Okay, but Can We Shame Billionaires?

About this episode

The episode discusses the moral implications of billionaire wealth and the perceived shamelessness of the ultra-rich.

Lately, the misdeeds of the wealthy feel inescapable. Whether it’s Trump’s blatant corruption and grifting (which has netted him $3 billion so far this term) or the Epstein Files, I can’t recall a period in my life where it has been clearer that the wealthy are not bound by the same laws and sense of morality as us mere mortals. One of the clearest distillations of this distinction can be found in The Haves and Have Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultrarich . In it, journalist Evan Osnos writes: “America’s record in recent years suggests that shamelessness might be a larger problem [than shame].” To support this claim, he examines in lavish detail the spending sprees and controversies of the ultrarich: everything from the cost of flying in an aging rapper to emcee your birthday to throwing an adult temper tantrum on a Monaco pier because your superyacht got a less-desirable berth. Heretic Hereafter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Reading this book is an exercise in toggling between astonishment and rage; on the one hand, fantasizing about what that lifestyle must be like before snapping back to…

People in this episode

Host: Katharine Strange

Topics covered

• wealth inequality
• billionaires
• morality
• corruption
• spending habits
• social justice

Keywords

• billionaires
• wealth
• morality
• corruption
• Evan Osnos
• Peter Singer
• spending
• social issues

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