Real estate titan compares 'tax the rich' slogan to racial slurs

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/05/real-estate-titan-compares-tax-the-rich-slogan-to-racial-slurs-00907424

574 points · 96 comments · view on lemmy.world

96 Comments

kvasir476@lemmy.world · 134 pts · 100d (12 replies)

He really won't like what people replace 'tax' with if they're not allowed to say "tax the rich."

SabinStargem@lemmy.today · 23 pts · 100d (1 reply)

"Ax the rich".

samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 100d

and my ax (to kill rich people with)

Triasha@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 98d

Wealth inequality is killing quality if life. We would like to put that wealth to productive use through taxation and government investments, but setting it on fire (metaphorically) would still leave the average person better off.

If we can't tax it or destroy it, then people will be pushed further and further until they have nothing to lose, and after that, things will get ugly.

username_1@programming.dev · -28 pts · 100d (8 replies)
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FireRetardant@lemmy.world · 67 pts · 100d (4 replies)

Luigi has entered the chat

username_1@programming.dev · -26 pts · 100d (3 replies)
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unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de · 20 pts · 100d (2 replies)

Brooother this guy is dense. We are proposing to kill/eat the rich in general. Thats obviously more of a threat than taxes.

ultrafastsloth@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 100d (1 reply)

I actually agree what I think he meant was that the rich would rather be killed than taxed. Maybe it was just phrased poorly

Johnmannesca@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 99d

Yeah, killed just means they're estate gets taxed during inheritance but by that point thay're dead so it's illogical to care. Much more realistic a narcissistic personality grasps for ways to avoid any unsavory changes in wealth status vs literally dying. They aren't afraid of their life insurance policy activating, actually they might even look forward to it in a strange way.

youcantreadthis@quokk.au · 20 pts · 100d

Right up until the moment it is.

Everything dies. We literally do not know how to stop this. We're real good at helping it along though.

ParlimentOfDoom@piefed.zip · 6 pts · 100d

The uber rich didn't build a bunch of bunkers to protect themselves from...taxes.

oji@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 100d

collectivization >.<

atzanteol@sh.itjust.works · 93 pts · 100d (5 replies)

Roth on Tuesday stressed the significant contributions of the city’s wealthiest residents to its tax base and said these members of the so-called one-percent are “not enemies” and are “at the top of the great American economic pyramid for a reason.”

There it is. The "we're better than you and deserve more" conceit.

badgermurphy@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 100d (3 replies)
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tmyakal@infosec.pub · 6 pts · 100d (1 reply)

If all it took to be rich was pathological greed, there would actually be even more billionaires.

It's pathological greed and generational wealth.

FlyingCircus@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 99d

Don’t forget the theft. Workers create value that capitalists steal. Profit is stolen wages.

FlyingCircus@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 99d

And that grubbing explicitly is stealing from the people who actually create the money, the workers.

brax@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 100d

Interesting how they're there for being stains on humanity, but they think they're special.

el_twitto@lemmy.world · 86 pts · 100d (1 reply)

I wonder how he feels about "eat the rich".

Fuck him.

blazeknave@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 100d

Reading this as the Aerosmith song blasts bc my anarchist small child demanded to watch the music video before school right now!

pulsewidth@lemmy.world · 69 pts · 100d (6 replies)

Haha wow he really tried to throw some antisemitism in there too.

“I must say that I consider the phrase tax the rich — [..] to be just as hateful as some disgusting racial slurs, and even the phrase ‘from the river to the sea,’” Roth said.

I think you get a good peek into the psyche of powerful people when they use inappropriate terms from marginalized communities as a shield against just actions or comments made against them. It implies they see those genuine complaints from minorities as something merely performative - a tool for sympathy, a shield from criticism. It reveals narcissism and a lack of empathy.

Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 100d
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teyrnon@sh.itjust.works · 19 pts · 100d

Israelis are not a marginalized community for the record despite their victim playing, but I take your point.

wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz · 4 pts · 100d

Is he implying that he believes "rich = Jewish"? Because if so, how anti-semitic of him.

I have no qualms with working-class Jews.

Likewise, I think all billionaire oligarchs need to be taxed at higher rates. (Currently they're taxed less than the working class; being compelled to pay your fair share isn't prejudicial!). Race/ethnicity/religion simply doesn't factor into it.

theolodis@feddit.org · 2 pts · 99d (2 replies)

From the river to the sea is not antisemitic. In the Palestine before 1947 Jews, Christians and Muslims all lived side by side as neighbors, and none of them had spwcial rights or was threatened.

What that sentence does mean though, is that there would be no jewish apartheid ethnostate that is actively stealing land left and right, and starting wars with people they see as inferior.

pulsewidth@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 99d (1 reply)

Oh I know, that's just the card he's trying to play (the same card Israel uses regularly, 'any support of Palestine = antisemitism', 'any criticism of Israel = antisemitism').

Appreciate your comment though.

theolodis@feddit.org · 2 pts · 99d

Ah, I misunderstood your comment then, it's true that Israelis try to play that card (quite successfully so).

I'd recommend putting the fake "antisemitism" (because not all anti Zionism is antisemitic) in quotes, to make it more clear.

Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works · 62 pts · 100d (2 replies)

Tax the rich is the moderate stance to eat the rich.

Breezy@lemmy.world · -13 pts · 100d (1 reply)

No not at all. How can you compare making people pay taxes they owe with people talking about eating them.

Let there be millionaires and billionaires, but they have to pay a lot of taxes for how much they get.

Some billionaires pay less in taxes a year then poor people do.

DaGreenGobbo@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 99d

Let there be no billionaires. Let the maximum wealth be £/€/$10m, depending on the country, obviously.

gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works · 46 pts · 100d

Well, then you’ll like this even less:

eat the rich

SuiXi3D@fedia.io · 30 pts · 100d (1 reply)

Fuckin’ compost the rich. Can’t eat ‘em, might as well use ‘em to grow food. Grind ‘em up and let ‘em rot.

napkin2020@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 100d

You herbophobe. How dare you feed them the rich?

dantheclamman@lemmy.world · 27 pts · 100d (3 replies)

Some of them were born this way I suppose lol. They are a self-selected group of greedy people. There has never been an easier group to vilify, because they are literally villains, hoarding resources that others desperately need

OrteilGenou@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 100d (1 reply)

Imagine thinking you're better than others because you're good at amassing wealth.

Everywhere around you people are suffering but because of your innate superiority you are not only not suffering, you have far more than you could ever hope to need, and you cling to it white-knuckled like it's going to stand up and walk away.

Congratulations, you are the smelliest sphincter.

dantheclamman@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 100d

The interesting thing is that the media trained us to admire these people, and listen with bated breath to their advice. When in fact they are the last people we should ask for any kind of moral guidance. Their greed has made literally every major societal issue worse. Fortunately, I think that illusion is dissolving, and more and more it's a majority opinion that the rich are too rich and it needs to stop. Lots of disagreement on how to stop it, unfortunately

FlyingCircus@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 99d

They are all psychopaths.

whotookkarl@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 27 pts · 100d

Wealthy people hoard wealth to the detriment of the rest of society causing poverty, crime, death, and destruction. Billionaires shouldn't exist, taxing is only 1 option.

a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world · 26 pts · 100d (1 reply)

Us: You have way too much money, we should share it more equitably so people don’t starve and stuff.

Them: You have done me a racism.

AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 99d

But what If they need it to buy something? Like a small country?

HeroicBillyBishop@lemmy.ca · 23 pts · 100d (14 replies)

I can hardly wait for the guillotines to get sharpened up

...I suspect it will come as a surprise to many of the lizard people that they bleed just like us plebes

Except there is waaaaay more of us, and we have had enough of their baby eating and child raping

TrickDacy@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 100d (13 replies)

Baby eating...?

HeroicBillyBishop@lemmy.ca · -1 pts · 100d (12 replies)
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crunchy@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 100d (3 replies)

The child rape is common knowledge at this point. Not as many people know about the baby eating.

TrickDacy@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 100d (2 replies)

Apparently I angered them greatly. What are they even talking about regarding "baby eating"?

crunchy@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 100d (1 reply)

There were a few bits in the Epstein Files about Satanic sacrificing and eating of babies.

green_red_black@slrpnk.net · 1 pts · 100d
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TrickDacy@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 100d (7 replies)

You literally didn't make sense in either comment. You're mad because I have zero clue what you're referring to?

HeroicBillyBishop@lemmy.ca · 0 pts · 100d (6 replies)

I am not mad at you, I don't give a fig about you

Now the baby eating ,child-raping lizard people, them I'm mad at

TrickDacy@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 100d (5 replies)

Your deleted comment suggests you were mad at me. Thanks for your help

Ps. Are the lizard people in the room with you right now?

HeroicBillyBishop@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 100d (4 replies)

The mods deleted it, not me

As I said, I don't give a fig about you

cheers

TrickDacy@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 100d

I know all that. You still told me to "fuk off" and no one alive would be able to figure out why

TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com · 15 pts · 100d

the financially obese are not a protected class de jure

fira@lemmy.today · 15 pts · 99d

He might change his tune when he realizes the alternative is guillotines….

GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 100d (1 reply)

Statements like this from people like him just tell me that they are scared.

samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 100d

Not nearly scared enough!

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 100d

D_C@sh.itjust.works · 14 pts · 100d (1 reply)

Crikey, that parasite is really going to be really upset about my "guillotine the rich' policy!!

Though there's a lot to be said about the "woodchipper the rich" argument...

sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 100d

We need to return to tradition:

Draw and Quarter the Rich.

Murse@slrpnk.net · 13 pts · 100d

Compost the rich*

I wouldn't recommend eating them - you'd probably catch something nasty. Grinding them up and feeding them to worms is far more appropriate!

bluegreenpurplepink@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 100d

Wow. He has a real god complex thinking he should be "praised and thanked." Next he'll be mandating that his name should not be used in vain.

hateisreality@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 100d

Perfect this goddamned country is full of racists, redirecting their energy to call the billionaire scum out on being the scum they are perfect... If the poor billionaire thinks it's racist they can easily solve the problem by not being billionaires.

Sabata11792@ani.social · 10 pts · 100d (1 reply)

Burn the rich.

samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 100d

Fedizen@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 100d

How is this "slammed" and not "whined at"?

ivanafterall@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 100d

He's got more money than the average person, but he's only got 3/5 their value.

AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 100d (1 reply)

The taxes just went 5% higher

Fedizen@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 99d

100% taxes on any billionaire that complains about taxes.

Buffalox@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 100d

It seems the rich simply don't understand that their wealth is only made possible because the masses allow it. And that insane wealth is an imbalance in society that needs to be fixed, both because it is socially unjust, but also because it is undermining democracy.

Also the rich are are leeches on society, that leech hundreds of times more than they need. Very different from an unemployed or sick or single mom that only get the help they actually need to scrape by.

The sense of entitlement among the rich is insane, as in literally insane and disconnected from reality.

Dryad@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 100d

The rich are universally rich entirely by continually choosing to ignore the plight of the poor and slinging bootstrap condemnations. No identity sustained by evil choosing can be equated with racism.

sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 100d (4 replies)

Tax them?

No no no no no.

We're eating them.

It's sorta like the opposite of veal:

The more financially bloated, gorged and aged the landlord is... the more succulent the screams.

... I mean flesh.

Anyway, I can't help it that the traditional method of preparing the dish is a guillotine... its just a traditional thing, very classy imo.

Personally, I like to pair the feast with a gunpowder shot... just an explosive combination of flavors, if you ask me.

ironhydroxide@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 100d (3 replies)

There's no better show of opulence than to take one nibble and throw the rest away because you changed your mind.

sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 100d (2 replies)

I mean you could at least save it as a treat for your cat or dog, but yeah, I'm mostly in it for the screams, the incredulous existential crisis.

mzesumzira@leminal.space · 2 pts · 100d (1 reply)

That's no treat, I would never endanger my pets like that.

sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 100d

... checks rhetorical closet ...

Its uh, my religion, why not.

drunkpostdisaster@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 99d

I am up for a hate crime

luthis@lemmy.nz · 6 pts · 100d

That guy looks like he needs a real good haircut

therewolftherecastle@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 99d

Would he prefer "burn out the rich"?

Etterra@discuss.online · 5 pts · 99d

🍽️ motherfucker.

Dryad@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 100d

The rich are universally rich entirely by continually choosing to ignore the plight of the poor and slinging bootstrap condemnations. No identity sustained by evil choosing can be equated with racism.

spacegoat@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 98d (1 reply)

Billionaires aren’t scared enough.

BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.cafe · 3 pts · 98d

Let's change that.

OppressedBread@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 99d
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QuentinCallaghan@sopuli.xyz · 4 pts · 100d (2 replies)

Does this make "rich" the new R-word?

teyrnon@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 100d (1 reply)

Retrobate?

QuentinCallaghan@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 100d

"Don't call me that, I'm a person of wealth!"

BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.cafe · 4 pts · 98d

He's really not going to like "Eat The Rich."

melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 100d

And in some cases "anti-Semitic" I'd bet.

Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 100d

Guess I'm racist then...

DaGreenGobbo@feddit.uk · 3 pts · 99d

Fuck politico though, spokespeople for genocide.

modus@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 99d

How about, "murder that stale cracker?" Does that evoke sympathy in his tiny heart?

Eh_I@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 99d

LOP

lol

crunchy@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 100d
Viking_Hippie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 100d

His fellow mega-leech Nick Hanauer has some advice from the before-times

CaptainBasculin@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 100d

Ah yes, a fine addition to my collection

discocactus@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 98d

Lmao

KindnessIsPunk@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 100d

Then it would have been the first class that actually deserved the slurs, because you chose this

M137@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 99d

Sgt_choke_n_stroke@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 100d

I want him to cry more

teyrnon@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 100d

Poor rich, if they tax our landlords they will just have to pack up and go gentrify tax havens overseas, so we have to exempt them from taxes, or else the chinese will win the race to the bottom! /s

It's almost too stupid to satirize.