The Aspen Beat: According to a friend at a Christmas party, “obscene” wealth is the kind that’s unneeded. His example was a 100-foot yacht. “Nobody needs a 100-foot yacht,” he intoned.
I agreed that nobody needs a 100-foot yacht. But nobody needs a glass of expensive chardonnay either. I kindly offered to relieve him of the one he was holding.
The only things that are truly needed by humans are food, shelter, simple clothing and occasional medical treatment. Everything beyond that is unneeded and, therefore, under my friend’s definition, obscene.
So “obscene” wealth must mean something other than the unneeded kind. But what?
What is “obscene” wealth?
I have no idea, someone will have to heap it onto me and let me experience it so I may have a fair response.
“Obscene” wealth = money used to elect Democrats.
I can’t think of any bigger obscenity than that.
Ill-gotten and/or unearned.
Examples: Pelosi, Buffett, Gates, Zuckerberg, Soros, Schumer, Manchin, Bozos, O’Rourke, O’Cortez, Obola, Clinton, Waters, Kennedy … the list goes on …
mortem tyrannis
izlamo delenda est …
From what I hear other people gripe about, it appears “obscene wealth” is anything more than I have.
Seriously, you think I’m gonna risk landing my Bell Jet-Ranger
on some dinky 50 footer? Step off….
Efemdy, it’s not more than you have, it’s more than a whiny, progressive, communist/socialist has. It’s also any money earned by producing a good or service that other people will voluntarily, and happily, pay for.
Remember Bernie Sanders railing about “millionaires and billionaires,” until he became a millionaire? Then he just started complaining about billionaires.
Lots of people need a 100 foot yacht.
The people who build it, furnish it, supply it, operate it, service it, and maintain it.
If someone has something that you don’t, knowing that doesn’t prevent you in any way whatsoever of acquiring whatever you need or want. The only thing hampering progress of your own goals is your obsession over what other people have. Worry about yourself. If someone has a trillion dollars that doesn’t equal money that has been taken away from you. You can go out and make a trillion dollars too. Money is not a finite thing. Go make it, there’s unlimited amounts of it out there.
Oprah without clothes. Now that is obscene wealth.
I need 100 ft yachts. I make my living working on them. Lots of people do the same. These people with “obscene” wealth wealth keep armies of folks employed.
Obscene wealth is that which is stolen from others.
Great wealth is that which is earned through the creation of value to others.
I burned through 100 rounds of 22LR last week.
Good essay, MJA! Thank you for posting it. It’s a great conversation to have, and the writer’s conclusion, I think, is correct. Obscene wealth is in the eye of the beholder and it usually comes down to sinful envy.
His essay–and this topic–made me think of the warning made by the Ghost of Christmas Present (“when abundance rejoices!”). As he leaves Scrooge, he reveals the two glaring, hard-scrabble children hidden beneath his opulent robe: “The boy is ignorance and the girl is want. Beware the boy.” (I’ve made note of the fact that Dickens did not say the girl is “need”.) I’ve heard it said in some commentaries on this scene that Dickens was remarking on the progenitors of mob revolution of the type committed by France in 1789-1799.
So much else to say on the subject. #Occupy leaps to mind, as does the smash and grab at expensive retailers by men who don’t need a $4000.00 designer handbag.
Frank Bass
DECEMBER 28, 2021 AT 11:30 AM
“Lots of people need a 100 foot yacht.
The people who build it, furnish it, supply it, operate it, service it, and maintain it.”
…for which I am personally grateful.
Let me explain.
…some years ago, we contracted for the first of a new type of robot cell from a NOLA company that we became acquainted with because of the politics of Katrina, but they had never done a cell of that type before so this was a prototype.
The thing was buggy as all get-out as you’d expect, but the REAL problem was this maybe-trans woman (looked female but SUPER deep voice) they sent as their lead robot programmer.
She SUCKED at robot programming, AND she lied about EVERYTHING. Long story short, she fucked around for a month or so and gave up, and I had to make it work because SHE sure as hell didn’t.
Why is this relevant?
…flash forwards a couple of years, and I (NOT the OEM) had made the dysfunctional pile of machenery harmoize enough to be profitable, so they wanted to add more. I assume because of kickbacks or politics or both, they chose the same company.
I cringed, but when interfacing about the new specs, I found out their “lead programmer” had quit to go install entertainment systems on yachts.
I was never happier to hear someone wasn’t working for another company any more.
The new guy at least knew his limitations, and was MUCH easier to work with.
…so, while I hope YOU didn’t get cursed to work with her, @lylelovett, I will ALWAYS have a warm spot in my heart for luxury boat makers just for taking that cursed idiot away from ME.
…definitionally tho, you would think that “Obscene Wealth” is wealth earned by whoring in one way or another.
…looking at YOU, Kamala…
Lylelovett666
DECEMBER 28, 2021 AT 11:44 AM
“These people with “obscene” wealth wealth keep armies of folks employed.”
Two sayings come to mind.
“I never got a job working for a poor man.”
(Maybe Sean Hannity, maybe someone else, if him, probably the last non-cowardly thing he said pre-Coof).
“I don’t care if a guy I work for makes 10 million dollars on his way to building a company that make ME a million!”
(Former boss of mine when we became an ESOP company)
…the beauty of capitalism is that a guy needs to make it worth YOUR while to make HIM money.
Communist dictatorships?
…not so much…
@ Frank Bass DECEMBER 28, 2021 AT 11:30 AM
You beat me to it
WDS DECEMBER 28, 2021 AT 11:27 AM: I can relate WDS I can relate.
I remember when Malcolm Forbes spent like $5 million on his own 75th birthday party.
So many liberals said “That’s obscene. He could have given that money to charity.”
That was the very day I realized I will NEVER complain about how a rich guy spends his money. Good for them. Spend spend spend. They are giving people jobs, dignity, livelihoods. Screw those liberals with their charity obsession.
Along those lines, when Trump gave us his sizeable tax cut, I immediately went out and bought a car – an American car. I felt like it was kind of patriotic, instead of maybe sitting on the cash.
People who complain about “obscene wealth” are envious.
I love people saying you don’t need this item or that item. How do they know? I might need an AR15, or a large yacht. But I don’t have to justify it. That is freedom.
As to amount of wealth. Huey Long came up with that in the 30s. He wanted to take away anything in excess of 5 million. They killed him
“What is ‘obscene’ wealth?”
(Gets down on both knees, prays fervently for ‘obscene’ wealth…)
“Obscene wealth” is any amount greater than possessed by the envious libtard individual making the distinction.
Obscene wealth = lots of fucking money
Nobody needs a friend like that sour grape suckin girly-man.
Compared to many people in this world, we all have so-called obscene wealth.
Obscene profits- those made in the porn industry.