[eli_gottlieb]

Disclaimer: I know jack shit about these men.

I don't think the douchebags are the problem. The insane, Gilded Age-level, verging-on-Medieval-level inequalities of income and wealth are the problem.

[api]

That's kinda like saying the problem is clouds, not rain. :)

[eli_gottlieb]

Which means I'm succeeding in complaining about the cause rather than the effect, yes ;-).

[michaelochurch]

The douchebags <-> inequality connection goes both ways.

Extreme inequality produces douchebags because it enhances the importance of authority and favors promotion of those who'll uphold arbitrary authority (in order to enjoy a powerless but privileged status, hence the connection between the douchebag and what is sometimes called "white privilege") over those with actual talent.

That said, those douchebags are promoted for a reason, which is their usefulness as stewards of an unfair, failing society who'll keep the secrets of the shit running it. This keeps them in power and enhances social inequality.