
How To Make Trillions Of Dollars - dreadsword
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/how-to-make-trillions-of-dollars/
======
rndmize
Happiness, health and stability are not core objectives of our society. The
production of wealth, as measured by GDP, or by the stock markets, or consumer
spending, is our yardstick of success.

I hope that in the remainder of the century we can can transition to better
forms of society where the health and happiness of the general population is
more important than the efficiency of our economic structures.

~~~
jacques_chester
Emergent phenomena don't have "objectives", mate. GDP is a derived statistic.

> _I hope that in the remainder of the century we can can transition to better
> forms of society where the health and happiness of the general population is
> more important than the efficiency of our economic structures._

And your proposal is? A _lot_ of alternatives have been tried in the past
several thousand years and almost all of them suck. Real hard.

~~~
nhaehnle
_And your proposal is? A lot of alternatives have been tried in the past
several thousand years and almost all of them suck. Real hard._

Don't think in terms of The Alternative System, just think in terms of the
small things that can make life better. Things like reduced working hours to
have more time for family, or better economic freedoms for everyone.

Those things do not represent a change in The System. In particular, they are
perfectly compatible with allowing private initiative in the market. In fact,
they _enhance_ private initiative overall, in areas outside of the market
(having more time outside of work can translate to becoming engaged in local
community organizations, to give just one example).

~~~
pjzedalis
If enough people say they are done with 40+ hour work weeks and only will do
35 companies will adapt. So far there has not been enough people willing to do
so.

~~~
jayferd
I'm done with it, and all my current and future employers know it. But I'm in
a pretty privileged position to be able to meet my needs working part-time.

~~~
bksenior
Its actually quite simple. We need a massive dose of social proofing amongst
those that have already attained the peak of accomplishment as seen in the
current system to change their behavior. We are no different now than when we
were 6 watching our parents. You emulate those you think live right, and the
people that live right in the eyes of those under the spell of the
implications of the article look to fame, money and power. If those that wied
those act a certain way, those new ways become the pinnacle. This solution is
the only non forceful way.

------
jacques_chester
This is a classic example of the animism fallacy.

Lightning flash, terrifying thundercrack. The Invisible Skygod is mad!

All bunkum, of course. But it fits how humans usually think about the world:
that every event has _agency_ , has some directing cause which involves
intelligence.

The idea that the world we see emerged from a massive, incomprehensible
complex system? Bah. Can't be. I see the lightning and hear the thundercrack.

Must be the invisible trillionaires.

Incidentally, the only thing in this article that resembles classic marketing
is the title. Straight out of the copywriting handbook.

~~~
mistercow
I agree pretty much completely, even though the ultimate message is just fine.
I found the claim that budget apartments are "designed to make you sick and
impotent" particularly silly.

The author brings up ROI several times, but the ROI on subtly harming
someone's health by (somehow) dictating housing design is laughably
negligible. It's such a preposterously long con that any expected profit is
lost in the entropy.

But if we take conspiracy theories as a constant, I do like this positive take
on them.

------
fumar
Consumerism dominates our culture. I used to think that pertained to the
United States the most, but it is a global issue.

I have not had a job since March of 2012. You could say I lost my consumer
power. I have made very few purchases outside of utilities, food, and other
basics. It has been an eye opening experience to my own habits.

At first, I felt lost and out of touch with society. I could not make
purchases like my friends and family. I did not have any new toys to show off
or new clothing to wear this year. This past holiday season was the worst. As
much as I disliked the holiday spending spree every year, being left out feels
strange. The feeling that arises from lack of consumption is strange. It is as
if society fixates on purchases and those purchases define your life(create
milestone). I have not had any of those recently.

Today, I feel normal. Sometimes, I lust for new gadgets. But, most of the
time, I never think about buying "stuff." If I was not in a committed
relationship, I would be happy not being an avid consumer.

Maybe, it is just my brain adapting to the circumstances.

*My girlfriend, buys lots of things, she works in retail. I am not completely out of the consumption sphere.

~~~
swlkr
How do you afford your utilities, food and other basics without a job?
Freelance?

~~~
fumar
Two big events happened before I left my job. My car was taken from me,
insurance labeled it a total loss. I received money from that. I was also hit
by a car while riding my bike. This also provided me with some money. This
money, has run out at this point.

I have done some freelancing for people, graphic design. I also help my
girlfriend run her dog treat business. Arrfscarf.com

But most importantly, now that I have no income, she has been a huge help.

Even, when I go back to having spending power. Being jobless for over 8 months
has given me a different perspective on consumption.

~~~
snogglethorpe
> _But most importantly, now that I have no income, [my girlfriend] has been a
> huge help._

Ah, you must play bass...

~~~
fumar
I wish I played an instrument.

I intern for startup in Chicago. We help nonprofits receive donations.
Zealousgood.com

------
josscrowcroft
This is hands–down one of the best pieces I've ever read on the Internet.

I love the message of not hating "The Man". I've noticed in the past years
more and more energy being wasted on hating things which are beyond our
control (at least, they are if we only spend our energy on hating).

To focus instead on building our self-reliance (and creativity, etc.) is a
brilliant take-away.

This is one of those bits of writing that didn't add any knowledge but reminds
me of things I forget on a day-to-day basis.

------
mikekij
This is a great post. My only disagreement is with the insinuation that the
lack of universal healthcare in the US is there to intentionally trap people
in unfulfilling jobs. While I agree that it sometimes has this affect, I think
universal healthcare may actually make people even more dependent on the
system the author is writing against, all while decreasing the quality of the
health care we receive.

Great article though.

\--Written from my budget apartment, while working on stuff I love

~~~
grecy
From my experience living and working in multiple countries, some with and
some without universal healthcare - I'm shocked that a person's health can be
tied to their employment. It's a disgrace, and it absolutely, 100% has the
impact of trapping people to their job.

After 7 years in a country where health care is tied to employer, my brother
moved to the other side of the world to a country with universal healthcare
and within 3 days said "the biggest cultural difference I've noticed is how
employees are treated... so much better here"

~~~
waqf
Without further information, your second paragraph sounds like a
straightforward correlation/causation fallacy. Can you add context which might
dispel that impression?

~~~
grecy
Sure. The more we talk about it, the more he notices the differences when an
employer has to actually compete for employees, not the other way around.

People in that country get the same level of care if they have been employed
full time for 10 years, or have never had a job, or whatever. Because of this,
people are free to move between jobs, or even outright quit if they want,
because they know their health will not suffer.

Nobody in that country discusses health or healthcare like it's an issue,
because it's something they take for granted. It's a given.

With that in mind, imagine how differently the conversation goes when someone
says something like "I'm thinking about working for a non-profit" or "I'm
thinking about taking 2 years off to explore my creative talents", etc.

~~~
btilly
I know a woman who moved from the US to the Netherlands in part because she
has severe asthma. There are periods when she cannot work for a month or
three, and in the US she'd have trouble keeping her job during those, and then
she'd have trouble paying for necessary healthcare. In the Netherlands paying
for treatment is a non-issue.

The US economy lost a smart woman with good skills both as a programmer and a
project manager because of this. Her contribution to the economy easily
outweighs the cost of her health care...

------
firefoxman1
Amazing article. The most powerful method of marketing I've seen is that which
blurs the line between "want" and "need", or between pain and discomfort. Then
they put their product on the "need" side, or categorise your discomfort as
real pain.

"You don't _want_ a cell phone, you _need_ it. Look, everyone around you has
one, so it must be necessary!"

"Hey, that minor discomfort you have with [whatever]? You have every right to
be in _pain_ from it. Heck, you should go out right now and get diagnosed with
a disorder we invented/coined last year. Oh by the way, we also have a drug
that relieves the symptoms."

------
btilly
Concrete supporting example, deodorants:
[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/How-
Advert...](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/How-Advertisers-
Convinced-Americans-They-Smelled-Bad-164779646.html)

~~~
fudged71
Or Edward Bernay's "Torches of Freedom" campaign that made smoking cool for
women.

------
guscost
Fuck the police, kill your television, and Like us on Facebook.

------
Evgeny
Originally posted on the author's blog, about 2 years ago

[http://www.raptitude.com/2011/01/how-to-make-trillions-of-
do...](http://www.raptitude.com/2011/01/how-to-make-trillions-of-dollars/)

~~~
rdudekul
Great resource. Thank you for sharing.

------
bnegreve
Very good article ! I am genuinely surprised that HN's positively reacts to
blog posts like this while massively reacting against ad blocking initiatives.
For example this HN news thread: _France’s second-largest ISP deploys ad
blocking via firmware update_ [1].

Can someone that like this article and dislike [1] explain me.

[1] <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5004621>

~~~
jacques_chester
As much as it burns my nose hairs to admit this ... HN is not a hivemind.

Different people will react to different things.

~~~
bnegreve
I agree with this, but I have the feeling that some people have mixed feelings
regarding this problem. Hence my (rather precise) question: _Can someone that
like this article AND dislike [1] explain me._

~~~
smtddr
Well, I agree with almost everything in this article that the system is
designed to keep people unhappy & unhealthy, so that they're constantly buying
things to rid themselves of both issues.

At the same time, I will never accept the idea of internet-content being
filtered at the ISP level. I want 100% of the web-content to reach my
computer. There, I will make the decision of what I want to see.

------
grecy
It's been a long time since I read an article I agree with so much.

------
geuis
The author makes a good introduction and really gets to the point about
halfway through. Should have ended there. The rest is just repetitive.

~~~
anthonyb
I disagree. The first half explains the situation, the second half gives you
options as far as dealing with it.

~~~
waqf
But the "explaining the situation" is a striking exposition of a relatively
original perspective, whereas the "options for dealing with it" are the same
shtick we read every week here on HN.

~~~
anthonyb
But looking at "the same schtick" given a new and original perspective is
still worthwhile. You may notice aspects that weren't apparent earlier.

------
pippy
I loved everything about this post. Very enlightening

~~~
rbn
I didn't. Its a person with too many first world problems and a dash of
conspiracy theories. ( high level marketers created the world we live
in...ect)

~~~
grecy
> dash of conspiracy theories.

It doesn't matter if it's a conspiracy or not, the fact is it's a reality of
the world we live in.

Acknowledgement of a problem is the first step to fixing it, or at the very
least minimizing it's impact.

~~~
jacques_chester
The conspiracy theory is central to the larger theory.

If you believe that the world we live in has one, or a few, central
intelligences directing how it has unfolded, then it's relatively easily
changed. Find those people, usurp their levers of power.

If it's bullshit and nobody anywhere has that kind of influence, then it's
impossible to usurp the Secret Masters and use their mechanism.

So. Yeah. It matters to the argument if there's a conspiracy.

~~~
nacker
> it's relatively easily changed. Find those people, usurp their levers of
> power.

If it's so easy, could you please do us all a favor and usurp the levers of
power of the Rothschilds, the Rockefellers, and Goldman-Sachs to start with?
Waiting patiently, thanks!

~~~
jacques_chester
If it's unclear, I am not a supporter of the Secret Masters interpretation of
history or modern society.

------
nazgulnarsil
The article is a bit silly but there is an interesting tidbit. The observation
that people can afford seemingly limitless trinkets that they don't really
need while the necessities of life are quite expensive. Shouldn't something
that literally everyone needs and thus is guaranteed a ubiquitous market and
thus obscene rewards for innovation be cheap? Is there some iron rule of
technology/market that says that innovations in these areas is impossible or
prohibitively expensive?

There are multiple answers to this question, and I think it is worth
meditating on.

------
josh_fyi
Note that people who are outside the American madhouse, those who live in
developing countries like the Philippines or China, very much want to adopt
American customs.

Few of them want to live a monastic or back-to-nature lifestyle. These people
can learn from Americans' experience, yet there is no mass movement to adopt
the good part while staying relaxed, centered, and happy.

I'm not saying that they prefer employer-linked healthcare to single-payer, or
that they want to be stressed-out and depressed, but they very much want TV,
possessions, yuppie-style jobs, etc., without worrying too much about the
alleged misery that we Americans experience.

~~~
tluyben2
And why is that? Where I live most of the year, on a mountain in nature, I see
young people moving away all the time and their parents and grandparents
wanting 'something better' for them. What is that something better? If you ask
them, they all, without fail, come with examples from American tv shows on how
they want to live or how they want their offspring to live. Nice suits,
phones, cars, houses, etc. Why do people living of fantastic fresh fish, veg,
olive(s) oil, cheese and people who saw their parents/grandparents walk up the
mountain every day to get groceries or work the land so desperately want to
grow incredibly fat on Burger King and have as highest goal to 'not do
anything every again'?

I know they want this because they see it in tv shows because they tell me;
it's considered 'being rich' to act and look like that. People who are
complaining all the time to us that they cannot possibly pay the next month
rent have huge flatscreens and DID buy _another_ game console or phone with
christmas. I don't know about the Philipines or China, but this is southern
europe and it's very real. I think it's more or less the same there; you see
people 'having fun' (it's a sitcom yo!) and believe that kind of wealth is
something to go for.

I'm not saying we have to go back to nature; internet, mobile devices etc is
fine. But to think that 2 SUVs, a huge house (what's on the top floor again?
yeah no-one goes there ever) or two, almost certainly living on debt (it's one
of those things designed to buy perceived happiness in exchange for money for
the MAN) will make you happy is a delusion which _is_ set forth by the media.
If media for some reason would not put some much positive weight in
consumerism, a lot of people here would be content doing what their
parents/grandparents did. Now they are not; they have a hardpush drive to 'get
what Americans take for granted' without really knowing why they want that.

~~~
josh_fyi
Everything you're saying is true. But note that these people have had the
opportunity to learn of the harmful effects of consumerism -- even if they
watch TV shows, there are other sources of information that tell them the
truth. Is everyone that stupid?

------
PaulHoule
The "culture of narcissism" wasn't invented after WWII and it's not even
western. You could see the modern kind of moral decay even in Tokugawa Japan
200 years ago.

------
Mz
Great points. But: How do you make a living while _combatting_ this?

I am torn on the question of universal medical coverage, for complex reasons
that I imagine no one here wants to hear. I am wondering, though, if anyone
has any ideas on how America could implement government funded, universal
healthcare, what pitfalls we should look out for, etc.

~~~
goodcanadian
I am a Canadian who has lived for several years in the U.S., and I now live in
Australia. I can say unequivocally that despite its problems, socialized
medicine (the Canadian system) is far superior to what I experienced in the
U.S.. In Canada, I need health services, I go get it. Period. In the U.S., I
have to make sure I go to the right doctor, deal with the insurance company,
worry about weather the insurance company will actually pay, pick the right
health plan in advance when I have little idea what I will need, et cetera.
All of this when I am sick or injured and have bigger things to be worrying
about.

I am not absolutely certain that socialized medicine is better than free
market medicine, but the U.S. does not have a free market, they have a complex
socialized system run by private insurance companies. The easiest thing to do
would be to cut out the insurance companies and fund health care on a state or
federal level (i.e. make a state run insurance company the single payer). Yes,
taxes will go up, but again, in my experience, the percentage of my paycheque
that was withheld was exactly the same in Canada and the U.S.. In Canada, it
was called taxes while in the U.S., it was called an insurance premium. There
was effectively no difference. Now, I know this solution is politically
difficult as it puts private companies out of business, but it is far better
for the people both individually and collectively to just plain not have to
worry about healthcare.

~~~
Mz
Oh, I am abundantly familiar with the good points of federally funded
healthcare. I have never* had to deal with health insurance as a consumer,
though I paid insurance claims for five years. My father and ex husband were
both career military and are both military retirees. I have been a military
dependent my entire life. Given the length of my marriage, as long as I don't
remarry, I am entitled to free medical coverage for life.

But: I nearly died twelve years ago. I am clear my excellent medical coverage,
which helped me get good dental care, helped poison me. I have spent the last
twelve years getting well instead of politely dying from my genetic disorder
like the world would like me to do. I used to have an extremely good friend in
Canada and I am abundantly familiar with the fact that Canadians who live
along the border sometimes drive to the U.S. and pay out of pocket in order to
get around the sometimes months long waiting lists common in Canada, and there
is a complex relationship between the American system and the funding of drug
research globally. As I understand it, in general terms, the U.S. takes the
brunt of the costs of new drugs and pays crazy high brand name prices for a
decade to cover the sunk cost of research and then after we have covered this
essential cost, it becomes a generic and is marketed globally at much more
reasonable prices. So it is possible that drug research could come to a
virtual standstill if the American system changed.

Furthermore, military members, military retirees, and government employees
operate under a very different system from general civilians. There isn't just
one American system. And military service is, from what I gather, far more
common in the U.S. than in many other countries.

So as I said initially: I am conflicted. I think it is far more complex than
most people realize. But having worked for an insurance company, I am inclined
to believe that if the world decided "health insurance" (edit: of the "major
medical" variety) was the Darth Vader of our galaxy and should be hunted down
and made extinct, most likely the world would be a better place. So I return
to my original question: Anyone have any thoughts on _how_ to accomplish that
in the U.S.?

Thanks for replying and have an upvote.

* Except briefly when my husband was a recruiter and we were stationed somewhere without a base, but it was still different from what civilians live with.

------
othermaciej
This article didn't actually give useful information on how to make trillions
of dollars or on how anyone else has done so.

------
S_A_P
Am I the only one who finds irony in the fact that he recommends throwing out
the things with a low ROI yet at the bottom of the article he recommends
"liking" the blog on Facebook?

~~~
powermeat
The original article on the author's blog asks for an email address at the
bottom of every article. [http://www.raptitude.com/2011/01/how-to-make-
trillions-of-do...](http://www.raptitude.com/2011/01/how-to-make-trillions-of-
dollars/)

------
AlexeiSadeski
Different people have different goals in life. Just because others chase GDP
or work all day doesn't mean that you have to.

------
dreadsword
Poster here - just to be clear, I'm not the author - I just came across it on
Reddit, and figured it would resonate here.

------
BlackNapoleon
Is this an homage to the Rothschilds?

------
gz5
great points on life skills, understanding marketing motivation, worthless
hate. i don't believe the author is implying a conspiracy theory - but maybe
i'm missing it - do we need conspiracy for each marketer to do their job?

------
digitalWestie
if you liked this post I'd recommend reading Prosperity without Growth -
<http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications.php?id=914>

------
joebeetee
Good article. Counter-cultural without being conspiritorialist.

------
dmor
Where is our modern day Victor Lebow to set a new paradigm?

------
michaelochurch
It's amazing to me how much expense comes out of fear.

For example, one of the reasons why Manhattan real estate is so expensive is
that people feel a need to live here in order to keep up their professional
status. Not to limit their commutes, but because the really evil law and
financial firms stop promoting you as soon as you move off the island. So they
spend $5 million on a house, as opposed to, for example, not working for
douchebags.

Where this is worst in New York is in the private school industry. $40,000 per
year is market now, and it starts in nursery school. On no data whatsoever,
parents now spend half a million out of fear that if their kids go to public
schools, they won't be able to get into the top colleges and get good jobs.
New Yorkers, take note that people in the rest of the country think you're a
giant douchebag if you spend $40,000 on a nursery school.

The Bush years were awful for political reasons-- curtailment of civil
liberties, illegal wars, disastrous morale-- but, economically, this past
decade would actually be a fairly good time for the U.S. if the Satanic
Trinity-- healthcare, housing, and tuition-- of costs were better controlled.

~~~
rayiner
I'm not sure that's the whole story. There are lots of reasons to live in
Manhattan. Being able to walk or take a quick bus to work is one. Wanting to
live in a modern building is another (although there are finally some coming
up in Brooklyn). By far the overriding thing keeping Manhattan real estate
prices high is housing regulation. Given the density of Manhattan, it should
look like Hong Kong in terms of high rise construction. But instead, there are
vast tracts of land below 96th street wasted on low-rise, pre-war apartments
that have zero historical value (former tenement housing).

As for schooling, I think it's about fear but I think you're incorrect about
the subject of the fear. These days, basically the only kids left in public
schools are the kids whose parents can't afford to send them somewhere else.
High-income city dwellers do not want their kids going to school with recent
immigrants, poor minorities, etc. It's ugly tribalism, but when it comes to
housing and schooling choices it's a driving force.

~~~
michaelochurch
You're absolutely correct in your analysis of the housing situation. I was
only citing the prestige factor as one of the contributing causes.

It's a mixture of regulatory corruption and price inelasticity. Prestige is
just one of many Manhattan's demand drivers that, due to the inelastic nature
of the price curve, drives it up.

Regarding school, I think it's both. The question is _why_ these rich people
don't want their kids going to school with such people. I think it still comes
down to college (and possibly prep high school; nothing before HS matters from
a connections perspective) admissions. If college admissions gave as much of
an advantage to white, middle-class students of NYC public schools as they do
to Andover and Dalton grads, these people would quickly change their strategy.

~~~
andyjsong
>If college admissions gave as much of an advantage to white, middle-class
students of NYC public schools as they do to Andover and Dalton grads, these
people would quickly change their strategy.

That's the kicker, the average white, middle class student in NYC can't
compete with the public school kids @ Stuyvesant and Bronx Science where
minority enrollment is 70%+, they are getting their asses handed to them by
Asian students. Hence the flight to private schools where tuition is the same
as private universities to keep the immigrant kids at bay. I should know, I
was one of those immigrant kids in prep school and would've been eaten alive
if I attended public HS.

------
vicks711
Thanks for this enlightening article. I now know hot to make my first million.

Thanks again mate for posting this here on Hacker news.

------
orionblastar
Only one way to make trillions of dollars, be born into the Rothschild family
or marry into them. They are worth trillions and own banks and own a lot of
nations' debts. Because they own a lot of debt, they charge huge interest
rates on them, and profit from them a lot.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothschild_family>

~~~
josephagoss
I was under the impression that a Government sells a bond, with a interest
rate the Government sets. How would the Rothschild family buy bonds
(Government debt) and ask for a higher interest rate than that was set in the
first place?

~~~
Ntrails
Government goes to market wanting to sell ~6b of bonds at as low an interest
rate as they can achieve. So if the market buys at 1% they take it, if the
market only offers 7% then they take it (if it is below the rate threshold at
which they won't sell)

If the Gov doesn't sell enough then it defaults as most debt buys are in part
to pay off old debt, we saw this within the Eurozone where Spain has to buy at
a much much higher rate than it would like.

Rothschild can simply refuse to buy below a set rate, and if the Gov needs
their money at that rate then they buy. But it is not really demanding a
higher rate?

(I am not an asset manager)

