Alleged context: Polish CEO Piotr Szczerek’s company review bombed after taking child’s hat at usopen.

  • kautau@lemmy.world
    50·
    1 month ago

    Yeah look at the grin on his face, he enjoys knowing that he has it and others don’t, he enjoyed grabbing it from that kid, and he’ll smile anytime he looks at it or tells the story about how he took it. This is the mentality of the vast majority of CEOs

    • Victor@lemmy.world
      716·
      1 month ago

      This is the mentality of the vast majority of CEOs

      Is that truly knowable?

      • kibiz0r@midwest.socialEnglish
        37·
        1 month ago

        Experimentally, yes.

        https://www.npr.org/2014/04/04/295360962/does-money-make-you-mean

        Paul Piff is a social psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley. He studies how wealth — or the lack of wealth — can affect behavior.

        His studies include running rigged games of Monopoly, tracking how those who drive expensive cars behave behind the wheel, and even determining that rich people are more likely to take candy from children than the less well-off. He writes, “I have been finding that increased wealth and status in society lead to increased self-focus and, in turn, decreased compassion, altruism, and ethical behavior.”

        • Victor@lemmy.world
          82·
          1 month ago

          Did they also do any research into some kind of local proportion to their surroundings where the ratio of wealth had a cutoff point where people became less “human”, as I will call it? Like for instance, I’m doing quite well financially, a lot better than my friends. But I’m not any different towards them since this started. Maybe I’d become less caring and compassionate once I reach a certain point? Once I get enough money?

          Also curious about the correlation vs causation in that quote:

          finding that increased wealth and status in society lead to increased self-focus and, in turn, decreased compassion, altruism, and ethical behavior

          • Tinidril@midwest.socialEnglish
            7·
            1 month ago

            The Monopoly test seems to cover the causation question pretty well. Select one player at random and give them extra money or property at the start of the game, with all players being aware. The advantaged players become more anti-social in their play, and after the game will self-rate their “skill” level much higher than the disadvantaged players, downplaying the impact of their advantage.

                • Victor@lemmy.world
                  2·
                  1 month ago

                  Like, even for that small period of time? Thinking you have skill when you don’t makes you a piece of shit? Makes you greedy? Makes you take shit from children?

                  The Monopoly test is interesting and all, but I question its scientific validity. Is it transferable to all CEOs, and even a very wealthy CEO. Is the behavior even translatable to the behaviors we are attributing CEOs here? I don’t even know.

                  I think we all hate giga-CEOs (yes me too) and can get blinded by that hate a little bit.

                  • Tinidril@midwest.socialEnglish
                    5·
                    1 month ago

                    “piece of shit” is your term, not mine or the study’s. If you want to know more, it’s on the Interwebs. What I will say is that feeling like they have earned what they have because they are inherently better than others is pretty core to the CEO pathology.

      • shawn1122@sh.itjust.works
        18·
        1 month ago

        Power and wealth are associated with the dark triad (narcissism, machiavellianism, psychopathy). This has been known since the time of monarchies and before.

        • Victor@lemmy.world
          33·
          1 month ago

          Right, but when we say “the vast majority of CEOs”, were talking about a lot of CEOs. Remember, there are a lot of people who run small businesses who aren’t extremely wealthy who are still CEO of their company. I doubt the “vast majority” of them are pieces of shit like this guy.

          • shawn1122@sh.itjust.works
            5·
            1 month ago

            I would argue that aspiring to power and wealth, making it your sole purpose in life, creates the necessary conditions for the dark triad to take root. So essentially every CEO has a little of this inside them, mainly because they’re more beholden to capital than to treating people / animals / the earth well or fairly.

            • Victor@lemmy.world
              12·
              1 month ago

              Your comment is making a lot of assumptions here, I barely know where to start.

              aspiring to power and wealth

              Bundling them together might not be necessary. I myself aspire to have (enough) wealth, like we all do. That doesn’t mean I’m interested in power as well.

              Aspiring to have wealth doesn’t really mean you have to make it your sole purpose in life either.

              Then you assume every CEO aspires to have wealth and power. Both. Not necessarily true. Just because you have your own business doesn’t mean you aspire to have wealth, even. You could be running a laundromat or something making ends meet month by month, but you’re happy with that, and you’re the CEO. All possible and plausible. And you care for your employees.

              Plenty of businesses/CEOs want to treat their employees well as well. Especially the small ones. They are still CEOs though.

              You see where I’m getting at? Having the stamp of “CEO” I think is irrelevant. I think it’s more about acquiring enough power through wealth that is the real danger. Now, mostly CEOs get to do that, but #notallCEOs. Definitely not the “vast majority”.