Michael Jordan is a billionaire. Peter Jackson, McKenzie Scott, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg. Tiger Woods may be a bad husband, but that’s not how he made his money. Dolly Parton would be a billionaire if she hadn’t given away so much, she’s definitely earned a billion.
Dolly parton is the only standout on that list. She’s NOT a billionaire because she gives back, and isn’t a scumbag that hoards more money than she needs to live an extremely comfortable life. The rest of the people on that list are very talented and have done great things for humanity, but the nature of capitalism seems to reward hyperuccessful entertainers more than it rewards hyperuccessful scholars and teachers, people who arguably contribute more to the human experience than entertainers do. Dolly gets it right by giving back as much as she can. The rest just take it in because capitalism tells them they deserve it.
I’m not a Christian anymore but the parable of the Widow’s offering in (Mark 12:41-44) (Yes I had to look that up) holds forever true in my mind. The amount you give is a deeper reflection of your character when it’s compared in proportion to what you can afford to give, not in absolute terms of the value given. Dolly doesn’t go as far as to make her living situation worse, and neither do I. But if more of us tried just a little harder to give more than is easily comfortable, the world would be SO much better.
And people who have a billion dollars they don’t need but also don’t give are making the world worse.
Idk though, gold-digging the worlds most repulsive people to get half their worth just to donate what they never would seems like a noble endeavor. And swindling the billionaire class through romance, just to Robin Hood it away is a public service we should be praising.
It says Bourdain was one of Kissinger’s fiercest critics. I haven’t seen any articles about how much Christopher Hitchens criticized Kissinger. He even wrote a book about it.
In the words of Hitchens, Kissinger deserves prosecution “for war crimes, for crimes against humanity, and for offenses against common or customary or international law, including conspiracy to commit murder, kidnap, and torture.” He further calls him “a stupendous liar with a remarkable memory.”
And if I recall correctly, Hitchens at one point was asked whether there was a person he genuinely disliked, and from the way he spoke about him, it seems like he probably actually hated Henry Kissinger.
Bourdain had personal experience with Cambodia and saw exactly what Kissinger wrought and the effects that were still plaguing the country decades later.
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