Great piece Anand. Now I understand why we cannot depend - necessarily— on the rich to help fund candidates that offer new ideas to change our systems. For me, at the bottom of all of it is an unconscious misogyny that transcends gender that is also working feverishly to keep white men in control….of money. Thanks for this work.
I am interested in understanding not only about generational transfers of wealth (or lack thereof), but in generational trauma--and apparent connections between these phenomena.
In the 1970s, Leon Black's father, Eli, ran the conglomerate that, among other things, owned Chiquita bananas, and was attempting to help the company recover after a massive hurricane destroyed all the banana plantations--and wiped out the company's revenues. In that capacity, he was implicated in a bribe to the then-president of Honduras as part of a scheme to reduce taxes on banana exports. According to a NYTimes obituary, Eli's death plunging 44 stories from his office to Fifth Ave. below was classified as a suicide--it occurred just weeks before the SEC opened an investigation into the bribe. He was only 54. Leon was in college at Harvard at the time.
So despite the email peek into what preoccupies the ultra-wealthy lay deeper anxieties that wouldn't be part of such a superficial exchange. Undoubtedly, part of Leon's existential dread could be connected to not falling (pun not intended) to the same fate as his father.
Thank you, sir! Perhaps, after the next installment, you should publish & have booklets delivered via airplanes, all over WDC & places where oligarchs spend a lot of time. (Sorry - couldn’t help myself!)
Reaganomics didn’t work in the 80s and it doesn’t work now. Whoever thought up “trickle down economics” was just tricking the American people. The little guy is always getting screwed.
THIS!!!!! "But in the crack in the edifice of oligarchy that is the Epstein files, what we see tells a different story. I didn’t come across many nation builders in the files; I saw a lot of maintainers. I didn’t see a lot of job creators; I saw rent seekers. I saw a lot of worrying about how to hold, not build. I didn’t see people thinking along the lines of the abundance movement; I saw a lot of high-end scarcity thinking, the anxiety of bank account conservation. I didn’t see a lot of dreaming about the transformation of the landscape of the country and the lived texture of daily life; I saw a lot of stuff about LLCs for the purchase of paintings. I didn’t see a lot about what tomorrow could be made like for all; I saw a lot about ring-fencing yesterday’s spoils for a few." Having spent more than 30 years in C-Suites, I assure you, THIS is what is driving an awful lot of very profitable and not so profitable companies. So very few of any of our leaders think beyond the end of their nose.
I have always understood that wealth acquisition, management and preservation is a difficult, high stress, corrupt and joyless process. And the ones pursuing this lifestyle are generally suffering from deep childhood traumas. Maybe someday we will all truly learn what true wealth is.
You’ve uncovered and named our blind spot, Anand. The late great anthropologist Angeles Arrien used to say “if we can name it, we can change it.” This is where our work is. Let’s crack that baby open:
With gratitude. Saying what’s so when it’s so. Let’s do the real work of re-creation.
At the same time that these individuals claim to be the dynamos that are the source of all innovation, wealth, and energy in our society, they also claim that serious progressive taxation on the margins of their astronomical incomes would sap them of all motivation.
Such a great piece, thanks. The banality of wealth preservation is so real and the time that the ultrarich put into it is shocking. It's definitely a "gamification" of the system, and it's financially smart and sophisticated when these men do it. Of course, on the other end of the wealth spectrum we can't have public assistance programs because of the overstated fear of someone living in poverty trying to game the system. Classy if you're rich...
Remarkable anthropological analysis, Anand! You’re the David Attenborough of the Epstein class habitat. For all their rich brain slogs to hold onto their wealth - such shitty, empty, joyless lives.
A key benefit, or luxury, of having wealth is to live where you want to live. It's nuts to play the tax domicile game as Julian Robertson did.
Brilliant analysis
Great piece Anand. Now I understand why we cannot depend - necessarily— on the rich to help fund candidates that offer new ideas to change our systems. For me, at the bottom of all of it is an unconscious misogyny that transcends gender that is also working feverishly to keep white men in control….of money. Thanks for this work.
They are dragons. Miserable, cold, slow.
Their thoughts are not more valuable than our thoughts and they need to be taxed a lot higher than they are.
I don't feel sorry for them per se. But I really don't envy them.
I am interested in understanding not only about generational transfers of wealth (or lack thereof), but in generational trauma--and apparent connections between these phenomena.
In the 1970s, Leon Black's father, Eli, ran the conglomerate that, among other things, owned Chiquita bananas, and was attempting to help the company recover after a massive hurricane destroyed all the banana plantations--and wiped out the company's revenues. In that capacity, he was implicated in a bribe to the then-president of Honduras as part of a scheme to reduce taxes on banana exports. According to a NYTimes obituary, Eli's death plunging 44 stories from his office to Fifth Ave. below was classified as a suicide--it occurred just weeks before the SEC opened an investigation into the bribe. He was only 54. Leon was in college at Harvard at the time.
So despite the email peek into what preoccupies the ultra-wealthy lay deeper anxieties that wouldn't be part of such a superficial exchange. Undoubtedly, part of Leon's existential dread could be connected to not falling (pun not intended) to the same fate as his father.
Thank you, sir! Perhaps, after the next installment, you should publish & have booklets delivered via airplanes, all over WDC & places where oligarchs spend a lot of time. (Sorry - couldn’t help myself!)
Reaganomics didn’t work in the 80s and it doesn’t work now. Whoever thought up “trickle down economics” was just tricking the American people. The little guy is always getting screwed.
THIS!!!!! "But in the crack in the edifice of oligarchy that is the Epstein files, what we see tells a different story. I didn’t come across many nation builders in the files; I saw a lot of maintainers. I didn’t see a lot of job creators; I saw rent seekers. I saw a lot of worrying about how to hold, not build. I didn’t see people thinking along the lines of the abundance movement; I saw a lot of high-end scarcity thinking, the anxiety of bank account conservation. I didn’t see a lot of dreaming about the transformation of the landscape of the country and the lived texture of daily life; I saw a lot of stuff about LLCs for the purchase of paintings. I didn’t see a lot about what tomorrow could be made like for all; I saw a lot about ring-fencing yesterday’s spoils for a few." Having spent more than 30 years in C-Suites, I assure you, THIS is what is driving an awful lot of very profitable and not so profitable companies. So very few of any of our leaders think beyond the end of their nose.
I have always understood that wealth acquisition, management and preservation is a difficult, high stress, corrupt and joyless process. And the ones pursuing this lifestyle are generally suffering from deep childhood traumas. Maybe someday we will all truly learn what true wealth is.
You’ve uncovered and named our blind spot, Anand. The late great anthropologist Angeles Arrien used to say “if we can name it, we can change it.” This is where our work is. Let’s crack that baby open:
With gratitude. Saying what’s so when it’s so. Let’s do the real work of re-creation.
I find this series invaluable , really helpful
Am recommending it my Senators and Representative
I wish this series could be read into the Senate and Congress minutes
At the same time that these individuals claim to be the dynamos that are the source of all innovation, wealth, and energy in our society, they also claim that serious progressive taxation on the margins of their astronomical incomes would sap them of all motivation.
Such a great piece, thanks. The banality of wealth preservation is so real and the time that the ultrarich put into it is shocking. It's definitely a "gamification" of the system, and it's financially smart and sophisticated when these men do it. Of course, on the other end of the wealth spectrum we can't have public assistance programs because of the overstated fear of someone living in poverty trying to game the system. Classy if you're rich...
Remarkable anthropological analysis, Anand! You’re the David Attenborough of the Epstein class habitat. For all their rich brain slogs to hold onto their wealth - such shitty, empty, joyless lives.
Brilliant writing X three!!!