17 Ways the World Was Ruined By The Rich
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In a society where money and power hold significant sway, instances arise where affluent individuals have left a lasting negative impact. As we delve into this captivating subject, we inquire: “What has been adversely affected by the wealthy?” From significant cultural artifacts to breathtaking natural landscapes, the influence of wealth has at times resulted in unintended consequences, altering the trajectory of history. Join us as we uncover narratives of transformation, destruction, and irreversible alterations caused by privilege, shedding light on the intricate relationship between money and its profound effects on our collective experiences.
Affordable Housing
To start, a person replied, “The price of housing. Either renting or owning, it’s insane. Worldwide.”
Another person said, “The housing market.”
Trucks
A user wrote, “So many things, but I’ll say trucks. Once upon a time, a humble working-class vehicle for people who need to be able to do things themselves, now they’re all luxury vehicles with massive margins, unaffordable to anyone who needs them to do real work.”
Environmental Conservation
A popular comment was, “Environment. Ah yes, I will just turn off the light in my living room when I’m not using it, I’m sure it will combat the billions of tonnes of co2 created by those private planes.”
Thrift Stores
One person simply said, “Thrift stores. “
Another added, “Thrifting is cool when it’s rich people donating and poor people buying”
Political Systems
A most-liked comment read, “The justice system. If you’re rich enough, you can buy your way out of almost anything.”
Another simply said, “Democracy.”
Alcohol
A user replied, “Bourbon, it used to be the most expensive bourbon you could find, was like $100. Now, with everyone “collecting,” the prices have skyrocketed. The secondary market is completely insane.”
A second user said, “Cheep food and booze. Every time rich people discover a diamond in the rough, it gets too expensive and commercialized.”
Education Accessibility
One commented, “College. The rich killed the market price for low-income students, gutted tuition assistance programs, and turned them into for-profit loan sharking.”
Theme Parks
One popular comment was, “Theme parks. Gone are the days when everyone was equal, and you all had to queue, regardless of your income. And even recently, some theme parks have fast passes periodically throughout the day. Now if you’ve got deep pockets, you can queue jump, making your day a little better and everyone else’s a little worse.”
Social Equality
Another wrote, “Being poor. I can’t even be homeless without trying to fight for a camping spot.”
Another replied, “Haha, there are rich folks camping in their Benz Sprinter in front of my apartment as I type this.”
Seafood
One person commented, “Lobster and crab used to be “poor person food” because “ew water bugs” now it’s literally seen as some of the highest class food.”
A second person replied, “Lobster. “While it’s considered gourmet today, in the mid-19th century, lobster was the poor man’s protein. It wasn’t surprising for early Americans to have it three times daily.”
Food Sustainability
A user commented, “Brisket used to be a leftover cut given to the workers who figured out how to make it awesome. Now we have brisket-flation and rich people smoking them on their $1500 Bluetooth-enabled pellet smoker.”
Another user added, ‘Cheap cuts of meat in general. Pork belly and oxtail specifically. Growing up, oxtail used to be less than $2 a pound. Now it’s well over $10.”
Clothing Styles
This person replied, “Clothing brands. Carhartt, dickies, Levi’s, and many more. Like, why did a dickies t-shirt go from $15 to almost $40 in a few years.”
Another added, “I remember not long ago Champion was the cheap Walmart brand no one wanted. Now it’s an overpriced name brand. I don’t understand it.”
Sporting Events
A user wrote, “I stopped going to professional sports because I can only afford the cheap seats. Not worth the effort anymore.”
Another user said, “For a fun day out with you and a friend at an NFL game will run you around 500 bucks. Or you could watch it on your big screen TV at home, which has better play-by-play and angles than being at the game where you end up watching Half of it on a monitor anyway. Unless I get tickets for free, I don’t even bother going to sporting events anymore.”
American Dream
One popular comment was, “The American Dream. Ruined not only by rich people but corporations as well.’
Another comment was, “The American Dream, due to trickle economics we lost the ease of getting a home, ease of getting a loan, and being forced to work for nothing.”
Music Industry Dynamics
A user commented, “Concerts….. you can’t even buy a beer at one for what a general admission ticket used to cost, and people still pay for it.”
Another user added, “Music festivals….used to be a bunch of hippies having a good time and doing drugs. Now it’s rich kids taking selfies dressed as hippies and doing drugs.”
Collectibles
One comment said, “Collecting In the past few years, the price of little collectibles and things of that sort have gone insanely high. Cards, action figures, you name it, just look up any sub for a hobby, and you’ll see people dropping your entire salary in 1 day.”
Another comment said, “Any hobby where there’s potential profit. Now you’ve got idiots like the Logan Paul ruining Pokémon cards.”
Community Cohesion
A popular comment was, “There used to be a really nice big park in the center of the city where I live. Everyone would go there. It was a nice open space. Take your kids, take your dogs, and enjoy the fresh air. Then some people from the rich part of town along the edges of the park decided they didn’t like the noise coming from the park so decided to buy it out and walled it off so you couldn’t go to the park unless you lived in that specific neighborhood anymore.”
Source: Reddit
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