Merriam Webster: “One of a class of individuals who through private acquisition of state assets amassed great wealth that is stored especially in foreign accounts and properties and who typically maintain close links to the highest government circles.” Oligarchs wield political power, Musk is an Oligarch, as far as I know Kroenke isn’t.
That's basically what I was saying above, but in much less forceful authoritative terms. But in this era of Trump erraticism, Musk as a true, literal oligarch is in one moment and out the next. He's still a good example of the American kind of tech oligarch. Kroenke/Walton are not AFAIK.
Again, y’all are taking it way too literally. Of course Kroenke possesses and wields influence over policy. So in the common usage he is among the Oligarchy.
Not sure if you're referring to me, but I don't "like" a lot of what I've read/heard about how he and/or Wal-Mart conducts business. But I still don't consider him to be an oligarch.
Does he? To the extent any huge donor does, sure. But by that definition there are lots and lots of oligarchs around if that's true. Look, at the end of the day, we're having a semantics argument. But I just don't view Kroenke in the way I view Thiel or Musk or certainly not an Abramaovich.
Lots if you mean hundreds or maybe even thousands, but that is still a few in the context of a country with (checks notes) 350 million people. Yeah?
You dog you just edited your post while I was replying. I’m on your side that there are actually differences between these people and there are degrees of evil. It could be way worse for us than Kroenke. Now here’s my edit: And I think I said this was a semantic issue like 7 posts ago?
He bitched and moaned about being fourth striker he will never be able to lead a team unless he stops admiring himself in the mirror https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_...pe-real-madrid-bench-coach-arbeloa-fans-booed
Conflating 'oligarch' with any multi billionaire seems a big stretch. Secondly, its uniquely used solely for former Soviet Union billionaires acquired wealth through corruption, bribery and other similar means. Thirdly, their using their money to further corrupt. I don't think many would equate billionaires Warren Buffet or Michael Jordan with being oliigarchs. Kroenke is married to an heiress of the Walton fortune. You may or may not apply that to her father, Sam Walton, but does someone who simply iinherit money by virtue of birth qualify as an oligarch?
Just my guess but I don't see Arteta looking to run up the score unless he thought we might draw the last game. Secondly, we have a CL final to contend with and don't see him risking further injury 'exerting' ourselves. If there is a huge scoreline I think it will be purely out of the players taking chances and it falls for them. Individually some if not all of the attacking players might want to pad stats a bit. They are feeling themselves, have a go from 25 yards out or whatever. I'm guessing if we go up 2-0 at any point its shutting up shop. It's May, legs are tired and the 2 biggest games of the season are left. The only way I see us going for it is if individual players like Dowman get on the pitch, who is hungry for glory. Gyokeres will always try to score and justify his fee .Havertz wants to get back to scoring but those are individual moments not a team tactic. Lastly, I can't see Arteta thinking "We are at 2-0 at half time, lets try to get up to 4-0 or 5-0 in case we draw at Palace" Just don't see him thinking that.
All billionaires are cnuts anyway why is there 2 pages in semantics when he’s married to the woman that sells bullets to kids to shoot up schools? it would be hard to find a billionaire that’s not a bellend
Agreed. Of course Musk is much more obvious, in that he got to be unelected co-president for a while, because he funded Trump. There is interesting writing on this topic. Of course not all Billionaires are Oligarchs but one of the issues in the west is increasingly we have little idea what influence various players have thanks to endemic corruption - especially at lower levels, but increasingly at national level. See in particular Farage who turns out to be mostly funded by a Thai crypto Billionaire. This is the man who will 'reform' politics in the UK Anyway it could be worse but I reject the idea we are organically funded
Or were married or related to one. Almost all the female billionaires in America are divorced (Melinda Gates, Mackenzie Scott) or daughters of one (Ann Walton Kroenke). Mackenzie Scott and Melinda Gates to a lesser extent, has used her divorce money to earnestly make the world a better place. I'm in the 'tax the 1%' end of the political spectrum but I'm not going to generalize all of them. That's how we get into hurtful stereotypes about a lot of groups (Blacks, Gays, Jews, Gooners, etc)