quiddities and agonies of the ruling class - a rolling new york times thread

God did, I think

are you not reading, GOD did

Well, that's 'things' vs 'experiences' - buying your 324th Porsche might not be awesome, but having the money to learn to race Porsches would be. If you're not using your millions/billions to have a series of amazing life experiences that the rest of us could never have then you deserve to be unhappy.

well you could already be traveling the world and living it up even w/o lots of money, people do it

I would definitely cultivate esoteric skills and interests. For example, I just saw this in the bio of RFK, Jr. (not a billioniaire but w/e):

"He is a licensed master falconer, and as often as possible he pursues a life-long enthusiasm for white-water paddling. He has organized and led several expeditions in Canada and Latin America, including first descents on three little known rivers in Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela."

i would be this guy:

http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/ActorsH/8434-23772.jpg

got in an argument w/ my roommate about related issues. I said that I had a hard time giving a shit about Lena Dunham/Tiny Furniture/possibly Girls, because the ennui of being young and privileged was lost on me.

Failing to find meaning in materialism shocker.

Also there probably is more in the mindset of billionaires than can be grasped through a single day where you ride in an expensive car, have a meeting, and see a personal trainer.

^^ plot of upcoming Delillo adaptation by Cronenberg, iirc

I would posit that many of the extremely rich have/make very little time for the sort of pursuits that we aspirant lottery winners associate with fabulous wealth. Which isn't to say they should be pitied or w/e, just that maybe these ppl have in addition to their wealth erected giant edifices that structure their "free" time.

vs oh say their children.

_“Somebody’s got to live this life,” he says, gesturing to the can of coke on the table. “God decided it should be me.”_

haha missed this

misspelled "key"

man i thought when i was a billionaire i could spend all my time just sipping champagne and learning how to heli-fence but instead i just post to some belle & sebastian msg board a lot... mo money mo problems

tbh i think the main anxiety of being fabulously wealthy is how to stay fabulously wealthy forever

heavy is the crown, poor bastards

Maybe don't buy watches that costs $45k?

wrong answer

the answer is to buy the watch company and ruthlessly all competing watch companies

if I was a billionaire, I would have three "baller" outfits that cost like $100K and spend the rest of my time in sweatpants and concert t-shirts

ruthlessly destroy*

45k is pocket watch change

I would also never under any circumstance buy a jet

that is the easiest way for rich ppl to lose all their money AFAICT

buying a newspaper

heli-fencing has been degraded by boorish johnny come latelys from the colonies imo, always want to change the rules to reflect some local custom or w/e

at least elephant polo amplified the majesty of the game; the crude introduction of hand-to-hand combat to the aerial piste was unsolicited. the rhythms of capoeira are disruptive, difficult to score, and, frankly, unsafe at that altitude

buy a racehorse

no: buy ALL the racehorses

if I was a billionaire, I would have three "baller" outfits that cost like $100K and spend the rest of my time in sweatpants and concert t-shirts

― God, Music and Romeo and Juliet (DJP), Thursday, April 5, 2012 12:20 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

People are always patting the rich on the back when they wear normal clothes, like "he's a billionaire, yet you wouldn't know it from his modest dress." Well yeah, you know it from his appearance in the Forbes billionaire list, and what do you expect anyway, that he's going to wear a platinum vest? No one ever congratulates me for my sensible shoes.

also swearing sweatpants and jogging shoes is comfortable so if you do not have to impress anybody it actually makes a lot of sense

i would go to baja, eat a fish taco, revel in the simplicity of casting for bonefish with a fly rod, surf a lil bit, camp on the beach, buy the whole peninsula, put a lime in my beer, get back in my moonship, fly home, and watch movies projected on a blimp floating over my courtyard

rich people should only buy the best of everything... and then give it to me

how do you even spend $100k on an outfit, that's a pretty big feat even considering

it's not that hard as long as you make every single article of clothing out of $1000 bills

http://www.mensfitness.com/leisure/sports/nadal-wears-525k-watch-at-french-open

wear comfortable workout gear and a watch

then id have it all buried with me in my giant mausoleum and be emperor of the afterlife

as long as that outfit include some kind of jewelry its not that hard

man that dude must really know what time it is...I mean REALLY know what time it is

I also said this on the lottery thread but I would quit my job and audition for grad school voice programs

then, once my singing career failed because lol old, I would bankroll a small opera company

watches are dumb jewelry imho, give me a bejewelled coronet & scepter

your singing career doesn't have to fail if you pay people to come to your concerts

i would have a bunch of geneticists make a camel that fits through the eye of a needle, problem solved

lolling @ 'heli-fencing'

lol forks

heli-fencing would be really useful on big properties, save a lot of time trying to build all those fences by hand

sorry

I wouldn't buy an expensive watch, but I would wear a sweatband made out of shares of Berkshire Hathaway.

well you could already be traveling the world and living it up even w/o lots of money, people do it

I had no idea how big a part really expensive watches played in living it up as a millionaire/billionaire.

I once was looking at some luxury watch company's website for some reason and found myself desiring a watch that I then noticed cost $300,000.

what do you expect anyway, that he's going to wear a platinum vest?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsFHEK_o9U8

http://www.gemnation.com/watches/Patek-Philippe-Celestial-5102PR-15764.html this was the one I think