6 ms·

Yeah; I almost stopped reading the article because the introductory paragraphs (which you are citing) were rubbish. Now is a great time to be rich in the US.

cheez 15y ago
Not to spoil your fun but it's always great to be rich.
- nl 15y ago
  it's always great to be rich. To be pedantic - the French and Russian (and many other) revolutions didn't work out great for the rich.
  - WalterBright 15y ago
    They didn't work out so well for the poor, either.
    - atlantic 15y ago
      Let's not conflate the French and Russian revolutions - they have absolutely nothing in common. And yes, the French revolution did work out very well for the poor, eventually. It was at the root of the development of modern democracy in the Western world.
      - nl 15y ago
        Let's not conflate the French and Russian revolutions - they have absolutely nothing in common. I have issues with the word "absolutely". They had quite a lot of common - both were about overthrowing a system of government based on birthright, and the participants in the Russian revolution certainly tried to learn from the French revolution. (One could argue that the Russian revolution was actually better for the poor in the short term than the French. Serfdom was immediately abolished, and it got them out of WW1. War had the biggest impact on the poor)
      - philwelch 15y ago
        Well, there's the part where the monarchy collapses but no one really knows who's going to take over, and then there's the part where radicals take over, murder the entire royal family, and enforce a bloody reign of terror, and then there's the part where all the other countries in Europe get anxious about all the unrest and go to war with the revolting country, and then there's the part where the country ultimately ends up under an imperialist dictator who tries to conquer their neighbors. They were quite different affairs, yes, but it's an exaggeration to say they had absolutely nothing in common.
  - arethuza 15y ago
    Lenin came from a rather comfortable background - his father had been "elevated" into the nobility for his work in the government bureaucracy.
    - nl 15y ago
      Comfortable yes, rich no. Also, his brother was executed and the family was banished when Lenin was 17 (prior to him reading Marx).

cheez 15y ago

Not to spoil your fun but it's always great to be rich.

nl 15y ago
it's always great to be rich. To be pedantic - the French and Russian (and many other) revolutions didn't work out great for the rich.
- WalterBright 15y ago
  They didn't work out so well for the poor, either.
  - atlantic 15y ago
    Let's not conflate the French and Russian revolutions - they have absolutely nothing in common. And yes, the French revolution did work out very well for the poor, eventually. It was at the root of the development of modern democracy in the Western world.
    - nl 15y ago
      Let's not conflate the French and Russian revolutions - they have absolutely nothing in common. I have issues with the word "absolutely". They had quite a lot of common - both were about overthrowing a system of government based on birthright, and the participants in the Russian revolution certainly tried to learn from the French revolution. (One could argue that the Russian revolution was actually better for the poor in the short term than the French. Serfdom was immediately abolished, and it got them out of WW1. War had the biggest impact on the poor)
    - philwelch 15y ago
      Well, there's the part where the monarchy collapses but no one really knows who's going to take over, and then there's the part where radicals take over, murder the entire royal family, and enforce a bloody reign of terror, and then there's the part where all the other countries in Europe get anxious about all the unrest and go to war with the revolting country, and then there's the part where the country ultimately ends up under an imperialist dictator who tries to conquer their neighbors. They were quite different affairs, yes, but it's an exaggeration to say they had absolutely nothing in common.
- arethuza 15y ago
  Lenin came from a rather comfortable background - his father had been "elevated" into the nobility for his work in the government bureaucracy.
  - nl 15y ago
    Comfortable yes, rich no. Also, his brother was executed and the family was banished when Lenin was 17 (prior to him reading Marx).