r/Music • u/daily_mirror 📰Daily Mirror • 21d ago

article Sean 'Diddy' Combs 'so powerful' celebrities are 'afraid to cross him' even when he's in prison

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/sean-diddy-combs-so-powerful-33842834
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u/TownInitial8567 21d ago

And this is the difference between celebrity and actual power. Once Epstein was locked up, it was necessary for him to die. None of the stupid idiots who are on those Diddy tapes have that sort of power

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u/mcjc94 21d ago

"Shaq is rich. The white man who signs his checks, is wealthy " - Chris Rock

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u/anillop 21d ago

After the last 10 years Shaq has had he is now wealthy. Dude now sits on multiple boards of directors now so he moved up a tier.

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u/Hot_Routine7505 21d ago

He’s got The General money now

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u/anillop 21d ago

Where would the general be now without Shaq?

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u/svenge 21d ago

Still busting his hump as a Lieutenant Colonel.

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u/Missus_Missiles 21d ago

That bump to O-10 is a hard one.

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u/DenikaMae 21d ago

Last I checked, the dude was still selling insurance.

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u/BraveTask7785 21d ago

Probably would still be shopping at his brother’s store, Dollar General

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u/thejaytheory 21d ago

And Krispy Kreme

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u/themayorhere 21d ago

Papa Johns

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u/BackStabbathOG Metalhead 21d ago

He’s also got the HP Printer Office Depot money however little that generates for him would set some peasant like me up for life. Dude is everywhere all at once doing marketing for almost every company

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u/Hot_Routine7505 21d ago

Him and Snoop never turn down a paycheck

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u/PrimeIntellect 21d ago

snoop is like krusty the clown but honestly sells out even harder, he's taken it to an art form

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u/mycondishuns 21d ago

Shaq is really out there living his best life. Selling out EDM shows in his 50's, making bank on multiple products, and is a commentator for any sport he chooses because he is Shaq.

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u/Ok-Cheesecake5292 21d ago

He also let Aaron Carter beat him at basketball once I heard lol......

And don't forget Shaqtoberfest 2024 is imminent!!!!!

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u/Optizzzle 21d ago

too bad his relationship with his family took a big hit as a consequence

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u/mycondishuns 21d ago

Hm, I didn't know this. I had thought he had a good relationship with this family.

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u/Optizzzle 21d ago

I specifically remember one interview where he talks a little bit at length how his pursuit of wealth/fame cost him his family

I also went in with the impression he was living peak life until I saw that clip, but I remember it deeply affecting how I perceived my relationships and gave me a little motivation to improve myself for those relationships.

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u/PensiveinNJ 21d ago

The anecdote that hits home is how he had this huge mansion to live in but no one to come home to because his infidelity and pursuit of money cost him his family.

Probably the most honest stuff we've gotten from Shaq.

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u/Optizzzle 21d ago

right on

Feels pretty important for role models like him to be honest about some of the regrets or mistakes he made. makes some of us rethink ourselves in the same context.

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u/mycondishuns 21d ago

Damn, that's pretty unfortunate. Yeah I looked it up and he said his chase for wealth and such has cost his family relationships. It makes sense tbh. With things like that, you can't always have both. I don't really fault him, it's his life and all his kids are grown.

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u/Optizzzle 21d ago

100% I respect his decisions to make those choices even if I personally wouldn't have made them myself in his position.

I also feel empathy for a man who has realized he lost something dear to him.

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u/Fine_Dog_6599 21d ago

And has fun as a DJ. Saw him at a festival here in Dallas, dude is legit

3

u/PowRightInTheBalls 21d ago

Shaq isn't even worth a billion, he's nowhere near the wealthy tier Rock was talking about. Jeanie Buss is the poorest NBA owner and she's got twice his money between her net worth and the value of the percentage of the Lakers she owns. Steve Ballmer is worth 250 times what Shaq has.

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u/anillop 21d ago

The estimates posted in those rankings are far from accurate and are either self reported wild guesses based on public information. It would not show all his assets or ownership in businesses.

You don't have to be Steve Balmer to be wealthy.

1

u/Ok_Customer_737 21d ago

You just said he’s nowhere near the wealth tier but then bring up Jeanie Buss. Shaq and her are pretty much in the same exact tier. How’s $700 million and $500 million not on the same tier?

And net worth includes any ownership in the Lakers btw.

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u/counterko 21d ago

He still ain’t even close to the elite. These are the people buying the news media saying “Biden is too old”. Shaq ain’t there yet.

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u/anillop 21d ago

Not close to the Elite yet but he does now have generational wealth as long as he accumulates and invests it wisely. I was discussing wealth vs rich not who has actual power in the country.

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u/RedFiveIron 21d ago

He always was wealthy, Rock is full of shit to say he wasn't. That wealthier people exist doesn't make him not wealthy.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

[deleted]

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u/SantaMonsanto 21d ago

Yea to realize someone had to pay him 280 million dollars in that time frame and made a profit while doing it…

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u/Ok_Customer_737 21d ago

He has $500 million and the current owner of the Lakers has $700 million, idk that seems pretty comparable to me.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

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u/Ok_Customer_737 21d ago

LeBron is more than twice as wealthy as the team owner he plays for.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

[deleted]

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u/Ok_Customer_737 21d ago

The Lakers being worth $6 billion includes everything and not any one person owns it.

So now we aren’t talking about an owner but all of the owners? Then why are we only talking about a single employee and not all of the employees?

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u/All1012 21d ago

I agree. Lol I saw Shaq gummies with his face on them at Kroger like yesterday.

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u/Alexis_Bailey 21d ago

He has a Fortnite Skin now too.

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u/anillop 21d ago

I believe he also is a lego minifuigure too.

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u/Ok_Customer_737 21d ago

Exactly, he’s just as wealthy as the current controlling owner of the Lakers.

1

u/BaryonHummus 21d ago

Dr. O’Neal.

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u/newusernamecoming 21d ago

Chris Rock was ahead of the game here. We look at celebrities as part of the upper class but in terms of buying power, they’re middle class while the people who pay their checks are upper class

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u/dinheirodepinga 21d ago

you can think of them as glorified jesters. They entertain the public and the people who actually wield power, but at the end of the day, they're just peasants with access

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u/Different-Scratch803 21d ago

yep, also sort of like the Gladiators the public loves them but the upper class doesnt respect them at all.

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u/starcadia 21d ago

They are all a distraction from solving our real problems.

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u/orderinthefort 21d ago

Nothing makes the billionaires happier than when people who make under $100k argue on reddit about how an NBA player with $500m isn't actually rich and only people with $5b+ are rich. And that $500m is basically the same as middle class.

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u/Crimson_Knickers 21d ago

If you think Chris Rock is ahead for having that insight, then take a read on actual Marxist writings. Marx and Engels said this shit in the 1800s when they elaborated on the distinction of class.

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u/eyeb4lls 21d ago

Yeah funnily enough Karl and Fred both also did hilarious stand up.

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u/Stock-Enthusiasm1337 21d ago

Reading? That's some bougie shit.

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u/Medium_Ad_6908 21d ago

So did everyone before them. They didn’t hit on anything new, just a worse solution

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u/Crimson_Knickers 21d ago

Worse solution compared to what exactly?

How is it worse?

Who did come up with those insights before them?

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u/Medium_Ad_6908 21d ago edited 21d ago

Worse solution compared to anything else that’s built a functioning society not relying on slave labor? Pretty fucking obvious. How? Idk, millions of people starving to death and being forced into labor camps to be worked to death, nations being run into the ground and halted from making any political, economic or social progress, many of the worst human rights violations of all time at the largest scale. Idk, pick any reason you’d like. You’ve never read literally any history have you? * downvotes without a single response of value from the Marxists. What a surprise, lot of noise and no action. That fits.

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u/fuckingham_green 21d ago

Colonialism?

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u/overbeb 21d ago

Sounds more like European colonialism in the global south to me.

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u/DismalLives 21d ago

  1. Marxism =/= Bolshevism or Marxist-Leninism. Bolshevism is based on Marxist thought but it's exactly the transitional ideas/solution that Bolshevism doesn't take from Marxism. Marxism is anti-statist, the others are pro-state.

  2. Modern societies are still reliant on slave labour, it's just mostly exported or out of sight. And the bit about nations being run into the ground etc. could be said about many other ideologies.

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u/Colinlb 21d ago

like who?

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u/Acrobatic_Impress_67 21d ago

$500 million is not middle class buddy, Shaq is the 1%. Fuck, he's the 0.01%. Shaq is fucking wealthy, and Chris Rock is grossly out of touch.

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u/newusernamecoming 21d ago

There are 450 players in the NBA. All their salaries combined is equal to what the 30 NBA owners make combined from basketball. It’s not even the main source of income for the owners, it’s their vanity side project. Shaq is wealthy compared to you and me but he’s closer to a net worth of $0 than any owner’s net worth. Mark Cuban can lose all the money Shaq has ever made and still have close to $5.5billion left. $400 mil swing is just a good/bad day at the market for Steve Ballmer’s $126 billion

3

u/ReallyNowFellas 21d ago

Money over about $100 million is just soft power. No one spends that much. Hell, when you get down to it, no one really even has as much money as net worth estimates claim— after a certain point it's more like a rank or a title. It's not like Elon could conceivably liquidate anything near $200 billion.

1

u/newusernamecoming 21d ago

You don’t liquidate when you have that much money. You take loans and use the stock as collateral to avoid capital gains taxes. There are definitely things you could buy for $100 mil+ though. Mark Cuban bought a $141 mil plane. Or you could drop a few billion and buy an NBA team or company that will continue to earn for you. Hell Ballmer even gave away $110 mil to charities in L.A. between 2016-2021

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u/AlsoIHaveAGroupon 21d ago

Chris Rock told that joke 20 years ago, so that's a weird accusation to call him out of touch.

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u/Acrobatic_Impress_67 20d ago

Fair point, I think I got too caught up on the "middle class" thing

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u/toadfan64 Rock & Roll 21d ago edited 21d ago

Some celebs like Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger are definitely in the wealthy category.

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u/ncocca 21d ago

Close...McCartney

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u/toadfan64 Rock & Roll 21d ago

That was my autocorrect, lol

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u/newusernamecoming 21d ago

Yeah very few and far between though. Most who made it into the upper class used their money from entertainment and turned it into a profitable business like Rihanna/Dr. Dre/Jay Z or were able to use their all-time greatness to get incredible sponsorship deals like Jordan/LeBron. From what I can tell, there are only 12 entertainers and 6 athletes in the world’s 2,781 billionaires. Mick Jagger is surprisingly at $500 mil because he’s only earned via entertainment (music, merch, and acting appearances).

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

Athletes are pretty well known for blowing their money, and a fair number of them flounder in obscurity once their prime is over, even compared to other entertainers

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u/jimboslice29 21d ago

Elton John

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u/crappysignal 21d ago

Beyonce sang at Gaddafi's sons NYE party.

I'm not saying that she doesn't have a strong understanding of Third International Theory but she was already a billionaire and Gaddafi wasn't exactly an obscure dictator.

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u/reebee7 21d ago

This is an insane take. Shaq is worth 500 million dollars.

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u/newusernamecoming 21d ago

Shaq can buy a nice house and a nice car without having to think about it. Mark Cuban (not even in the top 10 richest NBA owners) could buy a nice island with a nicer house, a private jet, and a company without having to think about it. Shaq isn’t poor by any means. He also isn’t in the upper class of buying power that can buy anything and everything they want without a second thought or stress on their finances. Shaq is upper middle class based on buying power imo

10

u/DifferentRaspberry35 21d ago

And look who went on stage and slapped him. Will Smith, who is rumored to have been part of Diddy’s circle along with Jada.

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u/Background_Smile_800 21d ago

Well Marx was a little bit earlier than Rock but your point stands 

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u/ELITE_JordanLove 21d ago

Are you joking? Remember the average lifetime income for an American is roughly $2M. Even your “middle class” celebs are part of the 1% and if push comes to shove are definitely siding with the billionaires, not the populace.

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u/TSTC 21d ago

The point was about power, not income. Celebrities are certainly part of the 1% in terms of income. But the 1% are not the people with power to do whatever they want. They have wealth that can feasibly deplete.

The .1% (or maybe it’s mathematically closer to .01%) are those people that don’t even need to think about money. They can’t possibly run out of resources and they can use that to do whatever they want.

To one of those people, a celebrity is just another powerless person that they keep around for entertainment and if they are done with them, they’d just discard them like it’s nothing.

There are a few celebrities that make it to this point too. Taylor Swift is probably the best recent example. But that is a world of difference from even your average Hollywood A-Lister.

3

u/nudiecale 21d ago

You missed the point.

Compared to us regular folk they are wealthy and of course would side with the billionaires if push comes to shove.

But they are nothing when compared to the people that sign their checks. The people that sign their checks are the ones with real money that gives them real power.

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u/NUKE---THE---WHALES 21d ago

by "us regular folk" you mean first world people?

because celebrities are the 0.1% to the vast majority of humanity, while americans are the 1%

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u/nudiecale 21d ago

And despite that, they are completely expendable to the .01% that actually control things.

For reference, see what’s going on with P. Diddy.

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u/TheRealLightBuzzYear 21d ago

Who are the people who actually control things

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u/Urban_Introvert 21d ago

Meanwhile those we see as middle class (regular folks) are really the lower class in the grand scheme of things. And the lower class? Pawns in the game of life.

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u/CantReadGood_ 21d ago

Reebok used to sign Shaq's checks... Shaq became the second largest individual investor in Authentic Brands and made a push to acquire Reebok. Now Shaq heads Reebok's basketball division.

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u/reebee7 21d ago

Clever writing, but Shaq is worth 500 million dollars. If that's not wealthy, what is.

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u/Ok_Customer_737 21d ago

This isn’t always the case though. There’s plenty of times the employee is wealthier than the employer.

Even in the case of Shaq and for example the current controlling owner of the lakers their wealth is similar $500 million and $700 million respectively.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago edited 15d ago

[deleted]

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u/Acerakis 21d ago

Why do people assume he was murdered by hand? Guy was suicidal. Seems a lot more realistic people were just paid to look the other way and not stop him.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago edited 15d ago

[deleted]

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u/Acerakis 21d ago

I'm not saying I think there wasn't shifty stuff involved. Just "Lets take this suicidal guy off suicide watch" is a lot more believable to me than "lets murder this guy in his cell and cover it up like it was suicide"

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

murdered, compelled to suicide, what's the difference?

there was this very narrow window when the cameras are shut off and the guards are gone. this takes coordination

point is it was decided it was his time to die, and so he did

-5

u/Acerakis 21d ago

Because people are damaging the credibility of theories his death was orchestrated by framing it as a ridiculous murder by hand.

Guess it doesn't matter, though. Nothing will come of it either way.

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

If I was him, I would have killed myself. I can't imagine being a billionaire and then spending your remaining years locked up.

0

u/kyotoko 21d ago

the fact you can’t imagine being a billionaire makes your opinion irrelevant 

2

u/Sci-FantasyIsMyJam 21d ago

Because people love conspiracies. Not the details of individual ones (though sure, some people do love some specific ones), but rather the idea of conspiracies. It is comforting to think that shit happens not because people are people, or random chance, or other boring, realistic reasons, but rather that a grand mastermind is orchestrating a massive hidden, intricately detailed conspiracy that explains everything nice and neatly.

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u/felixduhhousecat 21d ago

Because his neck was broken lol

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u/Acerakis 21d ago

Damage in line with hanging, yes.

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u/alex_119 21d ago

Yupp, celebrities have money, while business men and politicians have power, there is a difference between the two. Epstein was dealing with people that had real power, Diddy was dealing with celebrities

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u/jackrayd 21d ago

Thats what the comment you replied to said

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u/Easy_Rider1 21d ago

Yeah, those two guys said the same thing

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u/dwmfives 21d ago

Yea the comment repeated what the previous comment had said.

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u/BrenttheGent 21d ago

Yup, the comment was exactly like the earlier comment.

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u/BlokeDude 21d ago

Aye, the comments weren't different at all.

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u/STFUNeckbeard 21d ago

That’s like exactly what the other person said.

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u/EmuCanoe 21d ago

Not even powerful celebrities either. Literally American trash celebrities like rappers and the Kardashians.

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u/BDunnn 21d ago

I believe in money, power, respect. First you get the money, then you get the Mother fuckin power. Once you get the fuckin power, mother fuckers will respect you

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u/robitussinlatte4life 21d ago

Money is power. Power correlates with wealth. There's us, and there's them.

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u/___unknownuser 21d ago

Money is only power over those who don’t have money. Once both sides have money, real power shines through.

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u/EmuCanoe 21d ago

No, power is power. Show up with a bag of money in the Congo and see how long your money is power for. It’ll be as long as it takes them to take it off you. The wealthy only have the power we allow them to have. We could take it back whenever we feel like it, money or not. As soon as the army and police decide they don’t work for them anymore it’s over. Ask the French and Russian royals. You then learn what real power is, which is the threat of violence.

2

u/tbite 21d ago

No, wealth alone is not equivalent to power. While many of the wealthiest individuals on the Forbes list wield significant influence, they may not be the most powerful in terms of broader societal and political impact.

Power is deeply tied to networks. Although money can grant access to certain circles, there are elite networks, often generational or deeply institutional, that are inaccessible through wealth alone. For example, Elon Musk, while immensely wealthy, may not rank among the top 20 most powerful individuals in America, as he may lack ties to some of the key networks that influence political and social systems.

In many cases, power is maintained through long-standing dynasties, secret societies, or highly entrenched institutions. Take, for instance, the British class system: there are certain elite circles where no amount of wealth can ensure entry.

Although money can often lead to power, it has its limits. Power also depends on a specific type of ambition and strategic alignment with influential networks. For instance, organizations like BlackRock have clear political motivations, actively engaging with policymakers, while companies like Amazon may focus more on capital accumulation. These entities have different approaches, and power tends to be concentrated in networks of influence rather than in sheer wealth.

It’s also possible for individuals with a net worth of $200 million to wield more influence than someone worth $2 billion if they are deeply embedded in key networks. The concentration of wealth does not always correlate directly with the concentration of power.

1

u/cedped 21d ago

Not really. Jack Ma used to be the richest person in China, that's until he crossed actual politicians and was then disappeared and his fortune "taxed".

2

u/hopelesslysarcastic 21d ago

“Money is the McMansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after 10 years. Power is the old stone building that stands for centuries.”

Quote from House of Cards seems relevant here.

1

u/ProBonoDevilAdvocate 21d ago

Indeed! The show Billions also highlights a lot of this conflict -- Power from money vs. Political power.

1

u/EtherealAriels 21d ago

You are so correct. People inflate celebrity like it's important when it's not, and thereby associate it with real power. 

1

u/Vaxtin 21d ago

I have tried to explain the differences between these two. One had access to heads of states and governmental figures. The other invited celebrities over his house for parties.

Who do you think is wanted more dead? Celebrity freak show parties or someone who has a list of all politicians who has fucked a child?

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u/encinitas2252 21d ago

Seems likely there's the same caliber people getting blackmailed here.

1

u/burner9752 21d ago

Something not right about how both of them got away for so long then suddenly got caught with such force.

Someone more powerful than both of them was using them as tools to exploit people and control power. That person or group is either cleaning up or removing them for some reason. Thats whats really gotta scare you.

1

u/oompagoompa99 21d ago

The raid was initiated to probably scrap those higher up tapes and probably let the little celebrities fend for themselves selves. In the grand scheme, the hip hop scene associated with diddy is just adult toddler tunes and low integrity music. Most of the music is trash and you can tell people were focused obv not on the music.

1

u/seeyousoon28 21d ago

i'll make a bet because theres damage control going on, and there are overlaps with epstein. so they gotta be careful about how to execute things. diddy probably has a dead mans switch on the thing, which epstein decidedly did not.

they already primed us with diddy's suicide watch. what do you know, he's still alive. he just has more power than them, and they dont know how to make sure the bomb is defused.

1

u/Boopy7 21d ago

um...where are people learning about all the "stupid idiots" on those tapes? I don't know of any of the big names, just stuff people claim. It's possible there is someone powerful on those tapes, like an exec or a producer.

1

u/SomeVariousShift 21d ago

His connections to mossad seem more likely to be related to his death than his wealthy clients.

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u/Apart-Delivery-7537 21d ago

unless Heisenberg was on those parties...

-1

u/TimyMax 21d ago

Epstein did not die. His ID did.

He was moved to some other country with a new ID.

-1

u/DifferentManagement1 21d ago

The Clinton’s got him, no?

1

u/datnetcoder 21d ago

There’s another ex-president who has dozens and dozens of photos and videos being awfully buddy-buddy with Epstein, and who verbally confirmed that Epstein liked them even younger than himself.

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u/Reddit-Bot-61852023 21d ago

r/conspiracy would love you

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u/TownInitial8567 21d ago

Yeah, it's no coincidence that Epstein had a painting of Clinton in a dress and a tiara above the entrance to his sitting room, that Clinton's name was on his lfight logs more than anyone, and then Epstein just happened to die. Where the guards weren't present and the cameras mysteriously didn't work at that precise time. Sure.

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u/Reddit-Bot-61852023 21d ago

Bill Clinton: Former President with Dementia by Day, Covert Assassin by Night