this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2024
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Ruby turds (mander.xyz)
submitted 4 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
30 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

https://greyartmuseum.nyu.edu/2017/07/artwork-spotlight-mark-mothersbaughs-ruby-kusturd/

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[–] paultimate14@lemmy.world 45 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Ah yes, when I think of people accumulating vast amounts of capital my first thought is also... Communists.

For those wondering, according to Forbes the top richest people are:

  1. Musk. South African/Canadian/American depending on how you slice it
  2. Bezos. American
  3. Arnault. French
  4. Zuckerberg. American
  5. Ellison (Oracle). American
  6. Page (Google). American
  7. Brin (Google). American
  8. Gates. American
  9. Ballmer. American
  10. Buffett. American.

I'd also consider the Walton family as a whole. While split up, the often join their money together and are also pretty American.

So... I know these things change over time but it seems really bizarre to list off countries famous for having too-wealthy people without naming America.

Also the whole idea of taking one of the finest, rarest specimens of something the universe produces naturally and making it ugly for the sake of these billionaires seems incredibly dumb. It's just further contributing to the erosion of the commons.

[–] ashok36@lemmy.world 33 points 4 months ago (2 children)

The richest people in the world aren't on the richest people in the world list because they own entire countries. Putin is probably the richest single person in the world. Kim Jong Un is up there too.

If you can have literally anything you want within your own borders that's a lot more than having shares in some company that could lose value overnight.

[–] porous_grey_matter@lemmy.ml 14 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Putin maybe, Kim-Jong definitely not. Just Meta's net profit (let well alone revenue) is well over NK's entire GDP. Even if he literally owned the entire country which he certainly does not, he wouldn't be nearly as wealthy as Musk or Bezos.

[–] Rolando@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

Let's be real... he's exhibiting this in an art museum in NYC. And he's still working as a TV and film composer.

Also the whole idea of taking one of the finest, rarest specimens of something the universe produces naturally and making it ugly for the sake of these billionaires seems incredibly dumb.

You suggest the real reason for doing it. So a billionaire can own it and say "see, I'm not one of the bad billionaires, because I'm in on the joke."

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 1 points 4 months ago

Jimmy Buffett is dead

[–] Shinji_Ikari@hexbear.net 39 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Weird how all the evil uber rich are outside the states.

[–] driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br 30 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Our glorious philanthropists, their wicked oligarchs.

[–] Gorillatactics@hexbear.net 21 points 4 months ago

Makes you think doesn't it.

[–] abfarid@startrek.website 16 points 4 months ago (2 children)

When I was reading that line I could already feel the Hexbear comments coming.
Wasn't disappointed.

[–] CrispyFern@hexbear.net 1 points 4 months ago

hexbear-specter there's a specter haunting the lemmyverse.

[–] Halosheep@lemm.ee 2 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Hexbear moment

[–] FortifiedAttack@hexbear.net 12 points 4 months ago

All lemm.ee users well know that the inferior Asiatic brainpan could never discern a pile of shit from an ice cream cone.

[–] apocalypticat@lemmy.world 35 points 4 months ago (3 children)

"It's always communists in China, or drug dealers in South America, or oil people in Russia" 🙄. Or philanthropists in USA. Or all of the above, in any country, including USA.

[–] MajorSauce@sh.itjust.works 18 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I too found the omission obvious considering that the filthiest examples are right there.

[–] doubtingtammy@lemmy.ml 0 points 4 months ago

sitting in front of the largest ruby in the world

Are we the baddies?

[–] Drewfro66@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 4 months ago

I wish being a Communist in the USA made me a billionaire

[–] ooterness@lemmy.world 18 points 4 months ago (1 children)

How is this a science meme?

[–] Rolando@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

ikr this belongs on !atbge@lemmy.world (awful taste but great execution)

[–] awesome_lowlander@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Does this ruby actually exist? There seem to be almost no references to it online. A Rolling Stones article, OP's link, and a couple of reddit posts. It does not appear on Wikipedia's list of world's largest rubies. As recently as last year, this would have placed #1 on world's largest rubies sold.

Something smells fishy here.

[–] Thann@lemmy.ml 14 points 4 months ago

Devolution is Real!

[–] Alaskaball@hexbear.net 9 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

Not only did Marky mark buy the world's largest ruby gemstone because he's fucking rich, he also fucking never actually sold it and kept the shit-shaped gem

Not only is he a racist, he's one of dumbass uber-rich.

[–] ShimmeringKoi@hexbear.net 7 points 4 months ago

"Ha, that'll show...me"

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

He's rich from a long and successful multimedia art career. And I can't find any source that says he bought it, it seems to still be owned by James Zigras, the mineralogist friend. He just carved it.

Not sure about the racist bit. DEVO definitely utilized racial stereotypes, but the consensus seems to be that it was very clearly satirizing systemic racism. I dunno if Mothersbaugh has any other history of sincere racism, but I can't find anything.

[–] axont@hexbear.net 6 points 4 months ago

it's literally mentioned that Mark Mothersbaugh bought the ruby before carving it. It's supposed to be a joke about the type of person who'd buy such a thing, well look in the mirror. imagine trying to make a mockery of rich people and this is the avenue you do it with

I used to like Devo. I still like their 70s stuff but they've never been as subversive as they claim to be.

[–] Plastic_Ramses@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Its quite funny when countries that arent the US are mentioned in bad light as a joke on lemmy.

"B-b-buttttt thE USA DOES BAD THINGS"

[–] WideningGyro@hexbear.net 0 points 4 months ago

Ew, reddit is leaking