this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2023
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I think these rich guys are exactly as dumb as they seem. I think wealth has absolutely zero to do with intellect. I think people continually attribute these '4d chess' moves to these guys, or claim they are victims of 'shadowy cabals' because they can't accept that people with so much power can really be that simple, greedy, and dangerous.
I disagree, to some extent. Yes, being wealthy makes people out of touch with reality, but it's definitely possible for wealthy people to pull their heads out of their asses and do some 4D chess stuff that nobody else saw coming. Companies often have motivations and deals going on that are kept secret from the public, so something that seems weird and arbitrary from outside can absolutely make sense from the inside.
In that context, it makes sense: if you see a company doing some weird shit you don't understand, you might wonder whether there's something going on beneath the surface that makes that a valid decision, and you'll never -truly- know until it either comes to fruition and turns out to have been smart (and usually, cruel) all along, or... some dumbass dude with emerald-mine-wealth goes bankrupt.
That said, wealthy people often lose sight of what normal people are like, and their attempted 4D chess sometimes just falls flat due to being so out of touch.
... Taking the money-hoarders' side makes me feel dirty. Fuck the rich and fuck capitalism. I just wanted to add that.
I agree with your take mostly, although I'll add that usually 'beneath the surface' goings on are well understood by everyone else, despite what dumbshit the capitalists are saying.
For example the motivation for back to office is clearly about real estate values in expensive cities at its root, but those making the decision are naming every other cause under the sun. In this example, they aren't playing '4d chess', they're criminally out of touch.
They also use this stereotype to make people think they are capable of innovation, when really capitalism has never truly innovated anything because new ways to create scarcity. Even now they are trying to think of ways to outlaw normal people from owning solar panels in many places because free energy from the sun SUCKS for capitalism.
Furthermore I can't think of any '4d chess' examples by rich people myself. Do you have any?
All sorts of nasty tricks to push people out of housing and buy up the homes cheaply, would be my first thought. They've made an art form out of stealing (or technically-not-stealing) things out from other people. But yeah, I don't have any particular examples ready right now, either.
oh I see what you mean - basically new ways to be villainous. Yeah I agree whenever they manage something impressive, its impressively evil.