Casmin Week 6: Bad Guys
We’re really living in the peak of an economic downfall, huh? From ridiculous inflation rates (especially in California) to increasing unemployment rates, it seems like our main concerns in life aren’t going to be to buy an apartment anymore, but rather to get into college and pray for a job opening.
Recently, Billie Eilish made a huge donation of 11.5 million dollars from her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour to climate change organizations. In comparison to her wealth, she donated around ¼ of her net worth. If that wasn’t enough to cause attention, she also made a speech at the Magazine Innovator Awards stating how “the world is really, really bad and really dark,” promoting the idea for wealthy billionaires to “use [money] for good things, maybe give it to some people that need it.”
“If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire?”
Now this isn’t saying that Billie Eilish is a small artist. But relative to the fact that Billie, a multi millionaire, has stepped up in putting all that she can into changing the world for the better reflects poorly on the billionaires with vastly more money. Even though they hold the wealthiest position in America as the top 0.1%, they are more invested in buying stocks and social media apps for personal investment rather than using the money to help the public. And even when they donate to charities, it seems forced or insincere, as if donating was just to cushion their social status and popularity.
It’s honestly disappointing to see less wealthy people stand up to account for the billionaires, even though donating what a life-changing amount of money would be for thousands of people would not even account for a dent in their bank accounts. If American society has made it so that only a few people would have the majority of the wealth, is that truly the American goal? To watch everyone live paycheck to paycheck while only a few live their lives in pure luxury and bliss? Is this our dream? Soon, we’ll also be subjected to the same oppression from the top few as their bank accounts soon reach the trillions. I just hope that there’s another Billie Eilish that we could rely on (but we shouldn’t have to) to have the money and power to change our capitalistic world and bring it to light.
"Donate from the heart, not for the headlines."
Hi Casmin! I think the economic standings of the US is an incredibly interesting topic. I agree that it’s sad that the system has shifted to the point where now, it seems easier for the rich to get even richer and harder for many to even become financially stable. However, although I understand your sentiment, I must say I am not disappointed—I expected nothing less from those who have already passed the point of reasonable abundance into the realm of gross excess. A billion dollars is a sum of money that many of us (combined!!) will never see in our lives, and many argue that it is impossible to become a billionaire ethically. Understandably, it’s tragic to watch those with so much wealth continue to hoard it, but the desire for personal riches has ultimately been a major driving force in the development of the American economy.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the donation made by Billie Eilish will motivate other wealthy individuals to do the same; in the meantime, we can appreciate her semblance of awareness—given that she herself is still incredibly wealthy.
Hey Casmin! Loved your blog on this matter—Billie Eilish is a rare celebrity who makes good music and isn’t morally questionable. Her donating 20% of her net worth is definitely commendable; if Mr. Zuckerberg did the same, he would have to donate 42 billion dollars. It’s hard to fully put into perspective how much a billion dollars really is. Of course, the next step from million is billion, but the gap between the two—a billion being a whole thousand times larger—is a vast difference when talking about money. Grammys winner Billie Eilish, whose concerts sell out in a matter of minutes, only has 0.0199% of Zuckerberg’s net worth. For the average person, that level of wealth is simply unachievable, unimaginable. You’ll have to flip burgers for 15 billion hours to reach his net worth…
ReplyDeleteAnd what do you even do with that much money? Sustain a lavish lifestyle? What about the other two hundred billion dollars? What about the people in poverty, those who would be better off if Zuckerberg donated even 0.0001% of his net worth? People dream of obtaining the title of “richest person in the world”, but isn’t that something to be ashamed of? How many lives were exploited to obtain such an absurdly incomprehensible net worth? Greed is a deadly sin, and billionaires are some of the worst sinners in our world.
Hi Casmin! Since the posting of your blog (and my alerting to Billie Eilish’s donation), I’ve interestingly seen a surprising amount of negative commentary about her donation. If I recall correctly, some influencers on social media—because who else—had stated that her donation was too small to make a difference towards the climate change movement and that it was purely for publicity. Although this could stand true for much richer individuals making smaller donations, the size (over 11 million!) and the proportion of her net worth (25%!!) completely invalidates their claims. Undoubtedly, Billie Eilish made a morally correct and globally impactful statement with her benevolence.
ReplyDeleteI’d like to see Jeff Bezos give anything close to even 10% of his net worth to any cause—besides MacKenzie Scott in their divorce.