Billionaire Cartier boss returns from fishing holiday gripped with terror that the poors are going to start building guillotines

Kill a bunch of high school kids, no change. Kill 17 billionaires, you’d have gun control by 8am the next morning.

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So - move fast!

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Montblanc, I’m a fan.

My suggestion to Johann Rupert is to take his billions and start social enterprises to employ, educated, and equip people in need so that they can take care of themselves, take care of others, provide for themselves, and provide for others.

The power is in our hands. We can do something about or wait for death.

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I’m a staunch capitalist and even I sometimes think we phased out the guillotines a little prematurely.

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PS. How long will your head stay alive after decapitation?

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And - to quote another billionaire - break things!

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This says it all…

A lawn mower blade? At that point you might as well just bludgeon them to death. If you want to go Old Testament: stoning (and not the fun kind).

Unless you’re setting up traps ala “You’re Next”, you have to get close enough to your target from a rear position in order to use a traditional garrote. A long single edge blade allows for more distance.

Does this recent realisation of his mean he is now ‘woke’?

Alternatively, “This one asshole could fuck everything up and I could lose my fortune. Let’s neutralize the threat.”

You know, Louis XIV is often famous for creating an extravagant court at Versailles and for creating the modern fashion world with the frequent variation and seasons. It was a gaudy and gauche court where tales of excess and silliness are still being told with laughter. For example, did you know that the Le Roi(King Louis) would select 100 people of privileged and allow them to watch him rise in the morning and get dressed? It was considered a great honor.

However, this entire obscene act was not stupid folly. As several historians and authors have highlighted, the point was actually rather noble. The King was able to consolidate political power. He firmly established himself as the ruler of France by being the trendsetter and center of the royal court. He also nearly bankrupt half of the royal court with the constant parties. He would then personally loan them money in private to keep up the lavish lifestyle. This gave him additional power over the aristocracy.

What of all that wasted money on clothing, perfume, etc? Someone had to make it all. Prior to King Louis XIV, the height of fashion was Spain. The fashion of choice? Black. Black dye was expensive and Spain was a prosperous trading country which imported most of the black dye. Le Roi changed everything. He made fashion colorful, seasonal, and FRENCH! This created jobs that were diverse and constant in the textile industry. He exported fashion through most of Europe and even made it fashionable in England. The result? A wealthy and prosperous nation built on the back of the excesses of the royal court.

People tend to think of his great-great-grandson Louis XVI, who had his head chopped off for his pompous extravagance. There are a lot of reasons why #16 lost his head. However, it wasn’t because of lavish goods purchased by the 1%. If anything, they were what kept the 99% from rebelling.

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Shall we garotte them with the string at A432 pressure, or at A440?

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I could write that same snark about everything you wrote, but I choose not to.

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Decisions, decisions…
Let’s set up focus groups and do some research, shall we?

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Maybe a few misleading YouTubes.

Trickle-down economics? Really?

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Goat’s tail stands up. Sheep’s tail hags down. You’re welcome. :slight_smile:

This. Whenever a thread on automation comes up, people tend to focus on the utopian view and ignore the fact that automation means the loss of jobs, and the loss of jobs means the economy grinds to a halt. If automation can lead to a future where work is based around one’s interests, and the necessities of life (ie a post-scarcity society, ala Star Trek), then that’s great news for humanity. But if it leads to the inability of most people to feed themselves and their families, that can only mean a dystopic future. Automation doesn’t have to be bad, but automation in the context of neo-liberal economy sure as hell is.

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I didn’t take as necessarily advocacy, but as historical context. It’s the origins of the modern consumer economy.

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