#Wealth and Altruism

[omegaphilosophia]

How Wealth Concentration Impacts Altruism: Shifting from Community to Corporate Giving

The concentration of wealth among the wealthy has had a significant impact on altruism, often reshaping and at times undermining communal, grassroots, and democratic approaches to giving. Here are several ways that wealth concentration can impact the spirit and practice of altruism negatively:

Shift from Community-Based to Top-Down Giving:

Large-scale philanthropy by the wealthy can sometimes overshadow grassroots altruistic efforts. Community-led organizations may struggle to compete with well-funded philanthropic foundations, which may focus on high-visibility projects that align with wealthy donors' interests rather than directly addressing local, smaller-scale needs.

This shift creates a top-down model of giving, where local communities and smaller organizations have less agency in deciding how resources are allocated and used.

Undermining Government Responsibility for Social Services:

With wealthy individuals stepping in to fund social programs and public services, governments may rely on this private funding rather than ensuring adequate public investment in social services, healthcare, or education. This reliance on wealthy donors can create a "privatized altruism," where public good becomes contingent on private generosity.

This diminishes a sense of collective responsibility and may erode societal commitment to publicly funded social support, fostering dependence on the wealthy for essential services and creating instability.

Control Over Social Agendas:

Wealthy philanthropists often direct their giving to causes that align with their personal values or interests, which may not always align with the priorities of broader society. This selective giving can divert attention from urgent or foundational needs that are less "attractive" or profitable for high-profile donations.

As a result, the wealthy can influence public priorities, promoting projects that reinforce existing power structures and reducing collective input on altruistic efforts that affect society at large.

Promoting Conditional or "Strategic" Giving:

Unlike community altruism, which is often motivated by a desire to help others without strings attached, philanthropy by the wealthy can involve strategic giving with conditions that benefit them directly, whether through favorable publicity, tax breaks, or political influence.

This conditional altruism can erode the concept of selfless giving, making it appear that generosity is only worthwhile if there is a reciprocal benefit, which undermines altruism as a social norm.

Influence on Cultural and Social Values:

Large-scale philanthropic efforts often bring wealthy donors into the public eye, presenting them as "saviors" and fostering a cultural narrative that idolizes individual, wealthy philanthropists over communal efforts. This shift can dilute values of empathy, reciprocity, and community-driven altruism, replacing them with admiration for wealth and individualism.

This cultural influence may undermine the motivation for everyday altruism among the general population, who may feel their contributions are negligible compared to those of billionaires, thus eroding the spirit of small-scale, communal generosity.

Disempowering Public Altruism Through Tax Avoidance:

Some wealthy individuals use tax loopholes and offshore accounts to minimize their tax contributions while simultaneously gaining praise for philanthropic giving. This tax avoidance reduces funds available for public welfare and services, placing a heavier financial burden on lower-income individuals.

The public may feel resentful or skeptical of wealthy altruism if they perceive that the wealthy are avoiding their fair share of taxes, thereby disempowering collective social trust and mutual responsibility.

Marginalization of Less Marketable Causes:

Wealthy individuals and foundations often favor "high-profile" causes with clear, measurable outcomes or social prestige, while issues related to systemic poverty, mental health, or marginalized communities may be overlooked.

This preference can distort altruistic priorities by promoting issues that align with wealthy individuals' interests, creating a skewed approach to giving that marginalizes less glamorous or politically popular causes, which may be more impactful for society but lack wealthy champions.

Fostering a Transactional Culture of Giving:

With wealthy philanthropists often expecting recognition, control, or results from their giving, altruism risks becoming a transactional activity rather than an act of empathy or solidarity. This transactionality can diminish the motivation for spontaneous, uncalculated acts of kindness in society as a whole.

A culture of "return on investment" giving may further distance society from the idea of altruism as an intrinsic good, replacing it with a results-oriented approach that may not resonate with broader public values.

The concentration of wealth and the influence of wealthy philanthropists can undermine collective altruism, as community-driven and government-supported altruistic structures become weakened. While individual acts of giving by the wealthy can bring positive outcomes, the broader social impact can distort the values of altruism, communal solidarity, and public accountability. Reshaping altruism to center around empathy and mutual support within communities may help preserve and protect these values in the face of concentrated wealth.

[anoras]

i think it would have been actually interesting if the crows' upper hierarchy were just. outright lying to you about their morals, and then jacobus was used as a foil to that to show the truth of how the crows operate. 😐

[random-xpressions]

I love spending on others, more than I love spending on myself. If there's any secret to the richness of my heart and to the wealth that I've earned, then this would be the only mantra. Apparently it may seem to be in direct violation of the universal mathematical laws because essentially when you spend more, it is supposed to reduce the weight of your wallet. But in the grand design of things, when the heart gets involved, the entire proportion gets reversed. When love becomes the most dominant currency guiding every action and every motive of your life, then that invites such abundant blessings, as to your own surprise. The more you channel yourself into others, the more enriched you become at your center. This being the true inner wealth. And the more you channel your spendings on others, the more expanse you'll experience in your sources of income. The Divine hands know best where to pour down, and he pours down perfectly at that spot, from where it would reach out to the maximum. Its all about divine logistics and the hands of Providence picking up the finest distribution centers. God never invested in a miser & never in a closed mind that feared poverty...

Random Xpressions

[writing-with-sophia]

Common character motivations

Revenge - seeking to get even with someone who has wronged them

Love - driven by romantic feelings for another character

Greed - motivated by a desire for material possessions or wealth

Power - seeking to gain control or influence over others

Justice - motivated by a sense of fairness and a desire to see justice served

Redemption - seeking to make up for past mistakes or wrongdoings

Curiosity - driven by a desire to learn or discover something new

Duty - motivated by a sense of responsibility or obligation to others or a cause

Ambition - driven by a desire to achieve a specific goal or succeed in a particular endeavor

Fear - motivated by a desire to avoid danger or harm

Guilt - driven by a sense of remorse for past actions or decisions

Jealousy - motivated by envy or a desire to possess what another character has

Betrayal - motivated by a sense of betrayal or desire for revenge against someone who has betrayed them.

Ambivalence - a character who is conflicted or uncertain about their goals or desires

Freedom - a character who seeks to escape from a restrictive situation or society

Fame - motivated by a desire for public recognition or notoriety

Identity - driven by a need to understand or define who they are

Family - motivated by a sense of loyalty or obligation to their family or loved ones

Discovery - driven by a desire to explore or uncover hidden knowledge

Patriotism - motivated by a love for their country or a desire to protect it

Rebellion - driven by a desire to challenge authority or the status quo

Artistic expression - motivated by a need to create or express oneself through art, music, or other creative endeavors

Religion or spirituality - driven by a desire to connect with a higher power or to live according to certain beliefs or values

Altruism - motivated by a desire to help others or make the world a better place

Atonement - driven by a need to make amends or seek forgiveness for past actions

Nostalgia - motivated by a desire to return to a simpler time or relive past experiences

Status - driven by a desire for social or professional standing or recognition.

Insecurity - driven by a need to prove their worth or gain acceptance from others

Legacy - motivated by a desire to leave a lasting impact or to be remembered in a certain way after they're gone

Survival - driven by the need to survive in extreme circumstances, such as a natural disaster, war, or an apocalyptic event

Belonging - motivated by a desire to fit in with a certain group or community

Love of knowledge - driven by a passion for learning and acquiring new information

Addiction - motivated by a compulsion to engage in a particular behavior or activity, such as drug use or gambling

Inciting incident - motivation driven by a specific event that triggers or sets the character on their journey

Fear of death - driven by a fear of their own mortality or the mortality of others

Intimidation - motivated by a fear of others or a desire to intimidate others for personal gain

Envy - driven by a desire to possess what others have or to be like someone else

Manipulation - motivated by a desire to control or manipulate others for their own benefit

Protecting others - driven by a desire to protect loved ones or innocent people from harm

Sense of duty - motivated by a sense of responsibility to fulfill a particular role or obligation.

If you want to read more posts about writing, please click here and give me a follow!

[elysiansparadise]

Hi Elysian ! ✨

First I wanted to tell you that I really love your posts 💖

I have seen that you have your ask open and you haven't post about Neptune in the 2th house so can you please describe Neptune in the 2th ?

I have this placement and wanted to know more about it.

Thanks a lot/ Merci beaucoup ✨

Kiss from France 💖

Hello love, thanks for loving my posts. Of course I can describe this beautiful placement. A kiss right back at you. 💖

Neptune in the 2nd house

These people may not place as much importance on money, they feel that the money a person may have does not define their value and quality as a person. They care about money just enough and necessary to know that it is crucial to have a decent life in which they do not lack anything, but they consider that there are things more important or of greater value than this. They stand out for their generosity and altruism, being people who can seek to help those most in need or provide support to those who do not have enough money. They can really enjoy buying details for others without worrying much about the price. Since this is the house of values, the presence of Neptune here indicates that they place a lot of emphasis on their spiritual world, keeping in mind values ​​such as devotion, tolerance and empathy. You can spend a lot of time investing in your spiritual growth or expanding your knowledge in these areas. They are likely to pay for services such as aura cleansing, tarot readings or other things related to esoteric topics. Likewise, they can enjoy buying things related to art, paintings, notebooks or things that help them develop their creativity in some way, such as instruments.

This is a house linked to self-esteem, so it is likely that these natives are very humble and even shy people when it comes to receiving compliments, not knowing exactly how to take them. These people dream big with the idea of ​​having everything they once lacked, and not only in the material field, but also emotionally, especially that feeling of stability that they may not have had when they were young. These people should be cautious when lending money, because even if their intentions are good, they may more frequently encounter people along the way who will not pay them on time or who do not pay them at all. This house reflects everything we acquire since we were born, so it can represent those talents that we have since we were young. Many people with this placement may have artistic talents, such as painting, singing, music or some other branches of art. Likewise, it can tell us about spiritual gifts of any kind. It is likely that these people can use their talents as a way to generate or invest their money.

One of the things that these natives should be careful about is their disorganization, it is crucial that they be very organized, because they have a tendency to forget where they leave things, if Neptune is making multiple tense aspects [especially with 2nd house ruler or Venus], they can even forget bank passwords or they can even lose documents related to estate. They have a rich inner world, feeling very disconnected from the things or people around them, they may feel that they do not give importance to things that others usually do. They highly value the human quality behind things, they do not like to buy items or things that, for example, are experimented on animals or that affect or damage the environment. Another thing they value a lot is inner wealth, both their own and with others, as I mentioned previously, they give value to things that others hardly put emphasis on.

[thedomesticanthropologist]

I love the sheer wealth of interpretations of Astarion in fandom

- What a cunt

- Useless man in his flop era

- Dominant kink daddy

- Whining sub who wants to be dominated even tho he just escaped that exact situation (this one I am ???? With but u do u)

- Soft gentle soul who heals super fast and suddenly has no bad qualities at all any more and if you bring them up GOD, HE HAD ✨TrAuMa✨ it's EXCUSEABLE (y'all really stretch that one dontcha 😂)

-I see no man just a crusty white dog that's less than 2 feet tall and bites everyone

- A complex and deep character with flaws both because of trauma and despite it, who didn't start out a good man and doesn't end up a Paragon of virtue, who is trying with the person he loves but is very obviously a selfish person at heart who has no experience with altruism and even blatantly resents it, who doesn't want anything taken from him ever again, who wants to survive, be safe, be free, and also be a bit of a shit

-A perfect husband who wants children and a home and to settle down and wear sweater vests (Please all of these are exaggerations don't @ me)

-a BDSM slut who heals his trauma only to go right back to sex 24/7 but it's fine because now he does ✨aftercare✨

-All of the above at once

-None of the above but a secret third thing that only TRUE fans who REALLY GET HIM understand, u wouldn't get it, ugh, it's fine tho ( tell me you haven't seen this, there's always someone like this out there)

- Whatever you add into the reblogs/ tags and replies here! Please make it funny or at least not antagonistic, this is all in jest and good humor, none of these reflect my opinion. Or do they. Who knows 🧐😂😂

[mariacallous]

The glow of the tech bros’ halo is dimming and, in 2025, the computing industry’s sheen of glamor will continue to fade too. While other STEM fields are making strides in broadening participation in their workforces, year after year, computing, a supposedly innovative field, fails to recruit, retain, and respect women and nonbinary workers. For example, precision questioning, abstraction, aggression, sexism, and a disdain for altruism—serving the social good—are a few of the core values driving culture in computing worksites. These values and the ways they are policed via bias, discrimination, and harassment in high-tech companies form the “Bro Code.”

The Bro Code perpetuates high tolerance of sexual harassment. It also contributes to the field’s failure to rectify its stark segregation. Only 21 percent of computer programming positions are held by women. Of that 21 percent, only 2 percent are African American, and only 1 percent are Latina. While sorely underrepresented in the field overall, women are disproportionately affected during industry’s downsizing. For example, nearly 70 percent of those laid off in the 2022 tech layoffs were women. This tracks with my experience in Big Tech. As soon as the company went public, stockholders demanded annual layoffs. For the first two years, the only people terminated in my department were women.

Further, due to their massive wealth and masterful branding, Bro Code bosses believe themselves to be wizards or priests. They lean into authoritarianism, prompted to repress complaints and resistance. Some programmers imitate this behavior. For example, in 2023, tech bros mobbed the Grace Hopper Celebration, the world’s largest conference for women and nonbinary tech workers. Women attendees I spoke with described men at the career expo simply barging in front of them in lines, and some said they were verbally harassed and assaulted.

In 2025, the march toward a future dictated by algorithmic lords will falter. Coalitions between feminist movements and labor activism will increase public scrutiny of tech culture. These efforts will start to crack the Bro Code. Bro Code bosses talk a big game about its socially revolutionary impact, but participants in my research felt thwarted when trying to use their technical skills to serve others. For instance, Lynn reported that the eye-tracking device she developed to help people with disabilities was repurposed for marketing analysis; Shauna’s lab mates nicknamed her “accessibility bitch” when she worked on projects to help those disenfranchised in computing.

As Big Tech continues to deliver empty promises instead of solutions to social ills—while dodging taxes, quashing regulations and fueling a yawning pay inequality gap—the public will continue to grow disenchanted with the industry. In 2025, thwarted altruistic efforts like Shauna’s and Lynn’s will accelerate growing skepticism about computing’s service to humanity.

Disenfranchised tech workers will continue to help us hold Bro Code bosses accountable for not only failing to live up to its widely publicized altruism, but also for their efforts to conceal the social harms of their products. As recent organizing activities by tech workers show, strong coalitions across workers are what scare these reigning elites the most. For example, in 2018, more than 20,000 Google employees across the globe staged a walkout against sexual harassment and systemic racism in the company. In 2025, activism against the militarization, racism, sexism and economic exploitation in the tech industry will skyrocket higher than Bro Code bosses' space jets.

[doublel27]

DnD classes and alignment Jack and Joker

Thanks to a tag by @solarpirates calling Jack out as an Oathbreaker Paladin a few weeks ago, I have been working on this alignment chart along with some classes for this adventure BL.

Jack - Oathbreaker Paladin (formerly Devotion and Redemption respectively)- Lawful Good

Currently, in his space as an Oathbreaker he’s operating on an evil thread but it’s not who he is overall. In fact, Jack started the show as an Oath of Devotion Paladin - fighting as a knight in shining armor, wanting to protect and uplift his people. He was forced to break this oath the first time he joined Boss. However, under that first track, he found a new path, Oath of Redemption, believing anyone could be saved given the right tools and forgiveness and this became how he operated under Boss for years, working in counter to Boss’s evil in the ways he could.

He does believe in rule and order and general kindness. His want is to improve life for the people around him, whether they’re his or not.

Hoy - Beast-master Ranger - Neutral Good

His favored terrain is urban and his beast of choice is a car. He rolled a nat one survival check for finding the right bathroom in the dark…which is why he has his current job. Hoy operates both in the bounds of order (lawful) and occasionally outside of it (chaotic) but does believe in altruism and kindness in his core.

Ama - Neutral Good

I don’t know what Ama’s class was. Sometimes she gives monk. But grandma is neither lawful or chaotic but somewhere in between. But she’s good. She does everything for the betterment of the people around her, including her Joke.

Joke - Mastermind Rogue - Chaotic Good

His alignment feels out of place with his class, but that’s because Joke’s particular brand of roguishness is entirely grounded in his disdain of the wealthy and his own robin-hood style thievery. He falls into mastermind instead of straight thief because he uses knowledge, secrets and favors as well as his proficiency with disguise, to pull off his jobs.

He pulls out a costume in order to go try and talk his dad into taking up grandma’s surgery. The once a thief always a thief didn’t help when he had the opportunity to steal for Jack sent him right back in.

Save - Abjuration Wizard - True Neutral

Save is terrifying in many ways because he is true neutral. The thing about evil-aligned people is they are predictable in their cruelty, their disdain for others. Chaotic people are chaotic because they don’t live by order and rule, but it’s predictable that they will scorn order. Save is terrifying because as a true neutral aligned character, he can operate in any alignment as he chooses when he chooses and the reasons are entirely tied to what matters to Save and not a response to the world at large.

I’m going with abjuration wizard because his focus is protecting Hope, and the way he wrote the contracts entirely protect Boss and not the customer.

Aunt Nang - Divination Wizard - True Neutral

I had her pegged as Boss’s sister early and I am so glad I was right. She was my unknown but the last two have pushed me to the true neutral stance. She like Save is dangerous because she can operate in any alignment and often does. Sometimes she leans chaotic and sometimes she wants order, like with her temple. The plans she and Boss have and the difference in their aims to get revenge for their parents. I believe sometimes she wants to be benevolent but she was the push behind the stealing of the ring and the reason the four little pigs got away with it at all, and then immediately regretted it.

She has some visions of the future and uses her various means of fortune telling to support her aims.

Aran - College of Glamour Bard - Neutral (evil at the start but making his moves toward good)

Upon meeting Aran, our boy is selling beauty and glamour with a ruthless disdain for other people. Arab can weave a pretty picture of wealth for others to desire. He uses his power and money to abuse others to get what he wants. He works within certain order being his father’s son, but doesn’t mind a certain level of chaos.

He’s speed running the alignment chart from evil to good though and I’ve never been prouder. The way Aran stood up to his father over Hope, how he is with Tattoo when it comes to the product, and his insistence in being part of the team helping Jack. He was very excited to be part of the school and while he did try to run from seeing his father, he still joined the crew for everything.

Tattoo - Battle Smith Artificer- Chaotic Neutral

Impulsive and often operating outside of rule and order of society - the initial plans to steal, first from Joke and later from Boss was his idea, as was the impulsive decisions to take the necklace twice. Tattoo also is not religious like his mother and doesn’t fall into the concept of a world ordered by gods. His spy car is definitely his version of a Steel Defender and the shock of the bag definitely falls into the arcane jolt category. He’s not building things specifically to cause harm, but largely to mitigate the harm to the people that matter to him. A talented artificer who operates on his own code.

Hope - Way of Shadows Monk - Lawful Evil (but can be pushed neutral I believe)

Maybe it’s because we often see Hope enter from the shadows or cloaked in shadows, but he does like to use some element of surprise in his fighting. I’ve chosen monk for Hope because his fighting doesn’t by in large seem to come from rage. There’s a peace to him when he gets violent that makes him terrifying.

When operating as an extension of Boss, Hope falls into the evil end of the axis. He delights in violence. However, when it comes to Save (and to a lesser extent Aran) Hope operates from a neutral stance where his choices are related to his personal relationships.

Boss/Alice - Lesser Devil - Lawful Evil

Boss Alice is by the book and in doing so delights in the ruination of others. He works in favors and trades. Anyone who falls, well it’s their fault. He is the devil whom has made Jack break his oath and he will utilize various pawns in his games.

Rose - Neutral Evil

Rose wishes she was Neutral Good, and I think she could be true neutral if she wanted to, but she plays too much. She cosplays being altruistic but her aims are about herself, and getting what she wants. She plays within and without the rules, all to get her own aims with a level of callousness that puts her above It’s how she ruthlessly outbids Aran for the necklace and then she and Nang used the theft to purchase Jack for Rose. She actively chose to play the Golden Ladder to Heaven game knowing that Lampang very well might be playing with peoples lives because it was a better option for her personally. She sees little problem with the suffering of others and wants to celebrate her own wins.

You could be better, Rose, and you want to tell yourself that you are. But you’re not.

Lampang - Lesser Demon - Chaotic Evil

This son-of-a-bastard. Sure there are rules but they’re not predictable. They’re not orderly. They’re wherever works for Lampang in the fucking moment. He’s unconscionably cruel and delights in the suffering of everyone around him. When the rules don’t work for him, he wants to skirt them.

[drdemonprince]

ive seen you talk about FIRE/mr money moustache and i am interested in how you balance that with your politics. i ask because i am also interested in FIRE but struggle with the idea of saving 2mil+ to retire early when people need money NOW to survive. not just broadly but even loved ones and community members in my immediate vicinity. i dont mean this in an EXPLAIN YOURSELF sort of way, just so many of the FIRE etc people i find writing about it dont really address this aspect and its something i struggle with internally myself.

Sure, I don't mind speaking about this at all. I wish I more frequently had the occasion to because it's a major special interest of mine.

First, I'm not interested in the saving 2 million dollars (if that were even feasible) school of financial independence/ retire early. I'm more of an adherent to the r/LeanFire, r/BaristaFire type approach of maintaining a consistently very frugal standard of living that is sustainable for me, on a relatively smaller savings, and pursuing a life of relatively little consumption.

I also think that MMM, despite his many flaws, is broadly accurate in stating that when people continuing working all their lives, they also create more ecological devastation by consuming a whole of a hell lot more resources on convenience and burning more fuel, while chasing after a steadily rising living standard set by the norms of their profession. By taking myself out of the workforce sooner rather than later, I will be contributing less to climate change and waste because I'll need fewer convenience meals, fewer car rides, fewer flights, fewer hotel rooms, fewer fancy professional clothes, and so on and so on.

I also spend a lot of time on the Socially Conscious Mustachians group on Facebook, which focuses on investing one's savings in ways that are less ethically problematic. The easy mode version of this is simply putting one's money into index funds that exclude oil companies, gun manufacturers, etc. But honestly, today, with interest rates being as high as they are? It's pretty easy to just sock one's money into a CD or a bond, collect the cool 5.4% interest, and avoid having to contribute to the stock market directly at all. There are even high-yield savings accounts at credit unions that pay out about that much interest these days, and those entities typically do not invest in oil pipelines, BDS targets, or anything all that objectionable.

As for the hoading money while others are in need piece: Well. yeah. that's a difficult ethical challenge that we all must consider. how much can i hold onto for my own wellbeing in the spirit of "putting on one's oxygen mask first" without it being wealth hoarding? how much should i give to other people when i see that they are in need --someone could easily make the case that I have the moral obligation to give away what i have to my very last cent, and I couldn't really argue with them on that. maybe a person should do that. but i'm not going to do it. and of course the effective altruism freakos would counter that if i invest my money and grow it now, i will have more to give to others in the long run than if i cash out now.

realistically, i won't be able to continue working for much longer without having another health episode or worse. i will not qualify for disability benefits because high maskers who have had careers usually do not. and social security's coffers will be entirely drained long before i reach the age to qualify for it. if i enter my non-working years without any resources, someone else will have to worry about me staying housed and medicated and fed.

i tend to think of my retire early stash as my own little private disability benefits fund that will allow me to live safely and will hopefully allow me to take care of other people that i love as we age, and that will give me the freedom from having to do any morally compromising capitalist labor ever again, and only put my energies towards causes that either fulfill me or benefit others.

but it's still rooted in a highly individualistic capitalist system, this holding onto money under my own name and investing it thing. im sure a lot of people would choose instead to sock all of their money into some kind of cooperatively owned communist farm or something, and you know, some day down the line i would love to put money toward a big multi unit building that lots of people i am in community with could live in, with no financial obligations for them. but i dont have anywhere near that kind of scratch. as hannibal buress (that landlord piece of shit) said, "i don't have fuck you money, i have strongly worded email money." and you know, being able to write a strongly worded email to people who would otherwise be exploiting me into another huge burnout does feel good.

thinking that one day i might not work anymore is one of the only things that keeps me going. i am always on the razor's edge of not functioning, i dont think people really realize that, how could they, the mask is there to prevent them seeing it. im beyond privileged to even get to CONSIDER the dream of getting by on my savings for however long human society continues to exist. and it sure would be better if i could extend that kind of freedom and peace of mind to others. my life still feels very precarious and it always has and ive had to be stable for the sake of others for a long time, ive had to be financially responsible for others for a long time. i cling to the idea of FI/RE because it offers me a way to finally break down and be weak. but something more community oriented and interdependent would sure as fuck be better. in the meantime i guess im saving for something like that i could trust enough to give myself over to.

i also have a really strong fetishistic desire to be someone's completely brainwashed sex pet for the entire rest of my life, and having an early retirement account would really help me facilitate that

[bravecrab]

I was just listening to a podcast about the Peter Thiel backed Enhanced Games, a proposed alternative Olympics in which doping would not only be allowed but be the whole point. It's not an original idea, as long as doping has been in the conversation about the Olympics, there's always been people flippantly saying that they should just do something like the Enhanced Games, see how far we can push it. What's the harm?

There are plenty harms related in using cocktails of drugs to push the human body past it's natural limits, and there are plenty people who have made these comments in regards to the Enhanced Games. However a harm that I haven't seen mentioned yet, is the normalisation of pharmaceutical drug use and associating it with "peak physical performance". The Enhanced Games would be more than just an exhibition of sport, it would be a marketing platform for the pharmaceutical industry. Each athlete would have their own team to build them into the perfect athlete, more like Formula One, although who knows if the athletes will have to wear the brand logos on all their gear, so the audience know who sells the best steroids.

Let's not beat around the bush, an event that focuses on finely tuning the human body into a "perfect" form, is eugenics. The proponents of the Enhanced Games will deny it, but they want it to be successful and influential. They want it to be more successful than the Olympics. And that will require a normalisation of Eugenics.

A philosophy of domination is behind both the Enhanced Games and the Olympics. It's always been about peak fitness, as well as geopolitical bragging rights. A mindset of domination has always been used to justify eugenics, domination theology stating that God created the Earth for human consumption, and that of all creatures, Man is closest to God. That's been weaponized as white supremacy and as patriarchy, amongst many other oppressive norms, making claims through pseudo-science, that white, cis, straight men are the pinnacle of humanity. Both events are an exhibition of dominance, and while the Enhanced Games is definitely worse, the Olympics still promotes an idea that the winners are just Great Athletes, and their winning has nothing to do with factors like national wealth and resources.

Another concern I have over an event that normalises enhancing bodies beyond human limits, is that it will attempt to normalise it in work places. Despite advances in automation, a lot of physical work is still done by humans, and will remain that way as long as it is cheaper. If one of the biggest sporting events endorses performance enhancers, it's not a stretch for them to become popularly used in physical workplaces. I've done many years of warehousing work, and guys in those jobs are very much into the idea of being the biggest and strongest. Employers will definitely be happy to exploit this.

I think an event like Enhanced Games is easy to overlook. The concept has been the curiosity of a lot of people as soon as they're aware of doping. However it's the involvement of ghouls like Peter Thiel, people with a TESCREAL philosophy (Transhumanism, Extropianism, Singularitarianism, Cosmism, Rationalism, Effect Altruism, Long-termism), who want to control the future of all humankind, that make this worrying. These are billionaires who want to sell you your greatest sci fi fantasies, while maintaining a firm grasp on the controls. A future in which Peak Human Performance requires you to buy a steady supply of performance enhancing drugs, is one in which the Pharmaceutical industry is perpetually wealthy.

I'd also like to include that there is also the potential of a backlash to an event like Enhanced Games, it which all forms of alterations and modifications to the human body are labelled as evil and impure, which will likely be used to endorse transphobia.

[nicollekidman]

this episode is such a hard look at shiv, bc sure now you dont want a facist to be elected but girl....you are literally the daughter of evil and are still using the same blood money, and while i feel sorry for her today really reminded me that wealthy white women are the worst lmao

to me shiv is just a perfect illustration that there is no solidarity between the upper class and literally anyone else, even if your own actions put you at a disadvantage. shiv is repeatedly and eternally a victim of misogyny from her family and husband but that has turned her into a woman who wants to exersize power over other women, and will do so as soon as it benefits her. she makes gestures at a more left-leaning politic but she didn’t arrive there through any sense of true altruism or code of ethics, she did it to escape her father’s influence (though not his money, or his name). she had a path to a life outside of waystar but chose to come back to be closer to power and influence and approval and wealth and the machine that’s eating them all up and spitting them out. she may be smarter and more Aware of the consequences of her actions than her brothers but she doesn’t ever make good choices, even with that information, and the disconnect between the person she thinks she should be and the person she knows she is deep inside is like. massive. and as always. at the end of the day. she is a willing and eager participant in a system that is selfish, uncaring, and predicated on the suffering of everyone not at the top!!! she will never escape the crime of being a woman but she will use what power she has within the system to uphold it 🫡

[morakh]

and sure we learn that energy is neither created nor destroyed but even smiling is charity in islam and charity means giving away to add abundance to someone else's wealth so i truly believe we have the capacity to create literal positive energy in the metaphysical world or whatever in the way of good deeds and righteousness and altruism and thats why love is the most powerful expression.

[radical-revolution]

Herbie Hancock // "We are not alone. We do not exist alone and we cannot create alone. What this world needs is a humanistic awakening of the desire to raise one’s life condition to a place where our actions are rooted in altruism and compassion. You cannot hide behind a profession or instrument; you have to be human. Focus your energy on becoming the best human you can be. Focus on developing empathy and compassion. Through the process you’ll tap into a wealth of inspiration rooted in the complexity and curiosity of what it means to simply exist on this planet."

[acti-veg]

About billionaires & millionaires: among so many of them, there must be a few who actually donate their money and/or are a bit more aware of how much their wealth can help? Do you know of any who contributed significantly to donating to charity or to a good cause? And how do you personally feel about them?

I think that looking for the ‘good ones’ sort of misses the point about what it is that makes a capitalist unethical. You can have a networth that puts you in the millionaire category while just living on a wage like all working class people, having a nice car, a nice house in a lovely green area - there is nothing wrong with that in and of itself.

The salient factor is your social relation to capital. If you own a sweatshop and you give your workers 100th of the value they produce in a given day, and take the rest for yourself, that is unethical. If you then give away a 20th of the value your workers produced to charity, does that make it any less unethical that you exploited your workers for that money you gave to charity? That money shouldn’t have been yours to decide what to do with it in the first place.

There are many ultra-rich who give a lot to charity (a lot to us at least), but that doesn’t change anything about the ethics of the way they gained that money. Bill Gates is known as a big philanthropist, he has donated enormous sums to various health charities to tackle polio and malaria. He also exploits his workforce with horrendous working conditions, and crushed smaller businesses in Microsoft’s rise to power. He is unethical because he is a capitalist who exploited others to become a billionaire, not just because he is a billionaire. Giving away money doesn’t wipe away that stain.

I think that charitable donations have, for the capitalist class. become the secular version of paying the church for indulgences. “Yes, I exploited and harmed thousands of people to get rich, but I also give a small portion of those ill-gotten gains to the poor, so I’m a good guy!’ Too often the public buy into this. That is only considering genuine altruism too, ignoring how often ‘charitable donations’ are actually a form of lobbying, PR or tax reduction.

Just for perspective, an annual wealth tax of only 5% on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift 2 billion people out of poverty, fully fund the shortfalls on existing humanitarian appeals, deliver a 10-year plan to end hunger, support poorer countries being ravaged by climate impacts, and deliver universal healthcare and social protection for everyone living in low- and lower middle-income countries. The 100 richest people on earth could end world poverty four times over, by themselves.

Chris Rock once said: “if the poor knew how rich rich people are, there would be riots in the streets.” He was right. When they throw a million dollars at a flood campaign we heap praise on them, but it’s the equivalent of a normal person throwing a penny into a charity box. There is no amount of charitable giving that can turn an exploitative capitalist into a good person.

[hermidetta]

"that is how prey thinks."

(you are like prey.)

in this world there is the hunter and hunted. then there is you, wedged awkwardly between the two. a bird without wings, a bear without claws, you are not only mediocre but hopelessly underwhelming.

a bow has no business being in your hands. you take your own arrows to your neck and ask them for permission to bleed.

"that is how prey thinks," says the greatest hunter you know, the day you seek her opinion, "like a rabbit in the tall grass."

you are a rabbit in the tall grass. you are a rabbit-hearted girl. your namesake is wasted on you. bernadetta, bear brave. bear bravery. be brave, bernadetta, in this world full of hunters.

you don't have to fight up close, uncle had always said. he is right. take a look at all of the mages around you. but here is where you second guess yourself for what is of course not the second time, nor will it be the last. you are the only archer. you. gangly, high-strung, good for nothing you.

you could have chosen reason, you know. you could have chosen faith. but one requires fealty, both require intellect, and you hopelessly have none of those things either. you have a rabbit heart mired in heresy. you have a hoarse throat wrung by linens that screamed back at a man who represented the goddess. and oh, the goddess with all of her answers—you are no good at hurting others, so perhaps in her virtuous image you could heal them instead.

(you hate her. you hate her. you hate her. she never came for you no matter how good you were, no matter how well you behaved, and you hate her. you hate her and you will never pick up a stave, you will never genuflect, you would let your rabbit heart bleed out on the ground and fold there before you let your hands do it in prayer. you are not prey that prays.)

no. you are better at hurting others, after all—if not with your arrows, then your mediocrity. what you inherited from your stingy father was not gold, but a wealth of violence that you desperately keep contained to yourself. you aim immaculately, the crosshair hovered over your heart. you dish it out like your father and you take it like your mother.

you are a rabbit heart in the tall grass, you cannot fight close or use magic, so all that is left for you is the bow. you take it with trembling hands and the rattling knees of a struck antelope. but what do your knees matter? you have been struck, over and over, but somehow you are still here. you are prey that has somehow survived, so until you have permission to die you might as well try to be a little more. it will never be enough—never—but you might as well try.

you are no saint. you do not work hard, you do not slave away behind closed doors, you are no vessel of altruism with the story of an underdog who earns its happy ending through the persistence of passion and mettle. you are so mediocre. you train sparingly, you skip class and exams and almost everything in between, your skill with the bow has taken months and months to crawl up to an acceptable level of utility where it should have taken you weeks. you do not want to be here, and once upon a time you wished the world might spare any room in it for mediocre people like you.

it doesn't. the world is so unkind to women and even less kind the quieter ones, the ones that your father tells you to be like or suffer the fate of being worthless. not to mention that you are not even beautiful. the world is doubly unkind to those who are not beautiful.

but you wouldn't have missed, the tiniest peep in you protests. the voice of your violence.

for everything worthless that you are, all the time that you take, and everything good you are not, there is an untamed shard of your ugly rabbit heart that screams that even prey like you would not have missed the shot.

     no—

(bernadetta notches another arrow.)

     the attempt—

(she aims it at the next leaf that the wind plucks off of the trees.)

     failed—

(the leaf falls, flutters, then pins to the oak trunk behind it within the blink of an eye. the reverberation of her arrow sproings for a moment longer after its head hits the tree, steel tip pierced right through the leaf's center.)

you would not have missed the shot. prey, worthless, rabbit-hearted, ugly, you still would not have missed the shot.

but your father, a man who totes cheap prayers, still emerged the victor. he still escaped the hunter. he has the devil's luck.

it seems like all you really do have to do in this world to succeed is pray—and be a man, and be a noble, and be wealthy. if you have all of those things, you don't need to be a hunter at all. the line between predator and prey becomes negligible. it must be quite nice.

you stare a while longer at the impaled leaf before you realize your hands are shaking again, like a struck antelope shakes in the knees to keep upright. you don't know why. you don't know anything.

you don't know why this world you live in works the way it does. the good suffer, the wicked prosper. prey gets eaten, but only sometimes and on certain terms. when do the hearts of rabbits and lions mean anything at all? who writes the rules, and when do they get bent? (you do not know yet that your house leader will be the one to challenge this, challenge everything. who will you be by then?)

at the end of the day, you cannot depend on anything. the only constant is the rapid stutter of your beating rabbit heart. you aim the crosshair over it again and shoot to shut it up, twice the shot your father's last assassin could ever be.

[readersmagnet]

"Giving Is Not Just for the Very Rich" by Susan Aurelia Gitelson is a practical guide to altruism and making a difference. This inspiring book shows how anyone, regardless of wealth, can create positive impact through philanthropy. Packed with actionable tips, it empowers readers to give meaningfully.

Want to learn more about this book? Check the author's website at https://www.susanaureliagitelson.com/ and find out.