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He understands the justice/social system and its absurdity and decides to have a bit of fun subverting the system and stirring up drama, even if it has detrimen

He understands the justice/social system and its absurdity and decides to have a bit of fun subverting the system and stirring up drama, even if it has detrimental effects on his ongoing case, because he enjoys giving the middle finger to authority and the established order/system. He's respectful to the interviewers, but he seems to absolutely detest authority (especially authority which seems arbitrary or archaic).

danso 9y ago
What absurdity about the justice system did he perceive (that the status quo doesn't)? And if he knew what he was doing, and properly ascertained its detrimental effects, then why did he reportedly weep and plead for mercy when the sentence was handed down? To put this another way, if Shkreli received what he thought he would get -- which is 0 days in prison (when considering time served up to now) -- then how is that less a mockery of the justice system than the other cases people complain about, when smart, clean-cut, cultured white-collar executives don't get what they purportedly deserve? I bet if Enron's Jeffrey Skilling (who received an initial sentence of 24+ years) had a YouTube channel, he too would come off as a relatable intelligent and clever human, which is what you'd expect of someone who worked his way up to CEO.
- roymurdock 9y ago
  I don't have the answers you're looking for, just sharing my view of his character/motivations after watching a 30 minute interview with the guy on his upbringing, rap, and the pharma industry. I'd wager Enron's CEO would come off as an actor or a sociopath reading press releases or prepared scripts for money, whereas Shkreli still exhibits genuine human emotions, quirks (genuinely passionate about rap/hip hop because it got him through tough times growing up), compassion (gave drugs away for free to those who couldn't afford, taught a youtube series on chemsitry/pharma for younger generation of investors), etc. It seems like it's not all about money for Shkreli, he wants to impact the culture and give back in unselfish ways. I put myself in his shoes, and I feel bad for the guy having 7 years of his life taken from him, especially when many other white collar crimes of seemingly greater magnitude go unpunished

danso 9y ago

What absurdity about the justice system did he perceive (that the status quo doesn't)? And if he knew what he was doing, and properly ascertained its detrimental effects, then why did he reportedly weep and plead for mercy when the sentence was handed down? To put this another way, if Shkreli received what he thought he would get -- which is 0 days in prison (when considering time served up to now) -- then how is that less a mockery of the justice system than the other cases people complain about, when smart, clean-cut, cultured white-collar executives don't get what they purportedly deserve? I bet if Enron's Jeffrey Skilling (who received an initial sentence of 24+ years) had a YouTube channel, he too would come off as a relatable intelligent and clever human, which is what you'd expect of someone who worked his way up to CEO.

roymurdock 9y ago
I don't have the answers you're looking for, just sharing my view of his character/motivations after watching a 30 minute interview with the guy on his upbringing, rap, and the pharma industry. I'd wager Enron's CEO would come off as an actor or a sociopath reading press releases or prepared scripts for money, whereas Shkreli still exhibits genuine human emotions, quirks (genuinely passionate about rap/hip hop because it got him through tough times growing up), compassion (gave drugs away for free to those who couldn't afford, taught a youtube series on chemsitry/pharma for younger generation of investors), etc. It seems like it's not all about money for Shkreli, he wants to impact the culture and give back in unselfish ways. I put myself in his shoes, and I feel bad for the guy having 7 years of his life taken from him, especially when many other white collar crimes of seemingly greater magnitude go unpunished