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April 29, 2015 by Ted 25 Comments

Nick Hanauer: Beware, fellow plutocrats, the pitchforks are coming

Nick Hanauer is a rich guy, an unrepentant capitalist — and he has something to say to his fellow plutocrats: Wake up! Growing inequality is about to push our societies into conditions resembling pre-revolutionary France. Hear his argument about why a dramatic increase in minimum wage could grow the middle class, deliver economic prosperity ... and prevent a revolution.

Watch more TED Talks on inequality: http://www.ted.com/topics/inequality

TED Talks is a daily podcast of talks and performances from TED events, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.

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Video Rating: 4 / 5

Filed Under: Plutocracy Tagged With: Beware, Coming, fellow, Hanauer, Nick, pitchforks, Plutocrats

Comments

  1. NoName NoFame says

    April 29, 2015 at 6:41 pm

    Nick Hanauer doesn’t seem to actually understand capitalism/ free market –
    the reason why we are in the mess we are in now is because of central banks
    artificially controlling interest rates – price control has never worked,
    and artificially keepign interest rates low is one form of most pernicious
    “price control” as it seeks to control the price of money itself – it
    always ends up blowing dangerous bubbles (tech bubble, housing bubble) and
    when it explodes, it’s always the middle class that gets destroyed.
    For remedy is NOT to introduce even more price control – that of wages –
    this will simply hasten the onset of hyper inflation which is inevitable
    with all the money printing going on around the world by the central banks
    already 

    Reply
  2. Jack L. Foole says

    April 29, 2015 at 6:43 pm

    Kill the Federal Reserve. Kill the IRS. Kill the NSA. Theres a start.

    Reply
  3. 88CrazyLegs88 says

    April 29, 2015 at 7:34 pm

    There won’t be pitchforks. There will be a police state. We already have
    one if you’ve payed attention to how many police brutality incidents happen
    daily. Things will get worse, but not for the mega-rich.

    The police see all citizens as potential threats. They have a militaristic
    mindset that every person out there is a criminal in some way. They can’t
    be reasoned with. The rich? Well, they are obviously unreasonable as you
    can see with the collapse of America happening right before your eyes.
    Education sucks. Infrastructure sucks. Our incarceration rate is the
    highest in human history (including Stalinist Russia and the Gulags). This
    is a recipe not for pitchforks, but for a totalitarian state.

    Americans don’t have the thinking capabilities to solve these problems (the
    rich Americans included). The Pentagon is preparing for the worst and
    climate change is an inevitability. Survival might just be put to the
    limits in the next 100 years.

    The human race needs something drastic to happen. Something huge. 

    Reply
  4. Daryl Christensen says

    April 29, 2015 at 7:37 pm

    “plutocrat
    NOUN
    a person whose power derives from their wealth.”

    #fordism #basicincome : If #incomeinequality not fixed, the outcome is
    either a #policestate or an #uprising 

    Reply
  5. Joshua Miller says

    April 29, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    He’s warning against pitchforks, goes for 20 minutes, and repeats a bit,
    but he makes some very solid logical points for a different capitalist
    system. 

    Reply
  6. Benjamin Yang says

    April 29, 2015 at 8:57 pm

    *A novel idea (5)*

    The subject matter is very contentious and have elicited quite a fierce
    debate in the comments section of the video but looking at it from the
    bigger picture the underlying message does have a pertinent point. That
    inequality is not necessary a good thing for the well-off. What do you
    think?

    —

    *Shared for free via **+Do Share*

    Reply
  7. commrade alex jones says

    April 29, 2015 at 9:19 pm

    the rich are looking at each other saying “who’s going first?”

    Reply
  8. Roxidius says

    April 29, 2015 at 10:02 pm

    What a pile of steaming crap!
    Capitalism does Not beat the alternative!
    The most socialistic region of the world is Scandinavia and North West
    Europe. They “just happen to be the most prosperous in the world as well”!

    The most capitalistic countries in the world, the capitalists paradises,
    are India, Indonesia, Brazil, Bangladesh, Nigeria, South Africa etc. And
    they “just happen to” have the most poor, and the biggest gap between the
    rich and poor. Also, in these countries, the wealth “just happens to” have
    concentrated at the hands of the fewest number of people.
    Capitalism IS the problem!

    How did they ever convince you that “a system where greed is good, where
    inhuman and unempathetic behavior is rewarded, where the winner takes it
    all, is good for us all”?!
    “Capitalists” like this are sitting at their desks and writing codes to
    hyper trade at the stock marked and steal Billions from us! This is legal
    theft under capitalism. Capitalism IS the problem!

    Reply
  9. michaelnew1962 says

    April 29, 2015 at 10:56 pm

    While I love his presentation, He neglects to point out or focus on the
    real problem with capitalism. Which is, very often profits are put before
    that which benefits humanity and this planet. Capitalism can only truly
    work in the long term if Humanity the nature of this planet are a placed at
    the top of the decision making process. To do otherwise MUST result in the
    harshed of penalties. 

    Reply
  10. Debunking Economics Series says

    April 29, 2015 at 11:17 pm

    If inequality is rising, then what convinces Nick Hanauer and others that
    it is the lower marginal tax rates?

    -Government has increased in size dramatically.
    -The rich pay an INCREASINGLY larger share of total federal taxes.
    -Welfare programs have increased by 16x in real terms in 40 years.

    At what point does one consider other alternative explanations?

    P.S. Taxes do NOT fund the federal government. Liberals with brains know
    this and they advocate LOWER tax rates. I.E. people that understand
    accounting and monetary operations with a liberal bias….

    D.E.S.

    Reply
  11. Gilberto Sepúlveda Bradford says

    April 29, 2015 at 11:48 pm

    Reply
  12. TheScorpioTechno says

    April 30, 2015 at 12:19 am

    +Aaron Kraaymaat watch this trust me!

    Reply
  13. Bry NIN says

    April 30, 2015 at 1:11 am

    The tremendous and still accelerating development of science and technology
    has not been accompanied by an equal development in social, economic, and
    political patterns…We are now…only beginning to explore the
    potentialities which it offers for developments in our culture outside
    technology, particularly in the social, political and economic fields. It
    is safe to predict that…such social inventions as modern-type Capitalism,
    Fascism, and Communism will be regarded as primitive experiments directed
    toward the adjustment of modern society to modern technology
    – Dr. Ralph Linton

    Reply
  14. Corn Fed says

    April 30, 2015 at 1:59 am

    Every politician and business owner needs to see this. 

    Reply
  15. MrJustonemorevoice says

    April 30, 2015 at 2:22 am

    So, who wants to bet when and how he will be discredited?

    Or he’s just a distraction to give people false hope that the rich care
    about them at all.

    Reply
  16. Trent England says

    April 30, 2015 at 2:24 am

    It would seem part of our modern reality, however, is that we can scale
    “problem solving” (Hanauer’s definition of capitalism). That is, we do not
    need as many problem solvers as we did 100 years ago to solve the same
    number of people’s problems. Thus we create incredible wealth using fewer
    people and thus the benefits of those solutions are more concentrated. I
    think Hanauer also neglects to reflect on the fact that Ford was not paying
    his employees more than the value those employees were creating. Ford’s
    story means nothing for a business with a 1% margin where wages and
    benefits are the biggest expense.

    Reply
  17. aFreeman0409 says

    April 30, 2015 at 2:35 am

    Maybe an analogy would help people?

    If everyone sits down to a game of poker, doesn’t everyone have the same
    chance to win the pot? Everyone’s stake can be different but the risks
    taken increase the reward for the winners. The bets can be bigger each time
    if you have an increased income during the game. There will be loses, and
    it may take time, but you have the same chances. But the chances of getting
    rich get much better when the big betters keep betting big. So what happens
    when the big betters are NOT allowed to bet small anymore?

    Now compare this to Vegas:

    Who wins?

    The house, everytime, because the game is designed to make everyone poor,
    except one. Doesn’t matter how much is bet or how many bet, the house wins
    most all the time.

    Reply
  18. Jon Snow says

    April 30, 2015 at 3:33 am

    That won’t happen because the typical Joe was conditioned to never question
    his country, its called “patriotism” and if he breaks this sacred bond he
    will be labelled as traitor or mocked for being UN-american. 

    Reply
  19. DerMacDuff says

    April 30, 2015 at 3:56 am

    This man is a real hero !!

    Reply
  20. 123abcbruce says

    April 30, 2015 at 4:00 am

    The solutions are easy.

    There just has to be the will power and foresight to legislate the
    necessary changes.
    —–
    Tax the rich more, so it is more fair tax system, and invest more in small
    and medium sized, local businesses.
    —–
    Invest in permaculture methods and local sustainable agriculture and
    livestock, which will create more jobs, and provide healthier, tastier,
    more local and more nutritious fruits, vegetables, nuts and meats, and
    create more jobs.

    As well, it will conserve water, replenish water sheds, increase
    bio-diversity, replenish soils and create communities.

    More local economies means less destruction of natural resources and true
    environmental consideration. It is obvious that global companies don’t have
    any consideration for the land, resources or people.
    —–
    The industrial machine has gone to far with mechanization. Now there
    aren’t enough farmers and the average age of the ones there are is getting
    higher, so there won’t be enough people to replace them.
    —–
    Invest in green technologies, solar, wind, higher yielding oil plants for
    biodiesel, more efficient housing (low or no energy use housing relying on
    thermal mass, not just just short site industries focussing blindly on
    insulation and furnace efficiencies).
    —–
    Prioritize local businesses over large multinational companies, which don’t
    have any consideration or respect for local resources, municipalities or
    its people.
    —–
    Reverse the use of migrant workers, insist on a better wage and grow a
    local working class for farms and factories.
    —–
    It’s a matter of looking at the big picture and using more efficient and
    more all encompassing solutions to, first grow community, increase profits
    and increase jobs.

    Reply
  21. John FitzPatrick Leisen says

    April 30, 2015 at 4:19 am

    Nick Hanauer: Beware, fellow plutocrats, the pitchforks are coming:
    http://youtu.be/q2gO4DKVpa8 via REALITY,!

    Reply
  22. laughs says

    April 30, 2015 at 4:22 am

    Interesting presentation though ‘plutocrats’ to me mean those who are
    consciously using their wealth to control governments and economics for
    their ongoing wealth but I think he’s right in that at some point even
    those wealthy who don’t want overt control will be lumped together as ‘evil
    plutocracy’, unless there is a change in our governmental/economic system.
    I wish that his description of capitalism was true: “people solving other
    people’s problems”, it tends to be more like people making money off of
    managing other people and convincing them to buy things they don’t really
    need and gaining private management with obscene income production of
    things they do need. Glad to hear his views on min wage and top
    administration. I think CEO’s and top salaries should be restricted with
    the only chance of going beyond the caps proportionate to the increase of
    the wages of the lower salaried positions.

    Reply
  23. Dorothy SavedByGrace says

    April 30, 2015 at 4:39 am

    Banned TED talk full version!

    Reply
  24. Linda Klase says

    April 30, 2015 at 5:00 am

    Henry Kissinger: “If You Can’t Hear the Drums of War You Must Be Deaf”
    http://www.globalresearch.ca/accurate-satire-henry-kissinger-if-you-can-t-hear-the-drums-of-war-you-must-be-deaf/28610
    

    Reply
  25. Izzy Batty says

    April 30, 2015 at 5:39 am

    i have an idea… don’t wait for the pitchforks. sell your yacht and your
    fancy house, give your money to the homeless or others who have been
    completely ditched and forgotten by your so called “revolutionary
    capitalism” and go live somewhere like the rest of us do, if the worst that
    could happen to you is selling fruit on the side of the road barefoot then
    i don’t think a normal mortgage would be that bad.
    and if that seems a bit drastic, you could at least pull some strings at
    amazon and the other companies you own and actually pay your taxes IN FULL
    without pushing most of your profits off shore.
    and build a few school, and fund free education and health care.

    sincerely,
    most of us.

    Reply

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