The new monarchy
A while back, when it was said that anarcho-capitalism was the new feudalism, a lone voice spoke up and said no, that feudalism had more merit than the current neoliberal-ancap system, and that, given the hereditary characteristics of the liberal system, what most closely resembles our system historically is monarchy.
It wasn’t me who said this, but I agree. Let’s evaluate the list of Brazilian billionaires from FORBES by grouping them by families and adding up their wealth.
Moreira Salles family:
Fernando Roberto Moreira Salles — US$ 7.6 billion
Pedro Moreira Salles — US$ 7.1 billion
João Moreira Salles — US$ 5.3 billion
Walther Moreira Salles Junior — US$ 5.3 billion
Total: US$ 25.3 billion
Batista family:
Joesley Batista — US$ 3.3 billion
Wesley Batista — US$ 3.3 billion
Total: US$ 6.6 billion
Marinho family:
João Roberto Marinho — US$ 2.1 billion
José Roberto Marinho — US$ 2.1 billion
Roberto Irineu Marinho — US$ 2 billion
Total: US$ 6.2 billion
Feffer family:
David Feffer — US$ 1.6 billion
Jose Roberto Ermirio de Moraes — US$ 1.5 billion
Jose Ermirio de Moraes Neto — US$ 1.5 billion
Daniel Feffer — US$ 1.5 billion
Jorge Feffer — US$ 1.5 billion
Ruben Feffer — US$ 1.5 billion
Total: US$ 9.1 billion
Grendene Bartelle family:
Alexandre Grendene Bartelle — US$ 2.6 billion
Pedro Grendene Bartelle — US$ 1.1 billion
Total: US$ 3.7 billion
Voigt family:
Eduardo Voigt Schwartz — US$ 1.3 billion
Mariana Voigt Schwartz Gomes — US$ 1.3 billion
Livia Voigt — US$ 1.1 billion
Dora Voigt de Assis — US$ 1.1 billion
Total: US$ 4.8 billion
The distribution of wealth among Brazilian billionaires is a slap in the face to the course-selling coaches (not that they care about it). It’s surreal to see so much money in the hands of so few, while the majority struggle to get by.
From a Marxist-Leninist perspective, this mountain of money that the billionaires have is the result of the exploitation of workers. The people who do the hard work receive a pittance of what they actually produce, and the rest goes into the pockets of big business owners. This creates an abyss between those who work and those who hold the capital, keeping the exploitation machine running at full steam.
This concentration of wealth with a few individuals with German-sounding surnames is a clear sign that late capitalism has reached that point where either we have a revolution or we’re going to die melting on Earth while they head off to space (literally).
It’s not just a matter of money, but also of power. The billionaires have a huge influence on the economy and politics, using it to keep things the way they like.
