Nick Hanauer is an American multi-billionaire who has warned his fellow plutocrats that unless the massive gap between the rich and poor is bridged the pitchforks will be coming to get them.
Hanauer is interesting because he’s a straight talker. He doesn’t try to justify his wealth or his class. He candidly admits that his warning is more about protecting his wealth and that of his fellow billionaires from a pickfork revolution.
His article is worth a read.
Here’s a quote
Any student of history knows that revolutions, like bankruptcies, come gradually, and then suddenly. One day, somebody sets himself on fire, then thousands of people are in the streets, and before you know it, the country is burning. And then there’s no time for us to get to the airport and jump on our Gulfstream Vs and fly to New Zealand.
That’s the way it always happens. If inequality keeps rising as it has been, eventually it will happen. We will not be able to predict when, and it will be terrible for everybody – but especially for us.