This is going to be a post about Billions. I think we all know how spoilers work.
Billions is a solid series that started off as an excellent drama and has since gotten a bit repetitive and stale in its storytelling. Succession, though rightfully seen as a rip-off has surpassed Billions in every way in the battle of the “rich White people whining dramas.”
Still, I enjoy Billions, especially Wags (if they get rid of Wags, I am out), and was happy when I finally got the chance to catch up with the show’s season six premiere.
Axe is gone, and Michael Prince is his replacement. He’s an asshole, but, like, a nice asshole? Prince is working off of some self-righteous principle that tells him he can be a decent human and still be ridiculously wealthy. His entire character arc begs the question can altruism be OK if it is used as a means to better one’s financial prospects? We saw this a bit in the past via Taylor, whose whole mission was to only invest in eco-friendly and other “ethical” businesses. Still, I would hardly call them a bastion for humanity.
Taylor and Prince’s moral compass aside, we as viewers are expected to understand they are rich people looking to get richer. They represent the flaws of capitalism and the problem with unending greed. Or do they?
On the other side of Billions perpetual cat-and-mouse game is Chuck Rhoades, Attorney General, lover of S&M, and steadfast seeker of justice. Rhoades, like many Americans, believes there is no such thing as a “good” billionaire. To him, no amount of charitable donations, foundations started, or other philanthropic works, can minimize the inherent evil of wealth. Rhoades is obsessed with taking down those he believes have taken advantage of a broken system. His narrow focus has blinded him to his own flaws and own pursuits for status, even if those are for the sake of power and respect. Greed is greed.
Is there a right kind of greed? Is Chuck Rhoades’ insatiable desire to prove himself and to his father he has the legal and manly fortitude to best the untouchable a good use of greed?
In the season premiere we see him in full Chuck Rhoades mode when he wields his heavy influence and legal know-how to best an artillery-loving pseudo patriot. Chuck smiles triumphantly on top of a tractor as his billionaire neighbor is forced to watch as his collection of cannons is taken away. Before the scene ends, Rhoades speaks about how he has more power as a private citizen to take down the rich than he ever had as a prosecutor.
Is our system so heavily designed to favor the wealthy that there is just no possible way one can get to billionaire status without taking advantage of that system? Is being a billionaire evil?
In order to answer that question, we need to look at what being a billionaire or even a millionaire actually means. Many of us have this idea that people like Jeff Bezos have access to a sea of cash. We think these people have a literal billion of dollars at their disposal. Of course, anyone with basic understanding of finances and wealth management knows that when we say someone is worth a billion dollars what we really mean is they have the equivalent of a billion dollars in a combination of investments, business ventures, and, yes, cash. Unless we are their personal finance expert, none of us knows for sure how much of a billionaire’s wealth is tied up in stocks and other investments.
Honestly, I barely understand how this all works, and the extremely wealthy count on that misunderstanding and the help of some very smart people to stay rich. They aren’t cheating the system. They are the system. They know exactly how to make it work for them. And, I bet, if more of us had knowledge of their tricks for making the most out of the system, we would do it to. Maybe, we shouldn’t be mad at the billionaires? Maybe, we all just need better accountants.
Still, I don’t know how any billionaire, who has made their fortune through business, can be comfortable in that role, when so many of those who work at those very companies can barely afford to put food on the table. I do believe in merit pay, and always believe there should be opportunity for growth, but if you’ve got a gigantic gap between yourself and your lowest-paid employees, that’s a problem. If you can’t afford to pay everyone fairly, you are either extremely selfish, terrible at business, or both. And, per my earlier point about wealth being tied up in places other than cash, perhaps these billionaires should consider gifting some of their investments to their employees.
I am not here to bash capitalism or advocate for some other economic system. I think capitalism has merit, and with the right balance, is one of the best ways to promote ingenuity and progress. However, as we have seen with the lopsided distribution of wealth, our system is far from perfect. And, I believe before we can address the flaws in that system, we have to be more comfortable talking about our own financial status.
I am speaking mainly to those, who, like me, are not billionaires, or even millionaires, but doing very well for themselves. I am speaking to those who are able to own a home, can afford a new car or two, and go on a vacation every year. I am speaking to those who can send their kids to private school and own a beach house. I am speaking to the aspirational, the upper middle class, the ones who can afford to sit on a charitable foundation, but maybe aren’t wealthy enough to start a charitable foundation. I have noticed, among this group, a tendency to downplay how well they are doing financially. There is a certain shame to being financially secure.
We don’t talk about Bruno, or money, apparently, so nobody ever really knows how good or bad anyone has it. Yet, until we can talk openly about money, and be honest about how we are doing individually, we can’t possibly hope to make any changes at a macro level.
We all need to be honest and admit, that as much as we may despise billionaires, many of us would love to be in their shoes, or to be fair, knock them out of their shoes, and that desire shapes much of how we live our lives.
So whether you admire Chuck Rhoades’ efforts to bring billionaires to justice, or Michael Prince’s business savvy, we all are influenced by wealth.
I wrote this with the intent to answer the question: are billionaires evil? I am not sure I have an answer. Maybe, like all people, they have the capacity for both good and bad, and just need to be held accountable.