Are billionaires “true villains”? Are they responsible for the world’s biggest problems? Are they maniacal and greedy overlords whose only emotion is their insane greed?
Many people today would have you believe as much. According to these critics, billionaires cannot be counted in the ranks of us humans – they deserve no sympathy, no dignity, and no respect. They are evil, conniving monsters, hell-bent on their own personal gain at the expense of mankind.
To say that there is no truth to this basic idea would be a mistake. One rarely becomes a billionaire by chance; amassing that great a fortune requires single-minded dedication (often at the expense of one’s personal life), remarkable talent, and, in many cases, a fair few decisions of at least questionable morality. But does this mean that we should assume the worst of billionaires, or, as is popular now, blame them for the problems that beset us?
Many influential figures today seem to say “yes”. Take, for example, the actor Mark Ruffalo. The “Avengers” star took to Instagram a few weeks ago to repeatedly beat his readers over the head with the phrase: “You are pointing your guns in the wrong direction”. Ruffalo would say, in opposition to Trump’s policies on illegal immigration, that “immigrants aren’t criminals”, but that they “add to our economy by the billions”. Instead, the “true villains” are the billionaires. He wrote: “The billionaire up at the top is stealing you blind and you are worried about the poorest of the poor ruining your life?”. A similar refrain was sung by comedian Bill Burr when commenting on the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Burr claimed that “a lot of [CEOs] are mass murderers”, and expressed satisfaction that those at the top of large companies were “afraid right now”.
It should be noted that Ruffalo and Burr have net worths estimated at $90 million and $20 million respectively. These men, however, think that they understand the plight of the average worker. Not only this, but they see some great distinction between their work and the work of anyone whose wealth passes the billion dollar mark. It is true that many billionaires have been found to have murky pasts, but many more (mere) millionaires have their own skeletons in their closets. Why then should the “normal” people not turn against characters such as Ruffalo or Burr as much as the ten-figure-class? It is curious to note the silence from such people on the scandal surrounding Kamala Harris’ campaign funding (which came to an eyewatering $1 billion). Moreover, why are the critics of Elon Musk and President Trump so suspiciously uncritical of billionaires like Bill Gates, whose politics align more closely with theirs?
The hypocrisy of this attitude being promoted by the only-slightly-less-rich is amusing, but should not be allowed to hide the true danger behind this philosophy. An excellent way to divert a critic’s attention from oneself is to show him someone who is supposedly an even greater threat. What did Nero do when Rome was burnt? He accused the Christians of arson. What did Hitler do when the German people voiced their dissatisfaction? He blamed their problems on the Jews. The results of these actions were that Christians were mauled to death by wild beasts to the cheers and laughter of the Roman public, and Jews were tortured and gassed in Auschwitz by the radicalised Nazi soldiers. While no atrocity of anything near that scale has been committed to the billionaires today, the gunning down of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 was a chilling example of what can emerge from such overheated hyperbole.
It would not be a stretch of the imagination to suggest that the killer – currently suspected to be 27-year-old Luigi Mangione, who himself belongs to a family with an estimated net worth of $100 million – was motivated by a radical ideology which perceives the super-rich as the perpetrators of nearly all the world’s problems. The assassination was of course condemned by many as cold-blooded murder, but by many others it was showered with applause for “fighting the power” and standing up to the monstrous rich.
It would be wishful thinking to believe that all billionaires are virtuous and strictly law-abiding citizens. In the words recorded in St. Matthew’s Gospel, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”. No doubt it is true that some among the very rich are willing to compromise their morals or principles if it means more money. But, to quote another wise line, “Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” Yes, some of the rich are bad people, but we should consider whether our criticisms of them are motivated by a valid moral critique, or simply by envy.
It is difficult to look at men like Elon Musk – who has more money than anyone could ever know what to do with – and not feel like there is some great injustice taking place. However, one cannot simply shout “villain” and leave him to be mauled by the radical hate mob. It is very possible that Musk has done some bad, or even terrible things to get to where he is, but is there not also a possibility that he is in fact an honest man, who simply was able to work the market better than most? I do not present either of these possibilities as fact: I simply want to acknowledge that he, or anyone else in his category, is not by necessity an evil manipulator.
There are always going to be those who, whether because of diligence, talent, or simply luck, are radically successful in their field, and it is unjustified to say that all of them are dishonest and evil. And if such a standard were to be applied, why not apply it to the multi-millionaires like Ruffalo? Does the dollar separating a multi-millionaire from a billionaire make that much of a difference? If one finds oneself screaming in protest about Musk or any of his like, one should consider the possibility that it might be envy that is driving one’s actions, and not a sound sense of justice. Could it be that the rich, like Ruffalo, harbour some envy towards the very, very rich? Or could it be that, by blaming the billionaires, they hope to exonerate mere millionaires like themselves and their colleagues or political friends?
It is wrong to publicly and universally label the rich as criminals, or to blame them for issues for which there is no evidence to suggest that they are responsible. The “eat the rich” movement is destructive, and seems designed by the lesser of the upper echelons to hide themselves from the public’s wrath. If a person’s goodness is to be measured solely by their net worth, then people like Mark Ruffalo must be real jerks.
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Patrick Vincent writes from Dublin