4 ms·

Presumably said CEO wasn't in much danger of poverty though. The entrepreneurship caused his troubles. That other things also could is beside the point.

pmoriarty 4y ago
"The entrepreneurship caused his troubles." Did it, though? That sort of misfortune can and does happen even without entrepreneurship, and might well have happened to him anyway.
- shard 4y ago
  Well, we can quote statistics and cite studies, but the point is that the entrepreneur himself attributed his failed marriages and heart attack to the entrepreneurship.
  - pmoriarty 4y ago
    "the entrepreneur himself attributed his failed marriages and heart attack to the entrepreneurship" Of course he did, as it made his enormous wealth seem like the result of great sacrifices. You see this all the time. Why do the rich deserve all their money? Because they made such great sacrifices and took all those tremendous risks. It's self-aggrandizement and self-justification. Low wage workers make sacrifices and take risks just as great (or greater) all the time, but no one is going to pay hundreds of dollars a plate to hear them give a keynote speech humblebragging about how they worked so hard they had 3 heart attacks during their minimum wage jobs (from which they probably got fired for having to miss work), or how their marriages broke up... which happens all the time.
    - jimkleiber 4y ago
      FWIW, I remember him sounding quite dejected and sincerely questioning whether it was all worth it. It didn't seem like a "I failed big time and now I'm living on top of the world" kind of opening. I still feel sad when I think about it. That's not to disagree with you, we often overlook the struggles and challenges of people in lower economic classes or less prestigious positions. More just to say I didn't get that humble brag vibe at all. Oh, and I also don't know if he got paid, as I think he was an alumnus and it may have just been a volunteer speech. Again, I know there are other speeches in which people do get paid and follow the pattern you outlined, just saying I don't think this was one of them.
mensetmanusman 4y ago
Many would argue that material poverty is less important than poverty of the soul. This is why poor countries are often much happier than rich countries.
- quantum_magpie 4y ago
  That is just wrong. The list of happiest countries in the world is dominated by the rich countries.
- imtringued 4y ago
  Solitary confinement is one of the worst punishments you give to a human. As you get richer your status will isolate you from other people because you don't share their particular kind of suffering. One of the biggest problems is the fact that anything you can do can be done better by paying someone else to do nothing but the thing you want to do yourself.
  - cowvin 4y ago
    It's hard to sympathize with people feeling isolated because they're rich. They could at any time remedy their situation and return to the world of normal people. They choose to be in that situation.
    - jimkleiber 4y ago
      I imagine someone who was once rich and gives it all away to return to the "world of normal people" might still feel isolated.

pmoriarty 4y ago

"The entrepreneurship caused his troubles." Did it, though? That sort of misfortune can and does happen even without entrepreneurship, and might well have happened to him anyway.

shard 4y ago
Well, we can quote statistics and cite studies, but the point is that the entrepreneur himself attributed his failed marriages and heart attack to the entrepreneurship.
- pmoriarty 4y ago
  "the entrepreneur himself attributed his failed marriages and heart attack to the entrepreneurship" Of course he did, as it made his enormous wealth seem like the result of great sacrifices. You see this all the time. Why do the rich deserve all their money? Because they made such great sacrifices and took all those tremendous risks. It's self-aggrandizement and self-justification. Low wage workers make sacrifices and take risks just as great (or greater) all the time, but no one is going to pay hundreds of dollars a plate to hear them give a keynote speech humblebragging about how they worked so hard they had 3 heart attacks during their minimum wage jobs (from which they probably got fired for having to miss work), or how their marriages broke up... which happens all the time.
  - jimkleiber 4y ago
    FWIW, I remember him sounding quite dejected and sincerely questioning whether it was all worth it. It didn't seem like a "I failed big time and now I'm living on top of the world" kind of opening. I still feel sad when I think about it. That's not to disagree with you, we often overlook the struggles and challenges of people in lower economic classes or less prestigious positions. More just to say I didn't get that humble brag vibe at all. Oh, and I also don't know if he got paid, as I think he was an alumnus and it may have just been a volunteer speech. Again, I know there are other speeches in which people do get paid and follow the pattern you outlined, just saying I don't think this was one of them.

mensetmanusman 4y ago

Many would argue that material poverty is less important than poverty of the soul. This is why poor countries are often much happier than rich countries.

quantum_magpie 4y ago
That is just wrong. The list of happiest countries in the world is dominated by the rich countries.
imtringued 4y ago
Solitary confinement is one of the worst punishments you give to a human. As you get richer your status will isolate you from other people because you don't share their particular kind of suffering. One of the biggest problems is the fact that anything you can do can be done better by paying someone else to do nothing but the thing you want to do yourself.
- cowvin 4y ago
  It's hard to sympathize with people feeling isolated because they're rich. They could at any time remedy their situation and return to the world of normal people. They choose to be in that situation.
  - jimkleiber 4y ago
    I imagine someone who was once rich and gives it all away to return to the "world of normal people" might still feel isolated.