We are the 99.999999923%

[JohnnyRingo]

No, it doesn't quite have the same ring to it, and it probably won't fit on a sign, but here's the sad math. I've had this laying around for a few years. I don't remember where I got it:

Does anybody make conscious choices that determine the daily dealings of the entire planet?

Several individuals do indeed make far-reaching, life and death decisions without getting their own hands dirty. It can be argued that this handful of people can pull all major strings, in the realm of armed international conflict and the threat thereof. The financial reigns also lie in a few fingers. Decisions in boardrooms affect the well-being of an increasingly large section of the world population. It is hard to determine if political leaders or business executives wield more power. Simply knowing where one begins and the other ends has become difficult.

If we take all the 252 political leaders of all sovereign nations and territories on the planet and add the business leaders of the top 500 richest companies, we arrive at 752 decision-makers, elected or not.

These individuals rely upon and are influenced by an inner circle of five advisors, partners, cabinet members, opposition leaders or generals each. That adds 3760 more folks into the command flow.

There are perhaps an additional 100 religious leaders with influence over a sizeable group of people, another 100 leaders of international institution, organizations and unions participate on the global scene and fewer than 100 heads of criminal organizations have any significant sway.

A total of 4812 people dominate the world's decision-making process. Less than 5000 people determine what you eat, where you can move to, what your child learns in school, how much you earn, what you see on television and how many bombs drop on your head.

5000 people are less than 0.000000077% of the world population.

99.999999923% of us are effectively shut out of the decision making process.

[Cirque du So-What]

1. Technically, that's correct

but I can't discount those with smaller fortunes who carry water for those at the pinnacle of power.