I mean the term oligarch has a clear definition that differs from billionaire, but to be honest pretty sure many billionaires meet the criteria...
Quickly from wikipedia
A business oligarch is generally a business magnate who controls sufficient resources to influence national politics.[1][2] A business leader can be considered an oligarch if the following conditions are satisfied:
uses monopolistic tactics to dominate an industry;
possesses sufficient political power to promote their own interests;
controls multiple businesses, which intensively coordinate their activities.Edit: also this smells a bit like tankie propaganda pointed towards liberals and conservatives
So Elon musk is one I guess
Time to dust off the guillotines
More than just a bit.
I don't know about you, but when I hear "oligarchs", I always get a nebulous image of faceless, rich and powerful crowd who are into sex cults like Eyes Wide Shut. I kid about the last bit but I am serious about the other descriptors
I think the reason we don't immediately think of oligarch when we see Zuckerberg, Gates or Musk is because we see them on individual basis. Whereas "oligarch" usually refers to a faceless collective of politically influential, rich folks.
It's more than that, it's that we have a very sophisticated media machine that manufactures consent for these ghouls every single day, and it never takes a break.
You think of them as just a bunch of guys, just silly beans who happened to get rich because they and their friends own the media corporations that build the narrative that we believe. We've got these very respectable newsreaders who give them nothing but softballs, and frame every story as favourably as possible for them.
Also I lost count of how many times some piece that was critical of US oligarchs and corporations was deleted from the reddit front page. I'm fairly certain they were either taking money for this service or just looking after their friends. Maybe a PR manager working for whoever was being criticised contacted the reddit office and asked politely and that's all it took.
I think of two things. The goofy ass oligarch commercial from a few years ago and Jeremy Irons when he is monologuing about how the %1 always hides. And it's true. The ones that really pull the strings are behind the curtain.
Because none of those pictured here are oligarchs, just the only billionaires your average teenager knows.
If you made the meme with the Koch brother(s), Paul Novelly, Harlan Crow or Michael Bloomberg it would be much closer to the truth, but not something that would get upvotes because they aren't constantly on TV (by design).
Fuck them all (and so much much more the russian oligarchs) but actually a bit funny.
Yeah but my favorite billionaire has a tax haven charity therefore he deserves to hoard more money than everyone I have ever known and their families going up 10 generations have ever seem in their lives.
Oh and his son works there and makes 7 figures for throwing an annual gala so he can party with his other rich friends.
*self made billionaires
Remember if you see these folks anywhere: They may have some charity stuff, but only to still benefit themselves.
IDK, they sure look like oligarchs to me
How do the google guys manage to keep themselves out of pictures like this? I know they keep a low profile but isn't it one of the most evil corporations on the planet?
The difference is that oligarchs are in the government's pocket, while the government is in the pocket of billionaires.
oligarch are in the government's pocket
Other way around usually...
Oligarchs aren't chill dudes..
It's not fair to compare people who are shrewd at business and take advantage of a tax system that is rigged in their favor to people who are literally stealing from their own people.
Not exactly sure with what part of your sentence you are referring to whom
