5 ms·

This is cool but on some level this pisses me off. What is this story about, really? Is it a quick recap of when a bunch of elites gathered and lived in luxury

This is cool but on some level this pisses me off. What is this story about, really? Is it a quick recap of when a bunch of elites gathered and lived in luxury for a bit? The bit about free booze flowing and attendees smoking high end cigars triggered something in me that I'm not sure I understand fully. It feels like Bezos just wanted to host a cool party so that other people that he consider cool will think he's cool.

eeZah7Ux 9y ago
Poor cupofjoakim - you've been accused of being envious (and, implicitly, being unable to afford booze and cigars), immature and more. Yet it's true that the article has zero informative content, as millionaires are throwing parties every day, and it reads like a piece of PR or advertising.
- cupofjoakim 9y ago
  No worries, I can take the feedback (and it looks like I need it too). I'm not quite sure what I am at this point, but atleast I know I have no issue with gaining access to free booze and cigars. There's that kind of festivities in sweden too :)
jazoom 9y ago
>triggered something in me that I'm not sure I understand fully. I think that feeling is called jealousy.
- cupofjoakim 9y ago
  Well, if it's jealousy it's not as I have experienced it before. Not saying it isn't though!
- gadders 9y ago
  I think you mean envy.
  - kerkeslager 9y ago
    To explain why you're right: Envy = You have that thing and I want that thing. Jealousy = I have this thing and I want you not to have this thing.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - jazoom 9y ago
      I was getting ready to have my mind blown, but now I'm just confused: "jealous: feeling or showing an envious resentment of someone or their achievements, possessions, or perceived advantages." "Synonyms: envy, covetousness"
      - vicpara 9y ago
        Jealousy is generally related to human feelings. "feeling or showing a resentful suspicion that one's partner is attracted to or involved with someone else." It is mostly incorrectly used by people to depict envy. Also it became also a cool factor. "Your trip to Jamaica makes me jealous". Huh ? Envy is about "a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck." So you are actually envious. So stop being resentful at someone's luck or connections :)
      - gadders 9y ago
        Envy: "X has such a great boyfriend/girlfriend. I really wish they were mine." Jealousy: "I am sure X is trying to steal my boyfriend/girlfriend away from me."
adventured 9y ago
Ok, simple question then: should rich people not have fun? Or should they just never allow everybody else to find out they have fun?
- zxcb1 9y ago
  More interesting I think, what is the purpose of the conference besides networking? As I understand it MARS is an acronym?
stupidcar 9y ago
Are you pissed off because it's insufficiently editorialised? It's undoubtedly news — these are some very rich, influential and/or talented people, and all of them attending an event like this is notable. What it "means" is up to you, and different people will have different takes on it. I'd prefer that they just tell me it happened and let me make up my own mind. My take is that society has different tribes of elites: You have old-school aristocracy and royalty, ultra-rich businesspeople, celebrity entertainers, politicians, artists, and top scientists. Each tribe is fascinated by, and envious of the different cachet and influence of the others. But the nature of the capitalist system means that it is the ultra-rich who pull the strings, and so they organise events like this in order to rub up against these other types. In the past, the rich were most interested in rubbing up against the aristocracy, in the hope of acquiring by association the social capital associated with inherited nobility, and eventually becoming aristocrats themselves. Then, as the status of the aristocracy diminished during the 20th century, the rich became more interested associating with celebrities, as their associated glamour was something exotic and interesting. In the 21st century, celebrity and fame has been demystified and become somewhat vulgar. So, now you have a subset of the very rich who are instead interested in associating with scientists, futurologists and researchers, as their air of intellectual achievement and specialised knowledge offers a new type of cachet that they wish to associate themselves with.
- cupofjoakim 9y ago
  Dude, thanks for this reply. I think you sorted out some of my feelings about this a bit, and I think I understand more now. "...eventually becoming aristocrats themselves." is what I think is happening here - Bezos is a cool guy but he admires the scientists and researchers and want to be around these people to be more like them himself. Me reacting poorly is probably elitist in itself - from my perspective the organization of this "party" makes Bezos somewhat of a poser if you will. I guess I'll have to do a bit of reflecting on this, so that I can have a more mature reaction.
cornholio 9y ago
The annoying feeling could be triggered by the over-pompousness of a rich networking event that thinks of itself as "the new School of Athens". Some attendants seem to believe they are special human beings in and of themselves so they expect bringing exceptional people together should lead to exceptional, out of this world results. It's a small scale version of what the guys at Davos have been doing for decades, only with tech toys instead of politicians - an expression of the power shift from politics to tech giants.
- gumby 9y ago
  > It's a small scale version of what the guys at Davos have been doing for decades, only with tech toys instead of politicians - an expression of the power shift from politics to tech giants This is an insightful observation. Thanks!
dekhn 9y ago
I think a better way to think about is, now that the nerds have grown up and have a bunch of money, they want to share that with the next generation of nerds.

eeZah7Ux 9y ago

Poor cupofjoakim - you've been accused of being envious (and, implicitly, being unable to afford booze and cigars), immature and more. Yet it's true that the article has zero informative content, as millionaires are throwing parties every day, and it reads like a piece of PR or advertising.

cupofjoakim 9y ago
No worries, I can take the feedback (and it looks like I need it too). I'm not quite sure what I am at this point, but atleast I know I have no issue with gaining access to free booze and cigars. There's that kind of festivities in sweden too :)

jazoom 9y ago

>triggered something in me that I'm not sure I understand fully. I think that feeling is called jealousy.

cupofjoakim 9y ago
Well, if it's jealousy it's not as I have experienced it before. Not saying it isn't though!
gadders 9y ago
I think you mean envy.
- kerkeslager 9y ago
  To explain why you're right: Envy = You have that thing and I want that thing. Jealousy = I have this thing and I want you not to have this thing.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - jazoom 9y ago
    I was getting ready to have my mind blown, but now I'm just confused: "jealous: feeling or showing an envious resentment of someone or their achievements, possessions, or perceived advantages." "Synonyms: envy, covetousness"
    - vicpara 9y ago
      Jealousy is generally related to human feelings. "feeling or showing a resentful suspicion that one's partner is attracted to or involved with someone else." It is mostly incorrectly used by people to depict envy. Also it became also a cool factor. "Your trip to Jamaica makes me jealous". Huh ? Envy is about "a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck." So you are actually envious. So stop being resentful at someone's luck or connections :)
    - gadders 9y ago
      Envy: "X has such a great boyfriend/girlfriend. I really wish they were mine." Jealousy: "I am sure X is trying to steal my boyfriend/girlfriend away from me."

adventured 9y ago

Ok, simple question then: should rich people not have fun? Or should they just never allow everybody else to find out they have fun?

zxcb1 9y ago
More interesting I think, what is the purpose of the conference besides networking? As I understand it MARS is an acronym?

stupidcar 9y ago

Are you pissed off because it's insufficiently editorialised? It's undoubtedly news — these are some very rich, influential and/or talented people, and all of them attending an event like this is notable. What it "means" is up to you, and different people will have different takes on it. I'd prefer that they just tell me it happened and let me make up my own mind. My take is that society has different tribes of elites: You have old-school aristocracy and royalty, ultra-rich businesspeople, celebrity entertainers, politicians, artists, and top scientists. Each tribe is fascinated by, and envious of the different cachet and influence of the others. But the nature of the capitalist system means that it is the ultra-rich who pull the strings, and so they organise events like this in order to rub up against these other types. In the past, the rich were most interested in rubbing up against the aristocracy, in the hope of acquiring by association the social capital associated with inherited nobility, and eventually becoming aristocrats themselves. Then, as the status of the aristocracy diminished during the 20th century, the rich became more interested associating with celebrities, as their associated glamour was something exotic and interesting. In the 21st century, celebrity and fame has been demystified and become somewhat vulgar. So, now you have a subset of the very rich who are instead interested in associating with scientists, futurologists and researchers, as their air of intellectual achievement and specialised knowledge offers a new type of cachet that they wish to associate themselves with.

cupofjoakim 9y ago
Dude, thanks for this reply. I think you sorted out some of my feelings about this a bit, and I think I understand more now. "...eventually becoming aristocrats themselves." is what I think is happening here - Bezos is a cool guy but he admires the scientists and researchers and want to be around these people to be more like them himself. Me reacting poorly is probably elitist in itself - from my perspective the organization of this "party" makes Bezos somewhat of a poser if you will. I guess I'll have to do a bit of reflecting on this, so that I can have a more mature reaction.

cornholio 9y ago

The annoying feeling could be triggered by the over-pompousness of a rich networking event that thinks of itself as "the new School of Athens". Some attendants seem to believe they are special human beings in and of themselves so they expect bringing exceptional people together should lead to exceptional, out of this world results. It's a small scale version of what the guys at Davos have been doing for decades, only with tech toys instead of politicians - an expression of the power shift from politics to tech giants.

gumby 9y ago
> It's a small scale version of what the guys at Davos have been doing for decades, only with tech toys instead of politicians - an expression of the power shift from politics to tech giants This is an insightful observation. Thanks!

dekhn 9y ago

I think a better way to think about is, now that the nerds have grown up and have a bunch of money, they want to share that with the next generation of nerds.