty much anything they touch, 109 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 2: anything they're interested in. Some people in this demographic can 110 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:33,160 Speaker 2: simply go on air on your local mass media and 111 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 2: they can say I think, you know, I think calzones 112 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 2: or case ideas are interesting, and it will affect the 113 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:46,679 Speaker 2: price and value of everything related to calzones or case adea. 114 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:51,720 Speaker 2: It's crazy to quote yay. No one man should have 115 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 2: all that power. At this level of power and money, 116 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 2: their financial movements become less like that of a human 117 00:09:01,280 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 2: individual and more like the movement of a nation, the 118 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 2: movement of an institution. To paraphrase the old observation, when 119 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 2: a normal person owes the bank one thousand dollars, it's 120 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:19,439 Speaker 2: that person's problem. When a billionaire owes a bank one 121 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 2: hundred million dollars, that's the bank's problem. So let's talk 122 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 2: about the wealth. Let's talk turkey right now. All of 123 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 2: those people we named, all those two thousand plus people 124 00:09:31,679 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 2: are collectively worth twelve point seven trillion dollars. And fellow 125 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 2: conspiracy realist, I'm going to be honest here, most of us, 126 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 2: your faithful correspondent included, we can't really grock, we can't 127 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:50,080 Speaker 2: really understand, we can't really get our heads around the 128 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:54,840 Speaker 2: idea of a trillion as a number. So looking for 129 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 2: the best way for we non billionaires to understand it, 130 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:03,040 Speaker 2: I want to give a shout out to USA Today 131 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 2: and a great article by Ryan Soup. They said this, 132 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:11,560 Speaker 2: for starters, we can think of a trillion dollars as 133 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:18,120 Speaker 2: a million million. So to start small, you could buy 134 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:22,720 Speaker 2: a really nice, really posh apartment in San Francisco for 135 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:26,080 Speaker 2: a million dollars. It would be a one bedroom, but 136 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:30,520 Speaker 2: it would be yours. With one trillion dollars, you could 137 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:35,080 Speaker 2: buy a really nice apartment for everybody in this city 138 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 2: of San Francisco, because their population was close to a 139 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:42,200 Speaker 2: million at the time of writing. With this article, you 140 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 2: could also think of a trillion dollars as a thousand billion, 141 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:53,439 Speaker 2: one thousand instances of a billion dollars. For one billion dollars, 142 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 2: you can just go and buy a sports team like 143 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 2: the Miami Marlins billion dollars. Congratulate since you own the Marlins. 144 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:07,120 Speaker 2: For one trillion dollars, you could buy the Marlins one 145 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 2: thousand times, and by the way, you would not be 146 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,560 Speaker 2: able to pay for this in cash. Going back to 147 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:17,120 Speaker 2: the weird idea of money at the very top, might 148 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,440 Speaker 2: interest some of us to know that as of twenty eighteen, 149 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:26,439 Speaker 2: there are just over one trillion dollars in circulation in 150 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:31,520 Speaker 2: the US. So the bulk of this money, this value, 151 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 2: this idea of wealth, it is intangible. It is solely 152 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:43,840 Speaker 2: in the realm of ideation, concept, and arguably imagination, which 153 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:46,840 Speaker 2: makes it again very close to religion. If we want 154 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:49,680 Speaker 2: to go back to the tangible and see where the 155 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,600 Speaker 2: rubber really hits the road, well, how much does a 156 00:11:52,679 --> 00:11:56,400 Speaker 2: trillion dollars wigh? Going back to this USA Today article. 157 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 2: We can say one US dollar bill currently weighs about 158 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 2: one gram, so one trillion dollars would weigh one trillion grams. 159 00:12:07,679 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 2: Easy enough. Let's convert the grams to pounds. Then we're 160 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:15,600 Speaker 2: looking at two point two billion pounds. That can equate 161 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 2: to over six hundred and thirty thousand mid size cars 162 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 2: you know what I mean, Not like hummers, not like 163 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 2: a huge four f one fifty or something, but still 164 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 2: that gives us a physical sense of just how much 165 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:38,839 Speaker 2: money we're talking about. And only a little over two 166 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:42,000 Speaker 2: and a half thousand people have that much wealth in 167 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 2: the world. Believe it or not, this enormous dragons hoard 168 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 2: represents a decline year over year. Just as there are 169 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:58,119 Speaker 2: fewer total billionaires, they have a lower amount of aggregate 170 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:02,480 Speaker 2: total wealth. This year, in twenty twenty three, total billionaire 171 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:07,839 Speaker 2: wealth dropped by five hundred billion. Again, we can argue 172 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:11,720 Speaker 2: that is proof no one is truly immunized against the 173 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:15,520 Speaker 2: present and coming chaos. In short, it is a dog 174 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:18,960 Speaker 2: eat dog world, my friends, and the billionaire still bark 175 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:22,560 Speaker 2: just like any other pooch. A day in the life 176 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:25,480 Speaker 2: of the billionaire is, you know, weirdly in some ways, 177 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 2: it's as familiar as your own. In other ways, of course, 178 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:34,400 Speaker 2: it is an incomprehensible alien existence. It's as strange as 179 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 2: imagining the dreams of an octopus. It's stuff you couldn't 180 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:42,200 Speaker 2: understand unless you experienced it. Found a couple polls on this. 181 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:47,600 Speaker 2: One from twenty twenty two talked to sixty five of 182 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:50,520 Speaker 2: the richest people on the planet at the time, and 183 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:53,400 Speaker 2: they found, surprisingly, a lot of billionaires still choose to 184 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 2: do at least some household chores and other domestic task 185 00:13:57,679 --> 00:14:00,840 Speaker 2: on their own. You know, all the stuff that you 186 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:03,440 Speaker 2: wish you could pay someone else to do. Some of 187 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,480 Speaker 2: these folks still do it. More than thirty percent of 188 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:10,560 Speaker 2: them said they regularly go grocery shopping or they take 189 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:14,600 Speaker 2: out the garbage. Forty percent still love to cook, love 190 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:18,440 Speaker 2: to walk their dogs. More than half of the people 191 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:22,840 Speaker 2: said they like to watch their children or their grandchildren's 192 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 2: sports games. Only I thought this was funny too, Paul. 193 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:32,640 Speaker 2: Only eight percent of billionaires bother with their own laundry, right, 194 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:35,280 Speaker 2: because at some point you got to enjoy the side 195 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 2: perks of enormous financial success. There's also a funny story 196 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 2: about how Bill Gates still washes his dishes at home 197 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:47,280 Speaker 2: because he thinks no one else does it the right way. 198 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 2: A very particular dude. But reading this and I kept thinking, okay, five, 199 00:14:55,520 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 2: it makes sense for the public mass media to publish 200 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 2: things humanizing these folks. But what do they do for fun? 201 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 2: You know, what is their recreation? And should the public know? 202 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 2: Should the public care? Is there any stuff billionaires don't 203 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:18,840 Speaker 2: want us to know about their hobbies? We're going to 204 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 2: pause for a word from our sponsors, and then we're 205 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:25,960 Speaker 2: going to dive in, assuming a billionaire doesn't buy this 206 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 2: podcast while we're on the app break years where it 207 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:41,920 Speaker 2: gets crazy. My fellow conspiracy realist, the answer, is there 208 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 2: stuff they don't want us to know about billionaire hobbies? Yes? Absolutely, Yes, 209 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 2: Matt and Nol can confirm. I have kept a list 210 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:55,760 Speaker 2: of aspirational billionaire pranks we can pull if ever we 211 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 2: make it into that rarefy financial error, and I was 212 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 2: surprised to find some billionaires seem weirdly on board with 213 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:07,760 Speaker 2: a couple of my eccentric ideas. But before we get 214 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 2: to all of that, let's start with a which is 215 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:16,720 Speaker 2: a list A little taste, amuse it, boosh, A gift 216 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 2: from the chef regarding specific weird billionaire hobbies. Over in 217 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:27,840 Speaker 2: the Philippines, there's a billionaire named William Bellow. He owns 218 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 2: the country's largest home improvement chain, and he is super 219 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 2: into raising crocodiles. That's like his other thing, being a 220 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:42,600 Speaker 2: billionaire and then also raising crocodiles. He has two crocodile 221 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:49,040 Speaker 2: farms that totals out to about twenty three thousand different reptiles, 222 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:53,200 Speaker 2: and he breeds them. But he breeds them for fun 223 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 2: and profit because when he harvests these creatures, or when 224 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,560 Speaker 2: his people do it for being honest, their skins are 225 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:06,680 Speaker 2: sold to luxury fashion brands and their meat is sold 226 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:10,240 Speaker 2: to Hungary, where it makes sausages. You can also find 227 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:14,400 Speaker 2: it in some local Filipino dishes. If we travel away 228 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:19,359 Speaker 2: from the Philippines, we'll see Google co founder Sergei Brint. Now, 229 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:25,680 Speaker 2: kid you not. In addition to starting probably the biggest 230 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:32,119 Speaker 2: tech company of its generation, Sergei is a trapeze guy. 231 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:37,200 Speaker 2: The dude is really into hy adrenaline exercise and he 232 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:42,359 Speaker 2: loves the flying trapeze. He's even on a couple of 233 00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:48,240 Speaker 2: occasions convinced some of his Google employees with I'm sure, 234 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:51,720 Speaker 2: a decent shot of Bravado to try out trapeze as 235 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:55,119 Speaker 2: a team. That seems like an interesting thing to me. 236 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:59,760 Speaker 2: That seems like something where you know, somebody might break 237 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:02,920 Speaker 2: it off, somebody might hurt their wrists or their ankle, 238 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 2: but it's not going to overthrow a country, So it 239 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:10,639 Speaker 2: seems like a wholesma activity. And then there's there's Jack Ma, 240 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:15,240 Speaker 2: who is often cited as the richest man in China. 241 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:19,120 Speaker 2: In addition to being the former CEO of the online 242 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 2: giant Ali Baba, Jack Ma is a well known performer 243 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:29,120 Speaker 2: in China. Like he appears at music festivals and stuff. 244 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:34,080 Speaker 2: His most well known performance was in twenty seventeen where 245 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:38,160 Speaker 2: he impersonated we Kid You Not Michael Jackson. You can 246 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:44,160 Speaker 2: see the video on YouTube. It is honestly pretty good. 247 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:46,920 Speaker 2: It's a pretty good performance. I'm gonna say that as 248 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 2: someone who's never impersonated Michael Jackson, I was reluctantly impressed. 249 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:54,439 Speaker 2: So do check out that YouTube clip. Let us know 250 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:57,520 Speaker 2: your thoughts. And of course there are more examples. Jeff 251 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:01,800 Speaker 2: Bezos likes to search for discarded rockets beneath the waves, 252 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 2: and honestly that one feels like a service to humanity. 253 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 2: You know, I never thought i'd say it, folks, but 254 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:16,199 Speaker 2: nice one, Jeff, cheers, cheers man. In general, we have 255 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 2: to understand there is a huge, huge problem with our 256 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:26,280 Speaker 2: concept of billionaire free time. These are folks who can 257 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:30,280 Speaker 2: and will exert massive influence to control how they are 258 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 2: portrayed to the public, to investors, to other companies, and 259 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 2: to other corporate entities. And it's just like when anyone 260 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:42,560 Speaker 2: else takes a self reported poll right or post on 261 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:47,480 Speaker 2: social media. These people will tend to disclose the information 262 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 2: they want us to see. So it should come as 263 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:55,119 Speaker 2: no surprise that among not just billionaires, but anyone with 264 00:19:55,320 --> 00:20:01,160 Speaker 2: thirty million or more in assets, they sound I don't 265 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:06,119 Speaker 2: want to say, unrealistically wholesome, but here's the list. Number 266 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:10,919 Speaker 2: One philanthropy. Philanthropy proves to be by far the most 267 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:16,520 Speaker 2: popular hobby. More than one third of the wealthiest people 268 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 2: on the planet say they love pursuing charitable activities. The 269 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:28,040 Speaker 2: second most popular interest in general, we could say, is 270 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:33,159 Speaker 2: sports that includes watching sports, playing sports, investing in things 271 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,840 Speaker 2: like sports competitions or teams. There's a lot of love 272 00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:42,320 Speaker 2: for tennis, golf, skiing, what people call football in the US, 273 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,639 Speaker 2: but most importantly what people call football. In the rest 274 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:52,160 Speaker 2: of the world, soccer is by far the most popular 275 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:57,640 Speaker 2: sport amid the wealthy class, which is a surprise, right 276 00:20:57,680 --> 00:20:59,920 Speaker 2: because I think a lot of people in the West 277 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:04,960 Speaker 2: assume golf would take the crown there. Sorry golf. Other 278 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:13,200 Speaker 2: hobbies include hunting, diving, boating, watches, cultural events, fashion, rare automobiles, 279 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:18,879 Speaker 2: and props. By the way, to the fifteen point nine 280 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:24,119 Speaker 2: percent of respondents in this poll who admitted, yeah, I 281 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 2: like booze, they dig wine in spirits. Now, for the 282 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:33,240 Speaker 2: average person, that might be something like saying, in my 283 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 2: free time at the end of the week, I like 284 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:38,199 Speaker 2: to go to a happy hour when my friends, you know, 285 00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 2: grab a beer, grab a cocktail or something. But in 286 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:47,480 Speaker 2: this case, digging wine and spirits means I will buy 287 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 2: a spirit company, I will create a brand, you know 288 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:55,640 Speaker 2: what I mean, I will invest in this. And that's 289 00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:58,560 Speaker 2: not I mean, of course, alcohol is all sorts of dangerous, 290 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 2: but that is not the most dangerous self reported hobby. 291 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 2: Quite possibly, one of the most dangerous self reported hobbies 292 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:13,760 Speaker 2: is categorized under the very general term politics. And before 293 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:18,120 Speaker 2: we get into why that can be dangerous, we want 294 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:22,480 Speaker 2: to understand what a hobby actually is, and this may 295 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:27,359 Speaker 2: help us clear up some popular misconceptions. In general, a 296 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:31,320 Speaker 2: hobby is just something you like to do rather than 297 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:35,760 Speaker 2: something you have to do to survive. For example, eating 298 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 2: is a have to pursuit for now. If you want 299 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:45,199 Speaker 2: to continue living, you have to eat food, You have 300 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:48,359 Speaker 2: to drink water, you have to somehow ingest nutrients to 301 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:52,640 Speaker 2: keep the engine that is your body and your brain running. However, 302 00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:57,840 Speaker 2: choosing to eat at high end restaurants, or choosing to 303 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:02,080 Speaker 2: teach yourself to cook fancy stuff at home like I 304 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:05,439 Speaker 2: do or like Noel does, that's a hobby. And a 305 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:09,520 Speaker 2: hobby can also serve multiple purposes. Yes, sure, of course, 306 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:13,840 Speaker 2: some hobbies require you to spend money, and what you're 307 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:20,560 Speaker 2: doing is investing in somewhat of an at times intangible benefit, 308 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:25,960 Speaker 2: right I'm for instance, someone's buying a PS five because 309 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:28,320 Speaker 2: they want to play a game. They don't think they're 310 00:23:28,359 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 2: going to make a fortune off of playing that game, 311 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:36,680 Speaker 2: but it will interest them, it will occupy their time, 312 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:41,160 Speaker 2: it will intrigue them, and it will be some degree 313 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:45,160 Speaker 2: of learning experience. I was thinking about a good example 314 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:48,280 Speaker 2: for this, As Matt can assure us, a lot of 315 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:52,120 Speaker 2: people playing the amazing card game Magic the Gathering are 316 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:55,200 Speaker 2: playing it with no illusions that it will become their 317 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:58,640 Speaker 2: full time job. Then there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, 318 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 2: I can personally assure you that no one is really 319 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:06,280 Speaker 2: in improv comedy for the money. But at the same time, 320 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:11,160 Speaker 2: a hobby can yield tangible results when you invest your 321 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:15,680 Speaker 2: time or your resources into it. Exercise is the best example. 322 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 2: Exercise is a hobby and it should be so for everyone. Now, 323 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 2: you might do it because you just enjoy exercising, but 324 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:31,880 Speaker 2: over time you will reap tangible rewards from physical exercise. 325 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,479 Speaker 2: Your health will improve, your life expectancy will go up. 326 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:38,600 Speaker 2: And you know, if you're inclined, you can get a 327 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:43,840 Speaker 2: lot of great selfies along the way. This idea, this 328 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:50,120 Speaker 2: dual benefit, this sometimes paradoxical pursuit of goals. This applies 329 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:54,080 Speaker 2: to virtually every hobby. You know. You may paint, you 330 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:58,760 Speaker 2: may sculpt, you may play guitar like Paul is a 331 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:02,080 Speaker 2: great guitarist. One day you may sell the results of 332 00:25:02,119 --> 00:25:06,000 Speaker 2: your work. Do you see where we're going with this, Folks, 333 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 2: When you are a billionaire, this potential dual purpose of 334 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:17,080 Speaker 2: a quote unquote hobby becomes much much more extreme. Michael 335 00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:20,720 Speaker 2: Bloomberg did not become Mayor of New York City because 336 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,359 Speaker 2: he needed a job. You know. It's not like the 337 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:28,199 Speaker 2: guy also had an application in Dunkin Donuts with his 338 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:32,800 Speaker 2: fingers crossed to become assistant manager or something. I don't know. 339 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:35,359 Speaker 2: I mean, maybe he did, but you get the gist. 340 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:41,440 Speaker 2: Just like physical exercise yields physical benefits over time, politics 341 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:46,280 Speaker 2: and philanthropy as a hobby can yield enormous financial and 342 00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:50,639 Speaker 2: socioeconomic advantages for those who can afford to play the game. 343 00:25:51,320 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 2: Investing in local elections, like the Koch Brothers did so 344 00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:59,920 Speaker 2: successfully in recent years in the United States. That hobby, 345 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:04,879 Speaker 2: that hobby of politics, led directly to control of politicians, 346 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:10,280 Speaker 2: and it transformed those politicians into cat's pause. I don't 347 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:14,800 Speaker 2: want to quite call them minions, but into employees in 348 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 2: an all but name that worked to enact favorable legislation 349 00:26:20,160 --> 00:26:25,840 Speaker 2: for their primary funders. Winning a political position personally like 350 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:30,640 Speaker 2: Bloomberg can obviously open the doors to influence over all 351 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:33,879 Speaker 2: sorts of things. You have a powerful voice in the 352 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:40,119 Speaker 2: room now on policies concerning environmental regulation or who should 353 00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:44,080 Speaker 2: be taxed and how what does or does not constitute 354 00:26:44,359 --> 00:26:48,640 Speaker 2: a monopoly in the world of business. This is an 355 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:53,040 Speaker 2: enormous power. And of course, if we are being fair, 356 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:57,120 Speaker 2: this is not to say that all billionaires in politics 357 00:26:57,119 --> 00:27:01,639 Speaker 2: are somehow grifting along for their own benefit. To know that, 358 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 2: for sure, we would have to know a heck of 359 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:09,359 Speaker 2: a lot more about every single one of those two 360 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,760 Speaker 2: thousand plus billionaires currently kicking it with you on the 361 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:17,440 Speaker 2: planet this evening. And those folks, every single one of them, 362 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:22,199 Speaker 2: they have what amounts to small armies of people working 363 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 2: around the clock to manage their public persona. You know again, remember, 364 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:32,359 Speaker 2: privacy is going to become one of the most valuable 365 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:39,120 Speaker 2: and one of the most elusive resources of the coming age, 366 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:43,359 Speaker 2: the real Like we see all these articles about you 367 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:48,480 Speaker 2: know this, here's what the wealthy and famous do. Blah 368 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:52,399 Speaker 2: blah blah blah blah. For a lot of these individuals, 369 00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:56,760 Speaker 2: When you get past a certain threshold of wealth, fame 370 00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:03,600 Speaker 2: becomes disadvantageous. They don't want you to know too too 371 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 2: much about what they're doing. Why, what the end game is, 372 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:13,800 Speaker 2: fame can be a disadvantage, is what we're saying. And 373 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:18,200 Speaker 2: you know, privacy as a resource or a currency. Make 374 00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 2: no mistake, folks. In the I guess mid horizon of 375 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:26,800 Speaker 2: the future, privacy is going to be right up there 376 00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 2: with water in terms of value potable water. I mean, 377 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:32,920 Speaker 2: shout out to our water Wars series. So that's a 378 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:35,560 Speaker 2: bunch of stuff we're not saying. What we are saying, 379 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:42,880 Speaker 2: in absolute fairness is simply this. The opportunity for corruption 380 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:47,520 Speaker 2: and conflicts of interest exists, and in the world of 381 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:52,680 Speaker 2: politics as a hobby, that opportunity is so wide, it's 382 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:56,760 Speaker 2: so broad, it's so easy that it would be either 383 00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:01,479 Speaker 2: willfully ignorant or wilfully misleading to pretend that out of 384 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:06,720 Speaker 2: the thousands of people doing this, literally no one put 385 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:10,560 Speaker 2: their hand in the cookie jar. Not one. I mean, 386 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 2: come the on. Look, there's another troubling example. To paraphrase 387 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:20,760 Speaker 2: Rick James, philanthropy is a hell of a drug. We'll 388 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:23,160 Speaker 2: tell you what we're talking about after a word from 389 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:37,040 Speaker 2: our sponsors, and we have returned philanthropy First, Philanthropy is 390 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:39,640 Speaker 2: it's kind of an umbrella term, you know what I mean. 391 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:44,680 Speaker 2: Like how as an earlier example, chair is an umbrella term. 392 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:48,080 Speaker 2: There are lots of things that qualifies a chair, and 393 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 2: they don't all look the same. Philanthropy is kind of 394 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:57,160 Speaker 2: similar in that regard any activity that quote actively promotes 395 00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:01,640 Speaker 2: human welfare end quote, that count is philanthropy. And the 396 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:04,880 Speaker 2: tricky thing is that, just like the concept of beauty, 397 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:08,760 Speaker 2: the concept of philanthropy is very much an eye of 398 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:13,440 Speaker 2: the beholder situation. You know, what one billionaire thinks of 399 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:16,040 Speaker 2: as the good of the planet or the good of 400 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:22,560 Speaker 2: humanity overall may not vibe with what the public thinks. 401 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:26,040 Speaker 2: It may be downright dangerous or even fatal for some 402 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:30,520 Speaker 2: members of humanity, and that break a few eggs to 403 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:36,320 Speaker 2: make an omelet. Concept comes into play in boardrooms in 404 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:41,440 Speaker 2: a state offices all the world over, and again we're 405 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:44,440 Speaker 2: not going to hear a lot of those backroom conversations. 406 00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:53,320 Speaker 2: There are also so, so very many philanthropic outfits, organizations, institutions, 407 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:56,840 Speaker 2: NGOs call them which you wish. They're of all shapes 408 00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:01,200 Speaker 2: and sizes, all across the world. You know, everything from 409 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:08,280 Speaker 2: everything from a local on the ground initiative to promote 410 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:12,160 Speaker 2: education and literacy all the way up to massive things 411 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:16,600 Speaker 2: like the Bill Gates Foundation. Millions of people work in 412 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:21,720 Speaker 2: association with these outfits. Billions of people are affected by 413 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:26,840 Speaker 2: their work, and if we are being unfailingly, absolutely honest. 414 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:30,920 Speaker 2: A lot of these employees would never know if the 415 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:34,720 Speaker 2: folks at the top of the organization had an ulterior motive. 416 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:41,120 Speaker 2: When weaponized in bad faith, these NGOs can circumvent existing 417 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:45,880 Speaker 2: laws and regulations to enact a billionaire's will. Just like 418 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:49,400 Speaker 2: the global art trade, they can function as a loophole, 419 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:53,240 Speaker 2: a back door of sorts, for all kinds of nasty 420 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:57,720 Speaker 2: things like money laundering and tax dodges. You know, all 421 00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:01,560 Speaker 2: the hits, all the good slow jazz. And of course, 422 00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:05,680 Speaker 2: just like with politics as a hobby, this doesn't mean 423 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:10,640 Speaker 2: all in Geo's noe, all philanthropic organizations are corrupt. They 424 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:16,040 Speaker 2: can and still do a lot of good. It's very difficult, 425 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:22,320 Speaker 2: if not impossible, to estimate just how profoundly these organizations 426 00:32:22,360 --> 00:32:26,440 Speaker 2: have collectively improved life on Earth, and not just for humans. 427 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:32,040 Speaker 2: And that stands true even if hypothetically some of the 428 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:36,440 Speaker 2: prime movers of these organizations are aiming for goals the 429 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:41,240 Speaker 2: public would ultimately disagree with. While we're on the subject 430 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:45,840 Speaker 2: of philanthropy, I want to note an excellent article over 431 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:49,920 Speaker 2: The Guardian by Carl Rhodes and Peter Bloom. This piece 432 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:54,920 Speaker 2: comes from twenty eighteen. It's called the Trouble with Charitable Billionaires, 433 00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:58,960 Speaker 2: and even though it's a few years old, I think 434 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 2: it still holds today. It remains relevant. Roads in Bloom 435 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:08,720 Speaker 2: argue that there's another problem with what they call philanthro capitalism. 436 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:11,280 Speaker 2: Maybe we can make that our word of the day. 437 00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:19,800 Speaker 2: Philanthro Capitalism is the idea that very powerful people in 438 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:22,680 Speaker 2: the corporate world, or in the world of finance, etc. 439 00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:25,920 Speaker 2: Anybody who's very powerful, but not a state figure nor 440 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:30,920 Speaker 2: a religious figure. It's the idea that they're applying concepts 441 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:35,920 Speaker 2: from the boardroom to the concept of philanthropy, which again 442 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:41,520 Speaker 2: actively promoting something that's good for people. And Roads in 443 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:46,560 Speaker 2: Bloom are pretty skeptical about this. They argue first that 444 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:51,520 Speaker 2: this could be seen as corporate hypocrisy. They're saying, look, 445 00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:55,680 Speaker 2: a lot of these folks in the billionaire class, they're 446 00:33:55,720 --> 00:34:01,520 Speaker 2: creating these organizations or they're making these donations to fix problem. Sure, yeah, 447 00:34:02,120 --> 00:34:05,600 Speaker 2: but they're fixing problems that they themselves caused in the 448 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:09,399 Speaker 2: pursuit of their fortunes, you know what I mean. It's 449 00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:14,520 Speaker 2: like the argument is something like, Okay, we did cut 450 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:18,479 Speaker 2: off someone's hand, so let's give them a band aid, 451 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:22,040 Speaker 2: you know, stop the bleeding a little bit. It's not 452 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:24,920 Speaker 2: the same as not cutting off the hand in the 453 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:29,400 Speaker 2: first place. And they looked at a really compelling twenty 454 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:36,319 Speaker 2: seventeen report by Oxfam. Oxfam itself an ingeo, published this 455 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:40,520 Speaker 2: report called an Economy for the ninety nine Percent. And 456 00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:43,080 Speaker 2: in this report, which you can read for free online, 457 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:49,320 Speaker 2: they highlight the injustice and unsustainability of a world suffering 458 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:54,800 Speaker 2: from widening levels of inequality. And regardless of any of 459 00:34:54,840 --> 00:35:03,120 Speaker 2: our own personal ideological identifications, regardless of what we think 460 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:06,320 Speaker 2: about various you know, various policies and the so called 461 00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:10,600 Speaker 2: culture war, the numbers here hold true. Since the early 462 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:14,920 Speaker 2: nineteen nineties, the top one percent of the world's most 463 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:20,280 Speaker 2: wealthy people have gained more income than the entire bottom 464 00:35:20,719 --> 00:35:25,839 Speaker 2: fifty percent. You know. And I'm no math surgeon, as 465 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:30,719 Speaker 2: I always like to joke, but that math seems pretty lopsided. 466 00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:35,160 Speaker 2: Oxfam asks why this is happening. They place the blame 467 00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:40,000 Speaker 2: on certain culprits. They say, the blame goes fully with 468 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:45,440 Speaker 2: corporations and the global market economies in which those corporate 469 00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:50,000 Speaker 2: entities operate. These statistics, as Roads and Bloom point out, 470 00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:55,879 Speaker 2: are alarming the world's ten biggest corporations right now have 471 00:35:56,000 --> 00:36:01,560 Speaker 2: revenues that exceed the total combined revenue of one hundred 472 00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:05,640 Speaker 2: and eighty of the least wealthy nations on the planet, 473 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:09,240 Speaker 2: and for comparison, they're a very frightening one. The United 474 00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:13,400 Speaker 2: Nations currently recognizes something like the one hundred and ninety 475 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:16,720 Speaker 2: two a little over one hundred and ninety two ninety 476 00:36:16,719 --> 00:36:21,879 Speaker 2: three countries. So out of those, the majority of those 477 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:27,239 Speaker 2: countries all put together, make less money per year than 478 00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:34,040 Speaker 2: the world's ten biggest corporations. And the authors argue here 479 00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:39,799 Speaker 2: that corporate social responsibility isn't really making a difference. You know, 480 00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:43,960 Speaker 2: there are things like initiatives by Warren Buffett and previously 481 00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:48,520 Speaker 2: mentioned Bill Gates doing big, big things like hey, let's 482 00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:51,000 Speaker 2: both of those guys pledge they don't want to be 483 00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:54,680 Speaker 2: billionaires by the time they pass away. And Bill Gates 484 00:36:54,760 --> 00:36:59,400 Speaker 2: is through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, fighting the 485 00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:03,480 Speaker 2: spread of disease across the world. But let's go back 486 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:06,600 Speaker 2: to this Oxvan report, because this report says the following, 487 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:09,359 Speaker 2: and I would love to hear what everyone thinks about 488 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:14,279 Speaker 2: this quote. When corporations increasingly work for the rich, the 489 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:17,839 Speaker 2: benefits of economic growth are denied to those who need 490 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:22,240 Speaker 2: the most. In pursuit of delivering high returns to those 491 00:37:22,320 --> 00:37:26,160 Speaker 2: at the top, corporations are driven to squeeze their workers 492 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:30,799 Speaker 2: and producers ever harder and to avoid paying taxes which 493 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:35,759 Speaker 2: would benefit everyone, and the poorest people in particular. So 494 00:37:36,440 --> 00:37:42,040 Speaker 2: neither the philanthropy of the super rich nor socially directed 495 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:47,279 Speaker 2: corporate programs seem to have any real effect on combating 496 00:37:47,320 --> 00:37:51,799 Speaker 2: this trend. You know, they're treating some symptoms, but they're 497 00:37:51,800 --> 00:37:55,520 Speaker 2: not treating problems. You know. The authors talk in depth 498 00:37:55,640 --> 00:38:01,960 Speaker 2: about Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Meta formerly known as Facebook. 499 00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:08,560 Speaker 2: Zuckerberg knew there's a housing crisis in San Francisco and 500 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:13,200 Speaker 2: made a donation of three million dollars. That's not going 501 00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:18,279 Speaker 2: to really move the needle on San Francisco's housing crisis. 502 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:22,239 Speaker 2: As I said at the top of tonight's episode, a 503 00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:25,640 Speaker 2: million dollars is like a nice one bedroom apartment in 504 00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:32,560 Speaker 2: San Francisco. So buying three people apartments is nice, right, 505 00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:35,839 Speaker 2: But what does it fix? And of course we can 506 00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:40,680 Speaker 2: still say something is better than nothing, right, and that's true. 507 00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:45,840 Speaker 2: Something is logically better than nothing, But what about the 508 00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:52,759 Speaker 2: vast fortunes that are being earned off this weird feedback 509 00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:56,759 Speaker 2: loop that has been created philanthrough capitalism doesn't answer that, 510 00:38:57,040 --> 00:39:01,440 Speaker 2: it doesn't solve that. It is instead a spoonful of 511 00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:04,960 Speaker 2: sugar approach, And I would argue to you that spoonful 512 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:10,440 Speaker 2: of sugar is hiding some bad medicine. These enormous fortunes 513 00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:14,759 Speaker 2: in the hands of very very few people. At a point, 514 00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:17,479 Speaker 2: it doesn't matter how they earned it, you know. Of course, 515 00:39:17,520 --> 00:39:21,080 Speaker 2: there's that profound and valid saying at the heart of 516 00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:25,800 Speaker 2: every great fortune, there's some great crime, But it doesn't 517 00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:28,279 Speaker 2: really matter how people earned it when we're looking at 518 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:31,160 Speaker 2: these problems. Of course, a lot of people earned this 519 00:39:31,200 --> 00:39:35,279 Speaker 2: through inheritance. The easiest way to become wealthy in the 520 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:39,920 Speaker 2: United States is to be bored into a wealthy family. Obviously, 521 00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:45,080 Speaker 2: it doesn't matter whether it came through honest commerce or crime. 522 00:39:45,920 --> 00:39:51,520 Speaker 2: It continues to grow as a result of this wobble 523 00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:57,600 Speaker 2: sided economic grift that is the current financial regime. And 524 00:39:57,840 --> 00:40:02,160 Speaker 2: of course, on the last part, there are hobbies that 525 00:40:02,239 --> 00:40:06,279 Speaker 2: billionaires don't want you to know they have. They expend 526 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:09,120 Speaker 2: some of them great amounts of energy to make sure 527 00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:11,920 Speaker 2: it doesn't get in the news. I'm talking about the 528 00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:14,120 Speaker 2: stuff we're not going to hear about until these people 529 00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:17,920 Speaker 2: have passed away or made very powerful enemies, or their 530 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:21,040 Speaker 2: respective walls of silence have fallen due to a court 531 00:40:21,120 --> 00:40:26,319 Speaker 2: case or grizzly murder or an accident so on. And 532 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:32,320 Speaker 2: these include very very unclean things, active roles in human trafficking, 533 00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:36,239 Speaker 2: the commission of violent crimes up to and including homicide, 534 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:41,960 Speaker 2: rampant use of drugs, trade and drugs. Why not illegal 535 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:48,520 Speaker 2: trade and artifacts, money laundering through art, endangered animals, poaching, 536 00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:52,120 Speaker 2: that kind of collecting. Right, there are people out there 537 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:58,000 Speaker 2: with the inclination and means to collect illegal things, you know, 538 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:03,879 Speaker 2: and there are. It's very true. There are things that 539 00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:08,400 Speaker 2: have been collected in mass, in people's estates and homes 540 00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:10,840 Speaker 2: that belong in a museum. I don't care if I 541 00:41:10,840 --> 00:41:13,960 Speaker 2: sound Indiana Jones about it. The ultimate issue is this, 542 00:41:14,080 --> 00:41:17,319 Speaker 2: we're talking about billionaire hobbies. When you have a significant 543 00:41:17,400 --> 00:41:23,200 Speaker 2: chunk of humanity's overall wealth, you will inevitably begin to 544 00:41:23,320 --> 00:41:28,359 Speaker 2: lose perspective. And when we are capable of writing and 545 00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:33,120 Speaker 2: rewriting the rules of society as we see fit, when 546 00:41:33,280 --> 00:41:38,040 Speaker 2: we can buy the authorities, when we can collect the politicians, 547 00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:41,839 Speaker 2: just the way you might collect pokemon. The things that 548 00:41:41,880 --> 00:41:45,680 Speaker 2: we describe as hobbies, the things we do for quote 549 00:41:45,760 --> 00:41:50,040 Speaker 2: unquote recreation with maybe a side benefit that gets a 550 00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:55,120 Speaker 2: lot less cutesy, it becomes much more dangerous. And at 551 00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:58,080 Speaker 2: this point let's pass it to you, longtime listeners, fellow 552 00:41:58,120 --> 00:42:01,960 Speaker 2: conspiracy realist, what do you think? I will admit I 553 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:07,160 Speaker 2: am a bit torn about this because my policy has 554 00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:10,400 Speaker 2: always been, and it always kind of still will be 555 00:42:10,480 --> 00:42:14,840 Speaker 2: at heart, that a person's money and choices are their own, 556 00:42:15,400 --> 00:42:18,759 Speaker 2: you know what I mean. People do foolish things with 557 00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:23,480 Speaker 2: their money all the time, but it's their decision. And 558 00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:27,839 Speaker 2: taking away that autonomy, taking away that decision, I think 559 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:31,760 Speaker 2: that takes away some agency. It takes away some part 560 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:35,279 Speaker 2: of a person's humanity and their right to exist, even 561 00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:40,200 Speaker 2: if you don't like what their body. However, just like 562 00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:44,840 Speaker 2: the concept of money itself, doesn't that change a little 563 00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:50,280 Speaker 2: bit at the top should it? Want to know your answers, 564 00:42:50,360 --> 00:42:52,680 Speaker 2: This is a Gordian knot. It's a heck of a dilemma. 565 00:42:53,360 --> 00:42:55,840 Speaker 2: I would also like to hear about what kind of 566 00:42:55,880 --> 00:42:59,520 Speaker 2: pranks or hobbies you would engage in with let's say, 567 00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:04,640 Speaker 2: nothing too big for this conversation. Let's say, what is 568 00:43:04,680 --> 00:43:08,200 Speaker 2: your dream prank or your dream hobby if you had 569 00:43:09,239 --> 00:43:12,960 Speaker 2: one point four billion dollars, that's it. That's all the 570 00:43:12,960 --> 00:43:16,319 Speaker 2: money you get. That includes whatever you have to live 571 00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:19,719 Speaker 2: off of. Whatever your faberge Egg budget already is so 572 00:43:19,800 --> 00:43:23,319 Speaker 2: nothing fancy, for example, so we don't end on a 573 00:43:23,360 --> 00:43:27,040 Speaker 2: total downer. Note. I went back through my list of 574 00:43:27,840 --> 00:43:33,080 Speaker 2: dream I called it Pranks for deranged billionaires, and this 575 00:43:33,239 --> 00:43:35,480 Speaker 2: is one of my dream pranks. I'd like to share 576 00:43:35,520 --> 00:43:39,880 Speaker 2: it with you as we close the show. Quote. I 577 00:43:39,960 --> 00:43:45,640 Speaker 2: want to buy used astronaut suits from multiple international space stations, 578 00:43:46,239 --> 00:43:51,640 Speaker 2: then mail them to random residential addresses with the phrase 579 00:43:52,040 --> 00:43:55,960 Speaker 2: prepare yourself printed on a card. On the back of 580 00:43:56,000 --> 00:43:58,520 Speaker 2: the card, there will be a list of the other 581 00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:02,719 Speaker 2: addresses that I mail the other suits too, and of 582 00:44:02,719 --> 00:44:05,279 Speaker 2: course no return address. We're just going to ghost these 583 00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:09,600 Speaker 2: people and make their lives a little more interesting. So 584 00:44:09,920 --> 00:44:13,719 Speaker 2: that's the kind of wholesome prank we're thinking about. We 585 00:44:13,760 --> 00:44:16,440 Speaker 2: want to know your pranks, we want to know your hobbies, 586 00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:19,680 Speaker 2: we want to know your philanthropy. Let's do that. Tell 587 00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:21,759 Speaker 2: us what you would do if you had one point 588 00:44:21,800 --> 00:44:25,640 Speaker 2: four billion dollars. How would you attempt to make the 589 00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:29,600 Speaker 2: world a better place or would you just get real 590 00:44:29,719 --> 00:44:33,200 Speaker 2: weird with it? Frank Reynolds style can't wait to hear 591 00:44:33,239 --> 00:44:36,680 Speaker 2: your thoughts. As always, you can find us in so 592 00:44:36,880 --> 00:44:40,040 Speaker 2: many places online. We're on Facebook, where we've got the 593 00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:43,920 Speaker 2: group Here's where it gets crazy. We're on YouTube Conspiracy Stuff. 594 00:44:43,960 --> 00:44:48,840 Speaker 2: We are Conspiracy Stuff show on Instagram, and Matt Nolan 595 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:52,759 Speaker 2: and I are continually making new little things for this. 596 00:44:52,880 --> 00:44:56,400 Speaker 2: You can also read our book Stuff they Don't want 597 00:44:56,440 --> 00:44:58,960 Speaker 2: you to know. And if you do not sip the 598 00:44:59,040 --> 00:45:02,760 Speaker 2: social needs, you can always give us a phone call. 599 00:45:03,160 --> 00:45:06,319 Speaker 2: The number is and say it with me one eight 600 00:45:06,440 --> 00:45:11,960 Speaker 2: three three st d WYTK. When you call, you will 601 00:45:12,040 --> 00:45:14,799 Speaker 2: hear a hopefully familiar voice and then a beep like 602 00:45:14,840 --> 00:45:18,160 Speaker 2: so beep That means you will have three minutes. Those 603 00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:22,759 Speaker 2: three minutes are yours. Do with them what thou wilt. 604 00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:25,960 Speaker 2: You can give us what's on your mind. We would 605 00:45:26,040 --> 00:45:29,040 Speaker 2: love it if you give us a moniker, a street name, 606 00:45:29,160 --> 00:45:32,839 Speaker 2: an aka, a nickname. Let us know whether we can 607 00:45:32,960 --> 00:45:36,400 Speaker 2: use your voice and or message on the air. Most importantly, 608 00:45:36,840 --> 00:45:40,040 Speaker 2: if you have something that needs more than three minutes, 609 00:45:40,560 --> 00:45:44,440 Speaker 2: please please, please just write to us. We read every 610 00:45:44,480 --> 00:45:48,200 Speaker 2: single email we get. We love the pictures, we love 611 00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:50,839 Speaker 2: the addendum, we love the links. Take us to the 612 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:54,280 Speaker 2: edge of the rabbit hole. We will do the rest. 613 00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:59,399 Speaker 2: That's all for today. We'll be back Matt, Noel and 614 00:45:59,480 --> 00:46:02,080 Speaker 2: I have so much more stuff they don't want you 615 00:46:02,120 --> 00:46:05,480 Speaker 2: to know. If you're saying, but wait, Ben, where's the email, 616 00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:09,440 Speaker 2: don't worry. I've got your back. We are conspiracy at 617 00:46:09,480 --> 00:46:31,040 Speaker 2: iHeartRadio dot com. Stuff they don't want you to know 618 00:46:31,239 --> 00:46:35,040 Speaker 2: is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 619 00:46:35,160 --> 00:46:38,479 Speaker 2: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 620 00:46:38,480 --> 00:46:39,800 Speaker 2: to your favorite shows.