VDandavate, to cricket

From a deluded obsession with superstars over substance, Indian cricket must undergo an identity overhaul back to its sacred pursuit of team excellence and world domination across formats. This is a wake-up call to slay the cult of toxic individualism sabotaging championship glory - https://abeautifulmess.substack.com/p/cricketainment-indias-toxic-obsession

Shatters vain
delusions of fame
Teamwork conquers all

@cricket

br00t4c, to random
@br00t4c@mastodon.social avatar

'This has been different': Trump insider alarmed that Letitia James is plunging ahead

https://www.alternet.org/trump-insider-letitia-james/

br00t4c,
@br00t4c@mastodon.social avatar

@Ralph058 He's always been a bum who survived exclusively by using the tactics available to the morbidly rich and corrupt elites of the western world. The entire system is designed to ensure the survival and success of such folks.

golgaloth, to art
@golgaloth@writing.exchange avatar

'Part lottery, part systematic exclusion': three artists speak about the limitations of the meritocratic approach, and imagine how the art world could do things differently.

https://www.artshub.com.au/news/features/why-is-the-art-world-still-married-to-meritocracy-2688285/

skynebula, to random French
@skynebula@mastodon.social avatar
santiago, to random
@santiago@masto.lema.org avatar

Reading about Sam Altman’s abuse accusations and I learn the new genius self-made billionaire also had a trust-fund from daddy.

As usual.

luckytran, to random
@luckytran@med-mastodon.com avatar

And we ask ourselves why world governments failed to contain COVID

haui,

@luckytran i‘m sorry if I simplify this too mucn but the pattern I see is people utterly underqualified getting into positions of power. In my opinion, having significant merit in a topic (diplomas, work experience, published papers, etc) should become a hard criterion to get access to a position like this. I know people with less obvious expertise have made good decisions but less obvious does not mean none.

tdverstynen, to workersrights
@tdverstynen@neuromatch.social avatar

For me, there is no greater evidence that capitalism is not a meritocracy than the compensation difference between executives and employees.

The average annual salary of a CEO at a S&P 500 company reached $16.7 million this year (source: https://www.reuters.com/business/ceo-pay-averaged-167-million-last-year-sp-500-companies-decline-2023-08-03/)

The average salary for skilled labor (ignoring the compensation for unskilled labor... which are still substantially difficult jobs) at the same companies ranges around $150k/year (source: https://www.indeed.com/cmp/S&P-Global/salaries)

If compensation actually reflected effort and time (assuming the skill of managing finances is about the same as learning to program), then we are saying that CEOs work 111x harder than the averaged skilled worker. According to US labor statistics, the average worker works 34.6 hrs/week. Let's round up and assume that the skilled labor jobs are more like 50hrs/week to be safe. This means that CEOs should be working an average of a 5,550hr a week.

Now clearly that can't happen. So let's even say that the effort of a CEO is 10x harder than that of a manager or programmer (which would be nearly impossible for any human to put in that much effort). This brings the expected hourly work week for a CEO to 555hrs a week (out of 168 total hours a week). Again, there is no physical way in the universe for someone to work 555hrs a week.

Thus, compensation is not reflective of actual effort or time. Modern capitalism is not a meritocracy.

(I know that someone will bring up "risk" but most CEOs have golden parachutes that mitigate any actual personal risk of making poor decisions).

persagen, to cars
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

[thread] cars, privacy

Cars Are Worst Product Category Ever Reviewed for Privacy
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its-official-cars-are-the-worst-product-category-we-have-ever-reviewed-for-privacy
Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37401563

  • all 25 car brands researched
  • worst product category ever reviewed
  • all collect personal data
  • 84% share or sell your data
  • 92% give little/no control over personal data
  • Tesla only 2nd product ever reviewed to receive all of privacy “dings”

persagen,
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

Elon Musk, $269.3 billion USD net worth 2023-09-11 up $17.9B; #1 in world
https://www.forbes.com/profile/elon-musk/?list=rtb%2F&sh=2da5720d7999

To put that in perspective: if Musk spent $1 million/day

$269,000,000,000 / ($1,000,000/day) = 269,000 days
269,000 days / (365.25 days/year) = 736.481 years

2023 A.D. - 736 = 1287 A.D.

So, spend $1M/day starting 1287 A.D. would run out this year, 2023.

persagen, to socialism
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

[thread] Billionaires, existential risk from

Billionaires Are Existential Risk
Whether it is moral to allow billionaires to exist
The real question is whether our species can survive billionaires
https://jacobin.com/2023/09/climate-crisis-artificial-intelligence-existential-risk-billionaires-capitalism

https://persagen.com >> search: billionaires AND existential

persagen, to random
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

[thread] Rudy Giuliani

FBI Agent Says Giuliani Was Co-opted by Russian Intelligence
Whistleblower probe of Giuliani’s ties to suspected Russian operatives was thwarted
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/09/a-new-rudy-scandal-fbi-agent-says-giuliani-was-co-opted-by-russian-intelligence

Previous related Giuliani threads
https://mastodon.social/@persagen/110917440311238417

Who Are Trump’s Alleged Co-Conspirators?
https://mastodon.social/@persagen/110817665274238377

Trump Team Indictment: Rudy Giuliani
https://mastodon.social/@persagen/110913342896834505

persagen,
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

Addendum 1

Elon Musk Almost Hired Rudy Giuliani Until He Met Him in Person
Rudy Giuliani was too sleazy even for Elon Musk
https://newrepublic.com/post/175529/elon-musk-almost-hired-rudy-giuliani-met-person

  • Musk wanted to recruit Rudy Giuliani in early 2000s to help turn PayPal into a bank
  • outgoing NYC mayor was too skeezy even for Musk, according to Musk biography

persagen, to random
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

[thread] oligarchy

Oligarchs Don't Just Want to Be Rich But Kill Democracy
Why powerful & wealthiest think your ability to vote is dangerous
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/oligarchs-against-democracy

  • investigative report tells how morbidly rich families, their companies, & their personal foundations are funding efforts to limit/restrict democracy across U.S.

persagen,
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

Addendum 1

[Robert Reich] Stop worshipping billionaires
https://mastodon.social/@rbreich@masto.ai/110640904309919141

OLIGARCH Act Seeks to Combat Extreme Wealth Inequality
https://mastodon.social/@persagen/110784048931702094

Oligarchy Has Arrived. Congress Must Take Notice/Act
Innovative tax-the-rich proposal before lawmakers would reverse wealth concentration suffocating democracy
https://inequality.org/great-divide/tax-the-rich-legislation

persagen,
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar
persagen,
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

Addendum 4

Billionaires Envision New Utopian City to Replace What They Ruined
https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/09/05/billionaires-envision-a-new-utopian-city-to-replace-what-they-ruined

  • 2017+ white male Silicon Valley billionaires secretly buying California rural land
  • $900+ million

Silicon Valley Elite Want to Build a City f. Scratch
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/25/business/land-purchases-solano-county.html

California Land Mystery Solved, Political Fight Begins
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/29/business/economy/california-land-solano-county.html

Tech Investors Buy Land, Locals Worry
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/29/technology/solano-flannery-tech-city.html

persagen,
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

Addendum 5

Peter Thiel Startup Plotting Libertarian Paradise
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/09/praxis-society-city-dryden-brown-peter-thiel/

  • free-market Mediterranean city-state
  • CEO interested in fascism/occultism; touted book arguing Black people intellectually inferior
  • Praxis: https://www.cityofpraxis.com

Tech Bros Plot Autonomous City
https://www.curbed.com/article/inside-the-peter-thielbacked-praxis.html

https://persagen.com >> search: "peter thiel"

#PraxisSociety #Praxis #PeterThiel #DefundBillionaires #meritocracy #plutocracy #whiteSupremicism #BLM #WealthConcentration

persagen,
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

Addendum 6

Elon Musk, $269.3 billion USD net worth 2023-09-11 up $17.9B; #1 in world
https://www.forbes.com/profile/elon-musk/?list=rtb%2F&sh=2da5720d7999
https://mastodon.social/@persagen/111049243450567496

If Musk spent $1 million/day:

  • $269,000,000,000 / ($1,000,000/day) = 269,000 days
  • 269,000 days / (365.25 days/year) = 736.481 years
  • 2023 A.D. - 736 = 1287 A.D.

persagen,
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

Addendum 7

Economists, Millionaires, Elected Officials to G20: Tax Extreme Wealth
"Accumulation of extreme wealth by world's richest individuals has become an economic, ecological, human rights disaster"
https://inequality.org/research/g20-tax-extreme-wealth

Open letter: G20 Leaders must tax extreme wealth
https://taxextremewealth.com

persagen,
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

Addendum 8

Billionaires Cash In On Abusive Farm Worker Scam
To staff agricultural properties, Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch, other tycoons use controversial visa program linked to labor abuses, human trafficking
https://www.levernews.com/billionaires-cash-in-on-abusive-farm-worker-scam

OrionKidder, to random
@OrionKidder@mas.to avatar

"What do #homeless people need to get them out of homelessness?"

"Homes. Buy them homes."

"No, I mean, what can we do for them, to get them out of homelessnes?"

"Homes. They need homes. Put them in homes. Buy them homes."

"No, you're not hearing me. What can we do to help them get out of homelessness?"

"Homes. Houses. Apartments. Somewhere to sleep and keep all their stuff."

"No no no, what i mean is..."

#meritocracy

persagen, to random
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

What Should You Do with an Oil Fortune?
Hunt family, private oil companies
Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37108824

https://persagen.com >> search: "elite philanthropy"
"Leah Hunt-Hendrix"
texas AND billionaire AND hunt

persagen,
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

... cont'd

persagen, to Florida
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

Orlando Magic donates $50,000 to DeSantis Super PAC
https://popular.info/p/orlando-magic-donates-50000-to-desantis

  • Orlando Magic, Central Florida's NBA franchise, publicly supports LGBTQ community
  • yet 2023-06-26 Orlando Magic donated $50,000 to Never Back Down, the Super PAC supporting Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R-FL) presidential campaign

Never Back Down:
https://persagen.com >> search: ("super pac" or superpac) AND desantis

persagen,
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar
persagen, to random
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

World's 500 Richest People Added $852 Billion to Their Wealth in First Half of 2023
"They can afford to pay their fair share in taxes"
https://www.commondreams.org/news/billionaire-wealth-2023

Addendum

https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#62c53dd73d78

Billionaires and Monarchs Now Run Soccer
Saudi control is the natural outcome of the sport’s transformation into a plaything for billionaires
https://jacobin.com/2023/07/football-soccer-karim-benzema-saudi-arabia-pro-league-pif/

lori, to random en-us
persagen, to twitter
@persagen@mastodon.social avatar

[thread] Elon Musk, neofascism

Elon Musk Flirting w. Fake AOC Twitter Account
Musk’s interactions w. account spreading fake news
https://newrepublic.com/post/173086/elon-musk-flirting-fake-aoc-twitter-account

Comment: we (https://persagen.com, @persagen) moved here due to concerns over management, functionality, content, ideology at Twitter

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