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This is what's wrong with the world. I can understand a $100k car, but this level if unnecessary decadence and the apathetic world view that one must have to o

This is what's wrong with the world. I can understand a $100k car, but this level if unnecessary decadence and the apathetic world view that one must have to own and operate one is staggering to me. One of these cars is the equivalent cost of education and medical Bills for several large families over a generation or more. One question, why? How do things like this move us forward as a civilization and society?

bluGill 7y ago
This does feed hundreds of family's: the families of those who design and build the car.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
seibelj 7y ago
It’s not your decision to tell people what to spend their money on. I’d rather one beautiful super car is made than 20 million $5 cups of useless Starbucks coffee. Why not make a cup at home and save the paper and plastic garbage that ends up in landfills? You start playing the game of “this is an insane decadence that means the world is broken!” and the logic falls apart quickly.
- iancmceachern 7y ago
  I don't understand the comparison. We are working toward the greater good right? Coffee shops provide thousands of jobs, and a public shared social meeting place for people. So we trade one supercar for the happy mornings, daily commraderie, neighborhood meeting place, and place of work for 54,000 people for one year? That math seems off... One supercar cannot bring that much joy and comfort to that many people. The comparison that makes sense to me : Why would one person, just because they can, buy 20 million dollars worth of coffee, when a $5 cup would do, while others are in need around them, and then not even drink it all. Many, most of these cars like this end up sitting in a massive garage somewhere, with the owners other 80 cars. Most Bugatti owners have 80+ cars. Don't get me wrong, I think these things are engineering marvels too. I'm just asking the question how far do we go with it? What is the right supercar vs. Basic humanitarian aid ratio?
HeyLaughingBoy 7y ago
Perhaps if you backed off for a second and considered the amount of wealth this person had to create, and the people and businesses they had to support (besides Bugatti) in order to achieve this level of wealth, you'd find that it's not as obscene as you think. That process was the one that "moves us forward as a civilization and society." IOW, as you get to this level of wealth, you improve the lives of the others who provided you products and services. Does it really matter to you that much what this person then chooses to do with their accumulated cash? How is buying the car worse than, say, a single person winning a $13M lottery? Would you complain about that?
- ceejayoz 7y ago
  > Perhaps if you backed off for a second and considered the amount of wealth this person had to create... It's possible that amount is zero, if they're just spending their parents' money. Plenty of multi-generational wealth sitting around.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 7y ago
    Anything's possible. However, in the world we live in, it's more likely than not that someone with money earned it themselves.
    - ceejayoz 7y ago
      Tech's been shifting the balance, but there's still a very substantial portion of the folks with this sort of throwaway money who're sitting on family fortunes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2014/10/03/there-are-more-self-made-billionaires-in-the-forbes-400-than-ever-before/#3db2fb283369 https://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2014/10/03/there-... > In 2004, we had 59% of the Forbes 400 having made their own fortune, as opposed to 41% who inherited it. But, again, at the extremes we still saw a full one-tenth of the list, or 40 of them, having fully inherited their fortunes and not working to grow it, and only 4.75% of them, or 19, as totally self-made, having battled adversity to reach the top. > Thus, the most encouraging results come from this year’s Forbes 400. For the first time in our data set, we see the number of self-made billionaires who rose from nothing, and overcame various tough obstacles, outpacing those that just sat on their fortunes. A total of 34 billionaires, or 8.5%, scored as 10s, or more than three times as many as in 1984. The number of 100% inherited fortunes as a percentage of the total fell to 7%, with 28 billionaires in the 1 category, compared to 99 back in 1984. There's a higher chance these days someone spending millions on a car is some sort of "job creator", but it's by no means guaranteed. The supercar set may lean more towards Saudi oil wealth sort of folks, as well.
GuB-42 7y ago
These cars are technological marvels. They may have only one owner but they inspire millions of people. And some of the things found in these hypercars can find their way in your future car. It is like an experiment funded by a billionaire. And when someone pays for one of these cars, he does pay for the education and medical bills of everyone involved in making this car. These cars are not made from blood diamonds and the skin of endangered species. They are made by well paid, highly skilled workers and engineers. And they are proud of what they are doing.
- iancmceachern 7y ago
  Indeed, they are not made from blood diamonds, endangered species and organized crime profits, etc. I think we can agree that they are on occasion paid for with such though. Excellent point re: providing for the folks who make it. You're right.

bluGill 7y ago

This does feed hundreds of family's: the families of those who design and build the car.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

seibelj 7y ago

It’s not your decision to tell people what to spend their money on. I’d rather one beautiful super car is made than 20 million $5 cups of useless Starbucks coffee. Why not make a cup at home and save the paper and plastic garbage that ends up in landfills? You start playing the game of “this is an insane decadence that means the world is broken!” and the logic falls apart quickly.

iancmceachern 7y ago
I don't understand the comparison. We are working toward the greater good right? Coffee shops provide thousands of jobs, and a public shared social meeting place for people. So we trade one supercar for the happy mornings, daily commraderie, neighborhood meeting place, and place of work for 54,000 people for one year? That math seems off... One supercar cannot bring that much joy and comfort to that many people. The comparison that makes sense to me : Why would one person, just because they can, buy 20 million dollars worth of coffee, when a $5 cup would do, while others are in need around them, and then not even drink it all. Many, most of these cars like this end up sitting in a massive garage somewhere, with the owners other 80 cars. Most Bugatti owners have 80+ cars. Don't get me wrong, I think these things are engineering marvels too. I'm just asking the question how far do we go with it? What is the right supercar vs. Basic humanitarian aid ratio?

HeyLaughingBoy 7y ago

Perhaps if you backed off for a second and considered the amount of wealth this person had to create, and the people and businesses they had to support (besides Bugatti) in order to achieve this level of wealth, you'd find that it's not as obscene as you think. That process was the one that "moves us forward as a civilization and society." IOW, as you get to this level of wealth, you improve the lives of the others who provided you products and services. Does it really matter to you that much what this person then chooses to do with their accumulated cash? How is buying the car worse than, say, a single person winning a $13M lottery? Would you complain about that?

ceejayoz 7y ago
> Perhaps if you backed off for a second and considered the amount of wealth this person had to create... It's possible that amount is zero, if they're just spending their parents' money. Plenty of multi-generational wealth sitting around.
- HeyLaughingBoy 7y ago
  Anything's possible. However, in the world we live in, it's more likely than not that someone with money earned it themselves.
  - ceejayoz 7y ago
    Tech's been shifting the balance, but there's still a very substantial portion of the folks with this sort of throwaway money who're sitting on family fortunes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2014/10/03/there-are-more-self-made-billionaires-in-the-forbes-400-than-ever-before/#3db2fb283369 https://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2014/10/03/there-... > In 2004, we had 59% of the Forbes 400 having made their own fortune, as opposed to 41% who inherited it. But, again, at the extremes we still saw a full one-tenth of the list, or 40 of them, having fully inherited their fortunes and not working to grow it, and only 4.75% of them, or 19, as totally self-made, having battled adversity to reach the top. > Thus, the most encouraging results come from this year’s Forbes 400. For the first time in our data set, we see the number of self-made billionaires who rose from nothing, and overcame various tough obstacles, outpacing those that just sat on their fortunes. A total of 34 billionaires, or 8.5%, scored as 10s, or more than three times as many as in 1984. The number of 100% inherited fortunes as a percentage of the total fell to 7%, with 28 billionaires in the 1 category, compared to 99 back in 1984. There's a higher chance these days someone spending millions on a car is some sort of "job creator", but it's by no means guaranteed. The supercar set may lean more towards Saudi oil wealth sort of folks, as well.

GuB-42 7y ago

These cars are technological marvels. They may have only one owner but they inspire millions of people. And some of the things found in these hypercars can find their way in your future car. It is like an experiment funded by a billionaire. And when someone pays for one of these cars, he does pay for the education and medical bills of everyone involved in making this car. These cars are not made from blood diamonds and the skin of endangered species. They are made by well paid, highly skilled workers and engineers. And they are proud of what they are doing.

iancmceachern 7y ago
Indeed, they are not made from blood diamonds, endangered species and organized crime profits, etc. I think we can agree that they are on occasion paid for with such though. Excellent point re: providing for the folks who make it. You're right.