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>Larry Ellison, the exorbitantly rich cofounder of software outfit Oracle Take note of the name. People like him should be forcefully removed from society.

by LM358 2y ago

Suzuran 2y ago
They've already removed themselves from society, that's most of the problem. They are now above society, immune to the laws that restrict us. They feel this should give them the right to rule us with literal power over life and death as the Gods or Lords of old did. If you doubt that the extremely wealthy are indeed above our laws, please show me even one instance of a billionaire being successfully jailed for a criminal offense in the entire history of the USA. As far as I am aware, it has never happened because the government fears the wrath that their wealth and their political connections can bring to bear. Edit: This argument was defeated, I forgot about Bernie Madoff.
- Dracophoenix 2y ago
  There's Bernard Madoff.
  - Suzuran 2y ago
    You're right, I forgot about him. I would argue that he's a special case - He was prosecuted only because he negatively impacted other billionaires, not because he harmed one of us common rabble. But I did not specify that originally and that would be moving the goalposts. You are correct and therefore my argument is defeated.
    - burner_and_co 2y ago
      Also Sam Bankman-Fried, but same caveat applies.
- eth0up 2y ago
  A valid perspective. I have noticed, not in every instance, but in many, that unusually wealthy people, especially wealthy and intelligent, have a tendency to detatch a bit from general reality, often becoming idealistic in ways that seem clear to the individual, but are fundamentally delusional. I think compassion and grounding has a tendency to become compromised by the insidious nuances imparted by security and abundance, ie great wealth. Again, though, I've observed exceptions and am aware of the limitations to my own observations and may be missing a lot. I also do not protest wealth, but do wish it came with a sustained understanding of its underlying dependency on the very things, people and factors that enable it to be.
- halfcat 2y ago
  > They've already removed themselves from society Larry Ellison in particular literally owns 98% of one of the Hawaiian islands.
- rufus_foreman 2y ago
  >> please show me even one instance of a billionaire being successfully jailed for a criminal offense in the entire history of the USA Jouaquin Guzman Loera (El Chapo) - $1 billion - drug trafficking - convicted in 2019, serving life sentence Raj Rajaratnam - $1.3 billion - securities fraud and conspiracy - served 7 years of an 11 year sentence Bernard John Ebbers - $1.4 billion - fraud and conspiracy - served 12 years of a 25 year sentence David Ng Lap Seng - $1.8 billion - bribery - served almost 3 years of a 4 year sentence John Kapoor - $2 billion - racketeering and wire fraud - served 2 years of a 5 and a half year sentence Allen Stanford - $2.2 billion - Ponzi scheme - convicted in 2012, serving 110 year sentence Carlos Enrique Lehder Rivas - $2.7 billion - kidnapping, drug trafficking, and murder - served 33 years of a 55 year sentence Alfred Taubman - $3.1 billion - antitrust violations - served a 10 month sentence Rishi Shah - $3.6 billion - mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering - recently given 7 and a half year sentence Michael Milken - $3.7 billion - securities and tax violations - served 22 months of a 2 year sentence, later pardoned by President Trump S. Curtis Johnson - $4 billion - fourth-degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct - served 3 months of a 4 month sentence Viktor Bout - $6 billion - conspiring to sell weapons to a U.S. designated foreign terrorist group - 10 years of a 25 year sentence, released in a prisoner swap with Russia in exchange for a WNBA basketball player
burner_and_co 2y ago
What do you have against the name "Larry"? [rimshot] Seriously though. This is consistent with Oracle's history: their first customer, the organization for which they created their first product, was the CIA, and they've remained tight with the military-industrial complex to this day.
EgoIncarnate 2y ago
The phrase "people like him should be forcefully removed from society" is problematic because it can be seen as inciting violence. I don't think that has a place on HN, regardless of how you feel about the person. (Note: To flag a comment, click on the comment time/date, and then flag)
- xeonmc 2y ago
  What if you clarify explicitly that violence is not meant literally? Maybe something like “The Silicon Bourgeoisie should be figuratively guillotined.”
- Teever 2y ago
  Sure, but a charitable interpretation of the comment you're replying to reasonably concludes that they're talking about ostracizing and shunning.
- lioeters 2y ago
  > forcefully removed from society It just means there should be laws against certain antisocial behavior. Behind every law is the threat of violence to remove someone from society.

>Larry Ellison, the exorbitantly rich cofounder of software outfit Oracle Take note of the name. People like him should be forcefully removed from society.

by LM358 2y ago

>Larry Ellison, the exorbitantly rich cofounder of software outfit Oracle Take note of the name. People like him should be forcefully removed from society.

Suzuran 2y ago

They've already removed themselves from society, that's most of the problem. They are now above society, immune to the laws that restrict us. They feel this should give them the right to rule us with literal power over life and death as the Gods or Lords of old did. If you doubt that the extremely wealthy are indeed above our laws, please show me even one instance of a billionaire being successfully jailed for a criminal offense in the entire history of the USA. As far as I am aware, it has never happened because the government fears the wrath that their wealth and their political connections can bring to bear. Edit: This argument was defeated, I forgot about Bernie Madoff.

Dracophoenix 2y ago
There's Bernard Madoff.
- Suzuran 2y ago
  You're right, I forgot about him. I would argue that he's a special case - He was prosecuted only because he negatively impacted other billionaires, not because he harmed one of us common rabble. But I did not specify that originally and that would be moving the goalposts. You are correct and therefore my argument is defeated.
  - burner_and_co 2y ago
    Also Sam Bankman-Fried, but same caveat applies.
eth0up 2y ago
A valid perspective. I have noticed, not in every instance, but in many, that unusually wealthy people, especially wealthy and intelligent, have a tendency to detatch a bit from general reality, often becoming idealistic in ways that seem clear to the individual, but are fundamentally delusional. I think compassion and grounding has a tendency to become compromised by the insidious nuances imparted by security and abundance, ie great wealth. Again, though, I've observed exceptions and am aware of the limitations to my own observations and may be missing a lot. I also do not protest wealth, but do wish it came with a sustained understanding of its underlying dependency on the very things, people and factors that enable it to be.
halfcat 2y ago
> They've already removed themselves from society Larry Ellison in particular literally owns 98% of one of the Hawaiian islands.
rufus_foreman 2y ago
>> please show me even one instance of a billionaire being successfully jailed for a criminal offense in the entire history of the USA Jouaquin Guzman Loera (El Chapo) - $1 billion - drug trafficking - convicted in 2019, serving life sentence Raj Rajaratnam - $1.3 billion - securities fraud and conspiracy - served 7 years of an 11 year sentence Bernard John Ebbers - $1.4 billion - fraud and conspiracy - served 12 years of a 25 year sentence David Ng Lap Seng - $1.8 billion - bribery - served almost 3 years of a 4 year sentence John Kapoor - $2 billion - racketeering and wire fraud - served 2 years of a 5 and a half year sentence Allen Stanford - $2.2 billion - Ponzi scheme - convicted in 2012, serving 110 year sentence Carlos Enrique Lehder Rivas - $2.7 billion - kidnapping, drug trafficking, and murder - served 33 years of a 55 year sentence Alfred Taubman - $3.1 billion - antitrust violations - served a 10 month sentence Rishi Shah - $3.6 billion - mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering - recently given 7 and a half year sentence Michael Milken - $3.7 billion - securities and tax violations - served 22 months of a 2 year sentence, later pardoned by President Trump S. Curtis Johnson - $4 billion - fourth-degree sexual assault and disorderly conduct - served 3 months of a 4 month sentence Viktor Bout - $6 billion - conspiring to sell weapons to a U.S. designated foreign terrorist group - 10 years of a 25 year sentence, released in a prisoner swap with Russia in exchange for a WNBA basketball player

burner_and_co 2y ago

What do you have against the name "Larry"? [rimshot] Seriously though. This is consistent with Oracle's history: their first customer, the organization for which they created their first product, was the CIA, and they've remained tight with the military-industrial complex to this day.

EgoIncarnate 2y ago

The phrase "people like him should be forcefully removed from society" is problematic because it can be seen as inciting violence. I don't think that has a place on HN, regardless of how you feel about the person. (Note: To flag a comment, click on the comment time/date, and then flag)

xeonmc 2y ago
What if you clarify explicitly that violence is not meant literally? Maybe something like “The Silicon Bourgeoisie should be figuratively guillotined.”
Teever 2y ago
Sure, but a charitable interpretation of the comment you're replying to reasonably concludes that they're talking about ostracizing and shunning.
lioeters 2y ago
> forcefully removed from society It just means there should be laws against certain antisocial behavior. Behind every law is the threat of violence to remove someone from society.