[cogman10]

My theory is that it's the absurd wealth in the first place that makes these people completely unhinged.

Imagine you are in a situation where nobody you interact with will ever tell you something you don't want to hear. Everyone tries their best to only appease you and tell you that you are the best most brightest person. These people also all depend on your money for their own aspirations (that mysteriously never pan out).

It's basically the same thing that happens to dictators. They become unhinged. Their craziest ideas receive no pushback so they go ahead and implement every whim.

What they all need are good real friends, yet that's the one thing that's impossible for them to gain if they didn't already have it before they became rich.

And they are likely even aware of this dynamic which is why they view everyone in the world as being just in it for the money. So why not do everything in your power to horde more since that's what everyone else you interact with is doing?

[bradleyjg]

What they all need are good real friends, yet that's the one thing that's impossible for them to gain if they didn't already have it before they became rich.

Even that isn’t a guarantee because friend dynamics often change with relative wealth disparities.

You probably need friends that are also very rich.

[cogman10]

> Even that isn’t a guarantee because friend dynamics often change with relative wealth disparities.

> You probably need friends that are also very rich.

I don't disagree.

There's a Wendover youtube I recently watched that's tangentially about this [1]. Why do all the rich people have Yachts? His contention it's not because they like having big boats but rather because every other rich person does and that is your real social circle. If you don't fit in with them, you'll basically be friendless.

That also goes into why all rich people end up with private jets, because to interact with your social circle you basically have a packed calendar flying across the globe for rich people social events.

However, it's an insular group of people all subject to the same problem of generally being surrounded by yesmen. Further, it's not like these rich people aren't also trying to shmooze each other. Their businesses are still trying to make money and they often need to work with one another. So hard for these people to actually be friends.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBNcYxHJPLE

[toomuchtodo]

> You probably need friends that are also very rich.

So they’re left to just chase whose partner they can snag or whose yacht is bigger? Sounds delightful. You’d think therapy would be more capital efficient. The hedonic arena is a trap for the emotionally unsound and perpetually unfulfilled.