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Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich (2017)

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Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich (2017)

#61

Post by belorn »

DoreenMichele wrote: post #35

I cannot fathom the logic here. Movers and shakers who shape the world pissing away resources on some kind of personal "insurance" if everything goes to hell instead of investing in making sure things don't go to hell. If they put half as much time, money, thought and effort into fixing some of the glaring boils on the butt of the world, they could stop metaphorically sucking their billion dollar thumbs this way. The…

A person with money can get an audience regardless of gender, while a person without money will be ignored regardless of gender. It like the song, "money don't talk, it swears". To quote a professor in biology, neurology and neurological science, the biggest mistake a individual can do is to be born in the wrong socioeconomic class. If I know the trick for a person in the wrong socioeconomic class to get a massive audience and engagement, in spite of being male, I would change so much in the world. Sadly I don't, which is a bit depressing to be saying at this time of the year.

But I do find some comfort that socioeconomic status is only relative. A person that is rich, or a person where everyone else beside them is poor, has the same socioeconomic status. They get the same audience, same engagement, same health benefit and social power. If there were a way to damping the perceived social status signals that people use, we could in theory create a online space which socioeconomic class had no effect. Alternative we could hope that culture would reduce how we grant social status, but that political fight had its prime around 50 years ago and been replaced by more tribal themes like gender. I really wish the discussion would go back and focus on those issues you brought up in the first 50% of the comment, ie health care, housing and food which given the Maslow's hierarchy has a very large effect on the stability of nations.

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich (2017)

#63

Post by manmal »

DoreenMichele wrote: post #59
manmal wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find your argument compelling, and IMO you should not be scared to get banned from HN for that kind of comment. It‘s actually in line with many other comments here. I too feel that there are not enough women commenting here. The discussions would be more complete and interesting if that wasn’t the case. We obviously only get a half of the picture without female participation. It’s offtopic, but since you asked for…

Being highly controversial/polarizing does often help growing an audience, Yeah, I keep hearing that. That hasn't worked for me. I get three things out of it: 1. Banned from multiple forums. 2. All the utter and complete loonies who think I can fix them or will be their one true love cyberstalk me but won't fucking admit it, so it doesn't even get my stuff promoted. 3. I've spent years living in fear of being literal…

Well, as Audioslave said, be yourself is all that you can do. Everybody has talents that bring value to society. Have you considered that the type of job you are trying to create for yourself is not the right one for you?

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich (2017)

#64

Post by koonsolo »

joe_the_user wrote: post #43
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #13

Back in 2016 I followed Justin Kan on Snapchat and he used to hang out with Steve Huffman on his stories. I recall a few particular snap stories where they went out to Justin's new house and were shooting guns, throwing axes and generally doing fun outdoor stuff. I do seem to recall at some point there was talk about survivalist stuff in those snaps. I've done quite a lot of survival training with the US Government a…

There's a lot to nitpick here but I guess the most interesting thing to me is that, for all their wealth, access and smarts, none of these people seem to actually be trying to solve the systematic and endemic problems which would soften the blow of a major existential risk. When the best and brightest of a society are heading for the hills, that's a sign problems are coming. It's not that just they may have concrete…

You could also ask the question what they are protecting themselves from.

Maybe they expect at some point that the masses will no longer want to keep paying taxes an lose money, while the rich have all the means to circumvent taxes and leverage their wealth.

I don't see the breaking point yet, but there is definitely a breaking point.

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich (2017)

#65

Post by onetimemanytime »

jonathankoren wrote: post #38
onetimemanytime wrote: post #14

First thing I notice in the article...(prob) an ex-military man with automatic weapons serving as a guard. In a doomsday scenario he will, eventually, kill or enslave all those nerdy guys that paid a fortune to seeking shelter there. But then you have everything else and buying these things are a drop in the bucket. Makes sense even if it has a very small chance of happening. What's an extra billion going to do to St…

Douglas Rushkoff had a podcast where he talked about being paid by these guys to come up with ways to keep their armed guards from turning on them. The billionaires suggested shocker collars (maybe even with explosives) and controlling the food supply by a combination lock. https://medium.com/s/futurehuman/survival-of-the-richest-9ef...

>>and controlling the food supply by a combination lock.

And who will have the keys? Probably better dying once than dying every day for a year or two :). These "friends" will turn on each other and plot to exclude x today and then team with x to exclude z. Back millions of years ago! All layers of civilization stripped away, killing your ex-co founder so food lasts a little longer.

You're better off, IMO, buying land somewhere far, far away in USA, and stock it with weapons and food. Weapons might be an issue (state laws) but with pocket change they can buy freeze dried food for 30 years. You have plenty of land and why not stock it with some seeds. Don't tell anyone, have plans to go there with no one but family. Stay low for a while, then peek out little by little. Gold, silver, food, weapons, water supplies /plans and live under the radar. No sign of life.

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich (2017)

#66

Post by mgamache »

roywiggins wrote: post #26
mgamache wrote: post #12

These guys (and Women?) are at the extreme end of the economic and social hierarchy. The only thing that might endanger their position is if society collapses. Prepping is sort of an insurance policy against the long odds of society collapsing. All societies have collapsed and once the process starts it can happen quickly. They can devote the resources to guard against rare events, because they are already protected…

It's convenient when they advertise this in the media, for the roving bands to target them and their stuff.

They already anticipate maximum violence and chaos, I don't think they fear non-prepped mobs hunting them based on an old news article from the non-existent internet. I am not a prepper, but I get the allure. I just need the money :)

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich (2017)

#67

Post by DoreenMichele »

manmal wrote: post #63
DoreenMichele wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being highly controversial/polarizing does often help growing an audience, Yeah, I keep hearing that. That hasn't worked for me. I get three things out of it: 1. Banned from multiple forums. 2. All the utter and complete loonies who think I can fix them or will be their one true love cyberstalk me but won't fucking admit it, so it doesn't even get my stuff promoted. 3. I've spent years living in fear of being literal…

Well, as Audioslave said, be yourself is all that you can do. Everybody has talents that bring value to society. Have you considered that the type of job you are trying to create for yourself is not the right one for you?

The world is going to hell in a hand basket. Millionaires and billionaires are taking up the thumb sucking hobby of prepping for the apocalypse.

No one else seems to have answers. I'm supposed to say not my problem and go wait tables or look for a rich husband to support me because the world doesn't want to hear solutions from a woman or something?

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich (2017)

#68

Post by DoreenMichele »

belorn wrote: post #61
DoreenMichele wrote: post #35

I cannot fathom the logic here. Movers and shakers who shape the world pissing away resources on some kind of personal "insurance" if everything goes to hell instead of investing in making sure things don't go to hell. If they put half as much time, money, thought and effort into fixing some of the glaring boils on the butt of the world, they could stop metaphorically sucking their billion dollar thumbs this way. The…

A person with money can get an audience regardless of gender, while a person without money will be ignored regardless of gender. It like the song, "money don't talk, it swears". To quote a professor in biology, neurology and neurological science, the biggest mistake a individual can do is to be born in the wrong socioeconomic class. If I know the trick for a person in the wrong socioeconomic class to get a massive au…

I have six years of college. I come from a secure family background that was more upper class than I realized. I thought my family was a bunch of poor working class stiffs.

My mother's mother came from a low level German noble family. They sold the title when the family fell on hard times.

I'm pretty damn upper class culturally. I'm just broke, in part because "no girls allowed in the old boys club." So I can't get access to the kind of information that helps men succeed.

I was basically a dilettante and didn't know it. There are plenty of "self made" men on HN. They don't have any trouble translating interest in their comments on HN into traffic for their projects.

I can't do the same. After more than nine years here, I know exactly one person from HN who is willing to talk to me regularly and he's currently banned. He can't play by the rules, which is part of why he's willing to talk to me: he also doesn't abide by the rule of "no girls allowed" and "oh, my god, what if people think exchanging emails equals some kind of internet affair???????!!!"

So anyone whose actually socially acceptable is incapable of treating my like anything but a piece of ass who should be seen and not heard, and preferably seen in something sexy. Otherwise, STFU, no one wants to hear what a woman thinks, basically.

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich (2017)

#69

Post by nannotequalnan »

chillacy wrote: post #21
nannotequalnan wrote: post #9

anecdotally, it feels like the tech elite are trying to outsmart the system (such as prepping for doomsday scenarios), rather than trying to improve the system to prevent, or lower the probability of the doomsday scenario in the first place

You definitely get more bang for your buck spending on yourself vs trying to change society.

agree completely, although that's kind of the point. the problem is that the tech elite are going for most bang for the buck (ie. looking out for no 1) instead of trying to solve the mess that they, in part, created

Re: Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich (2017)

#70

Post by nannotequalnan »

asien wrote: post #20
nannotequalnan wrote: post #9

anecdotally, it feels like the tech elite are trying to outsmart the system (such as prepping for doomsday scenarios), rather than trying to improve the system to prevent, or lower the probability of the doomsday scenario in the first place

> rather than trying to improve the system to prevent, or lower the probability of the doomsday scenario in the first place I’m not sure Sillicon Valley billionaire can do much too save the earth from collapsing. It’s not about rich changing the world to save it, it’s about the world monetary system , capitalism and thermo-industrial economy that has climax and is now going to end. Hence , every society has cycles. R…

completely disagree. SV billionaires wield enormous power and influence, through their wealth, positions of power, influential personas, companies etc.

there is a very good argument to be made that elon musk pushed the EV industry forward. similarly, i think tech elite can shape society.

another example: look at the enormous influence warren buffett has had on the asset management industry.

i think SV billionaires could definitely make a dent in things like income inequality, if they focused on it

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