The Haves and The Have-Yachts...

A rather naive and insular look at superyachts. Sorry but most journalists do lazy research, just enough to get away with it to spin a story.

This is the inevitable next step after the oligarch super yacht outrage. When that whole thing started the first thing I thought of was this is going to trickle down and bring the mob to a boil against all “yachts” - the mob loves to over react.

Wealthy people are easy to hate. Even the liberal elite aren’t safe from the mob. They’re happy to eat their own.

There’s a gigantic cultural shift going on in the world. There are polls in the USA showing over 50% of young people with negative views of capitalism and polling over 50% with positive views of socialism.

But the mob’s outrage is about more than wealth. Private boat ownership is a selfish climate destroying extravagance after all.

And the green energy zealots are just getting started. You’ve probably heard about the SUV tire deflators/tire slashers hitting large blocks of parked vehicles. Activists leave a flyer on the windshield saying get rid of the SUV if you want it to stop. It may be just a matter of time before they decide to teach a lesson to boat owners.

Seems like there’s a dumpster fire everywhere you look. I make every effort to avoid the news media. In all forms. It has become such a destructive force. It’s really just an extension of social media at this point.

I can’t imagine what kind of a future is going to come out of the mess this world is in right now. But I am fortunate to be insulated from things for the most part. In reality, I doubt that I’ll be alive in 25 years anyway, and that doesn’t bother me at all.

Get ready for more articles like this from the so called main stream media. Journalism’s a distant memory. They don’t care about accuracy. They only care about the cause. Whichever one that may be.

I can’t believe anyone would waste all that time reading that ridiculous article. I skimmed thru the first half and gave up. And people pay $29.99 for a subscription to this rag? Oh no. Wait… it s on sale for $12. I can see why.

It's not any different than the "private jet oUtRaGe" in 2009 when the automakers took bailouts while flying to and from DC in their Challengers, Globals, or Gulfstreams.

Caveman journalism...

Mapism not at all trying to be contentious and I hope you dont construe it that way, but here goes. My main objection to your post is the assertion that capitalism rewards smart and unscrupulous people. Capitalism rewards the productive. Surely you don’t think that the wealthy have a monopoly on unscrupulous behavior? Capitalism has prevailed because at its core it is about the freedom of the individual. Freedom of the individual thus capitalism is under assault right now. How can we save the planet if we can’t control the individual? Capitalism is far from perfect and needs a referee but I contend that the capitalistic system has done more good for mankind than any other system we have come up with so far.

The polls show the effect of our educational system...from Primary right thru College .

You express incredulity at the notion that these guys are productive. Like them or not I think all you named work or worked their asses off. I would venture that 90% of the population would not last 3 months working the hours these guys work and dealing with the pressure. It is one’s choice to allocate their time/resources to work, leisure, etc. some people choose their work others maybe their hobbies, travel, whatever. Why are people so bothered that some devote their energy to their work and become wealthy. I don’t begrudge those that decide to work 40 hours a week and chose a modest lifestyle. But live with that choice and don’t get to 60 and decide you don’t have what you want, no longer feel like working and want the rest of us to provide you with what you want. It may not be the best way to describe these chaps but it is certainly one way. What do you think is the best adjective to describe these guys?

Inheritance and all of that I get, but from all that I have seen there is definitely a correlation between hard work and wealth. Correct all who work hard don’t achieve wealth, you have to take risks, get knocked down and get up again, etc. hard work does not equal wealth but it is a component of achieving wealth. Part of what I do is construction and I know many uneducated hard working class tradesmen who may not be wealthy but they they put the kids through college, own there homes, vehicles, campers, boats, etc free and clear and are contributing members of society. Maybe not wealthy but not too shabby. Maybe it is matter of your life experience as to how one perceives the wealthy.

Mapism, you are asking good questions. Here is my take.
I believe they should be called “productive” because they take huge risks, make good innovative decisions and are successful in pleasing consumers. They are responsible for the gainful employment of many people and the efficient redirection of capital to the direct and tertiary benefit of human beings. Consumers, vendors and investors.
By the way, efficiencies in the marketplace benefit the poor by creating more employment which follows a strong economy.

The thing all of these wealth shaming articles forget is that the construction and maintenance of yachts, planes, large homes, etc employs many people.
A modest sized yacht could easily have 20,000 man hours, a super yacht maybe 300,000 hours. Translate that into gainful employment for many families to say nothing of the suppliers man hours.

God bless rich people, they have paid my wages for 50 years building and repairing boats.

Mapism you were correct the triggering word was unscrupulous. Later I will look that word up, but short of that to me unscrupulous means immoral or ethically challenged. I also interpreted (rightly or wrongly) your thoughts as an indictment of capitalism. Your English is very good and I would not stand a chance of communicating in your language (Italian??). Also communicating with the written word only leaves out a lot of communication. I think that is part of the reason so many forum conversations get ugly. Thanks for a civil dialogue in what was initially a disagreement but actually maybe not.

Mapism, I care not if capitalists have good altruistic intentions, as long as the results are good. Selfishness resulting in more jobs, more families able to care for themselves and their loved ones, is good. And the record of the very wealthy giving enormous sums to deserving charities is quite impressive. And beneficial.

I said wealth shaming article