this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2025
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Let's say that you have an opportunity to gain billions to fix the society from the top. Do you think that you would keep your integrity and use your money for the greater good, or that you would be corrupted by your power?

If so, would you still accept the offer knowing that you would just make the situation worse?

And if you believe in yourself, how would you try to convince an hypotetical entity to give you this wealth?

To avoid regrets let's say that if you decline the offer your memory about the deal gets erased.

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[–] keksi@sopuli.xyz 4 points 3 days ago

Definetly not.

Played enough video games, and when i get upper hand on anything it going to be bad for everyone else.

[–] MisterNeon@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago

Does "corrupted by power" cover mega building projects?

I don't know where morality falls on my desire to build New Tenochtitlán.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 days ago

Yes, because I didn't sell my soul bit by bit stepping on the hands of others over an extended period of time to get it, my mind is still that of a worker with a rage for injustice.

[–] DreamlandLividity@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I think both. I imagine I would do a lot of good on global level, but probably abuse it on personal level.

Although the specifics also matter, e.g. will there be a way to steal it from me, forcing me into paranoia?

And if you believe in yourself, how would you try to convince an hypotetical entity to give you this wealth?

It can't end worse than the direction we are going, and will very likely end much better overall.

[–] Death_Equity@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

I would be assassinated long before I could deliver a world that deserves to exist.

Give me the money, it will be wild.

[–] Boiglenoight@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

Yes. I’m so disinterested in money to the point it’s probably unwise.

[–] nutsack@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

yeah I would just hire a really smart people And ask them what they think

[–] knobbysideup@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 days ago

I'm too lazy to be problematic, so yeah. Never doing laundry would be nice. Wear once. Recycle.

[–] ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 3 days ago

Interestingly, I'd be forced to take this deal if wiping my memory of it was a side effect of rejecting it.

And when I took it? Yeah, the money would influence me and self interest would shape some of my decisions, but at the end of the day, I have to live with myself. If my decisions aren't also shaped by empathy and compassion for others, then I'd have lost myself.

[–] slazer2au@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

Oh hell no. I would not trust myself.

Even less I would trust those I empower to fix problems because corruption is everywhere

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

I'd use the same tactics misinformation spreaders use to counter them. I'd buy all the media outlets I could and start forcing them to run left leaning and communist praising stories. I'd send the Murdoch's a check with "Kill Yourselves" written across the envelope and then play the rich guy "Whoopsie!" when they try to get me in trouble. I'd establish permanent funding for public schools with an attachment; you have to investigate each child's style of learning if you want the sweet 10 mil a pop. Honestly I think I can make every oligarch throw up and try to assassinate me.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Yes. I would end homelessness by building housing for everyone that wanted it. Then I would donate almost all the rest to orgs that share my values while keeping a portion large enough to do whatever I want until I die and fuck off into obscurity. I would not buy media companies and try to get lots of attention.

I don't understand people who need to constantly accumulate more. Once I can live comfortably doing whatever I want until death, that's enough. Put the rest towards making the world a better place.

[–] ShareMySims@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Homelessness doesn't exist because of a lack of housing.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 days ago

It exists because of a lack of affordable housing. If I'm gonna have infinite wealth it won't matter.

I would just buy houses in fancy HOA neighborhoods and let homeless people live there.

[–] daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 days ago

I trust my will to do it. But I will fail for two reasons:

  1. I don't fully understand humans. I will try a world that would be perfect if everyone would be like me. Problem? That's not the world we live in.

  2. Even with all the money and a good plan I'm a bullet away from the ground. And I'm pretty sure anyone trying to fix things becomes a priority target right away.

[–] Krackalot@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 3 days ago

I think I'd try it. Though I expect that I'd be corrupted easily if I tried to set up foundations and such as I understand that's very difficult. I think I would just hire an elite military trained unit. Use them to sabotage the wealthiest and convince them it was another ungodly rich person who did it. Maybe when they've killed enough of each other, we could fix society without their influence.

[–] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 2 points 3 days ago

Yeah, I'd give it a shot. I'd hire a bunch of experts instead of just shooting from the hip though.

Climate change is a big priority.

[–] hddsx@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 days ago

Infinite wealth?

No.

I would do petty things like buy Tesla, destroy all the factories and then dissolve it. That way there are no assets to recover.

I would start buying massive tracts of land to build a functional passenger priority rail system.

I would start removing lanes on highways. Electric cars are not the future.

I would destroy cities and remake them so that city roads only prioritize emergency services.

I would buy up all the crypto and do absolutely nothing with it in hopes that it would die.

I would upgrade Texas’ power grid so it could connect to other states. That way they won’t freeze to death every time it snows.

I would buy up buildings in desert regions and start demolishing them.

I would buy up all the insurance companies and shut them down.

I would build a big dome over the state of Ohio so nobody comes in or out.

I am very petty.

[–] bobbyfiend@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 days ago

I absolutely would not trust myself, but I also feel deeply that I should be allowed to test this hypothesis with lived experience.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I'd basically become Bill Gates without the monopoly.

People criticise the big philanthropists for skewing all the work their way, but that's more a product of not enough funding elsewhere than of the foundations being bad themselves.

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I did mention the criticisms there. Nobody else is stepping up to buy mosquito nets in the amount needed, though, so unsurprisingly Bill Gates gets to run the show, even when he has bad ideas.

I’d like to think so because I’m generally ethical and don’t really care about money (except in the sense that we all have to). I certainly don’t think rich people are smarter or more capable than poor people.

That being said, based on all the billionaires in the world, it seems that once you hit a certain level of wealth, you become an insecure twat and start acting like a victim and posting rot on the internet. So, maybe I’d just become a bozo clown who thinks being an investor is the same as being an inventor.

Infinite? Nah. I'm sure I'd use the money for good but even well-intended I do think there is such a thing as too much intervention.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Infinite? I would give infinite money away. Making the fiat currency worthless, and people would have to find a new way to exploit and fuck everyone over.

Believe me, humans will always find a way. Even if you took their imaginary money away. For now...

Maybe some day we will grow up past crying "mine mine mine!" Over literally every single thing. Doubtful i will even come close to living in those times.

I'm not saying I'm "forward thinking" or smarter or calling everyone dumb. I'm dumb as fuck 24/7. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how fucked up things are in our current way of life. I bet a huge majority of people would say it's fucked up to.

We just disagree on what to do next.

[–] bradorsomething@ttrpg.network 1 points 3 days ago

Yes, because I have fixed goals that are for what I consider the greater good of humanity, and an unlimited amount could be spent on them.

[–] molten@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Oh boy. Corruption for sure. Not like hush money or Epstein corruption. Like private party and excessive stunt corruption. Are you saying I could fund stupid shit? The zip line industry would boom. Adverts for spider cars would be everywhere. So much money would go into anti-fossil fuel propaganda.

[–] Taalnazi@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Nobody can be trusted with that much power. Not even yourself.

Yeah. Knowing myself, I'm probably going to just forget i have the wealth and spend it on getting a nice house in a nice area and getting my wife pretty dresses to wear to work while I stay home and take care of the kids.

I think the only hypothetical entity willing to give me the money would have to be Satan himself; I'd be making a bet with him that I wouldn't be corrupted by the wealth, he takes my soul if I get greedy. Can't imagine convincing any other sort of entity to give me billions of dollars to do nearly nothing with it.

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 days ago

The foundations I would be donating to probably would

[–] DragonsInARoom@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Yes, if you're offering I'll take it

[–] MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago

I mean, i might end up playing it a lil too much and it might get in the way of the tasks i should be doing. But eventually I'll either finish it or get bored so even if that does happen it won't be the world.

[–] qyron@sopuli.xyz 1 points 3 days ago

As someone who is currently working at a company that has no problems of cash flow yet is still penny pinching, often on things that would actively save costs after an initial serious investment, yes, I would not change and most probably burn through that money to do positive things for people.

I also have a tendency to look as how things might happen down the road, so time is not really that much of a concern for me.

With so much money at my discretion, I can say with a fair degree of confidence I'd been putting money into projects amd initiatives I would most probably never benefit from their results.

But would I be popular or well liked in that endeavour? I seriously doubt.

[–] spittingimage@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

No. I believe that adage about absolute power corrupting absolutely. I don't trust myself or any other single person with that kind of money.

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