On: How to earn a billion dollars

[gkoberger]

AOC once summed up her political position as "I believe that in a modern, moral and wealthy society, no person in America should be too poor to live," and I would consider that directionally right.

[WalterBright → gkoberger]

Then I can presume we can measure AOC's morality by how much she anonymously donates to anti-poverty charities.

[essdas → WalterBright]

This statement is a logical fallacy and one as accomplished as Walter Bright surely knew that while writing it.

[csallen → essdas]

I don't think it's a fallacy since AOC so clearly implies, if not outright states, that the reason people are poor in America is because people richer than them have too much money, and should have less. If that applies to them, why doesn't it apply to her? At what level is the cutoff?

[gkoberger → csallen]

No, her argument is not that people have too much money, it's that the system allows for it. She's dedicating her biggest resource, her time, to fixing this.

There's a greater wealth inequality in the US now than there was at any other point in time.

[WalterBright → essdas]

Explain how it is a logical fallacy.

[snark_attack → WalterBright]

For one, if she “anonymously” donates to charities, how would anyone ever attribute any donations to her??

For another, as a sibling comment points out, AOC can have a much greater impact by influencing policies that help the people than through charitable donations, which, let’s face it, are just a bandaid on the structural issues that lead to such wealth inequality. Making something one’s professional goal when in a position of influence is much more impactful than optional activities on the side like charitable donations.

[WalterBright → snark_attack]

> if she “anonymously” donates to charities, how would anyone ever attribute any donations to her?

If she was truly moral, she wouldn't need to be feted for her actions. Virtue comes from doing the right thing even when other people are not looking.

Her using her position of power to extract money from Peter and give it to Paul does not bestow on her any morality or virtue points. One could characterize it as "buying votes with other peoples' money".

[gkoberger → WalterBright]

Homelessness won't be ended with just money, it'll be solved with (or caused by) politics and policies.

But the reason it's a "fallacy" is AOC could donate 100% of her current salary for 63,000 years and that would equal 1% of Elon's current net worth.

Even if you did get 1% of Elon's money, it wouldn't be enough. Real change comes from structural change, not pure cash.

And as the original person pointed out, you're clearly smart enough to know that.

[WalterBright → gkoberger]

> But the reason it's a "fallacy" is AOC could donate 100% of her current salary for 63,000 years and that would equal 1% of Elon's current net worth.

I didn't say anything about Elon's money being related to AOC's morals. I said AOC's morals were dependent on her donating her money without bragging about it. The claim of logical fallacy does not follow.