General Discussion

JPnoodleman

(454 posts)

1. It is worth looking into...

Wed Feb 3, 2016, 08:40 PM

Feb 2016

At a certain point, once someone has secured enough wealth to in theory buy themselves and their descendants a private island each unto the 20th generation it begins to be a sign of some strange obsession.

What is the purpose of this wealth? What is its function? After a few million one has to ask what is this money supposed to do or serve?

More aptly as money becomes entirely not "earned through labor," but accrued through essentially wizardry made legal by the rules of "The Game," we call the economy, what exactly is the significance.

Go the Koch brothers vault, if you took half their wealth today but never told them this happened would they even notice? Yet people continue to fixate on gathering wealth well past the point that realistically even 20 generations of descendants could ever theoretically use for anything. We should question to what ends does making this wealth gathering an acceptable practice serve? To what end and to what purpose? What did one do to get this wealth?

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Is it finally time for greed to be treated as a mental illness? [View all] hifiguy Feb 2016 OP

It is worth looking into... JPnoodleman Feb 2016 #1

I think it's the same mental glitch that makes people hoard cats, hifiguy Feb 2016 #3

Indeed, even a life of intense hedonism and or big projects... JPnoodleman Feb 2016 #7

yes, with an intervention grasswire Feb 2016 #2

Civilization is a resource concentration mechanism The2ndWheel Feb 2016 #4

Wealth, Power and Influence aught come with some degree of responsibility. /nt JPnoodleman Feb 2016 #8

And yet societies with the greatest concentrations of wealth thucythucy Feb 2016 #32

Most definitely. I've said this for years Dems to Win Feb 2016 #5

Actually, when it has such a negative impact on society as a whole, I think it should smirkymonkey Feb 2016 #6

whatever goes up shanti Feb 2016 #9

the greedy are parasites olddots Feb 2016 #10

I am uncertain if it is a mental illness peasant one Feb 2016 #11

Who was it again who said thucythucy Feb 2016 #33

And not as a virtue burrowowl Feb 2016 #12

If so, there were a lot of long lines of Powerball players a couple of weeks ago, Nye Bevan Feb 2016 #13

Nope. The kind of greed I am referring to hifiguy Feb 2016 #14

Ah. So it's really the "lying, cheating, and stealing" that is the mental disorder here, Nye Bevan Feb 2016 #16

I too pretend that greed is same thing as desperation LanternWaste Feb 2016 #25

It's the system. moondust Feb 2016 #15

Greed Is Good. sir pball Feb 2016 #17

Yes. It's an obsession. nt bemildred Feb 2016 #18

No, someone will try to apply "greed" to explain their crimes. JustABozoOnThisBus Feb 2016 #19

Works for me! nt raccoon Feb 2016 #20

Yes, of course, probably related to OCD Trailrider1951 Feb 2016 #21

Dopamine: Politics, Religion, and Power Donkees Feb 2016 #22

We would have to treat one whole wing of the GOP (the establishment 'greed' wing) as mentally ill. pampango Feb 2016 #23

Ask your doctor if Avarist is right enough for you! Octafish Feb 2016 #24

Any one with over a billion is seriously ill randr Feb 2016 #26

Could it be OkSustainAg Feb 2016 #27

I think so. Probably related to OCD. hifiguy Feb 2016 #35

Living in a resort area we see first hand how the rich spend. mountain grammy Feb 2016 #28

Time to lock up all the rich. ileus Feb 2016 #29

Long overdue eom NowSam Feb 2016 #30

No. You can't lump it in with mental illness because... WhaTHellsgoingonhere Feb 2016 #31

Interesting point. NT thucythucy Feb 2016 #34

Are you kidding? leftyladyfrommo Feb 2016 #36

Greed is a social disease. GeorgeGist Feb 2016 #37

How do we cure the greedy? Throd Feb 2016 #38

It is an addiction. The one with the greatest toll on society. Half-Century Man Feb 2016 #39