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New York medical school eliminates tuition after $1bn gift (www.bbc.com)

submitted 8 months ago by Oofnik@kbin.social to c/news@kbin.social

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The record-breaking donation came from a 93-year-old former professor, who is the widow of a wealthy investor.

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[–] DessertStorms@kbin.social 3 points 8 months ago (3 children)

how to be a good billionaire

No such thing. You cannot get to that point without trampling all over and exploiting others.

give it all away at the first opportunity

Similarly, a person who would do this wouldn't hoard enough to qualify in the first place

[–] aluminiumsandworm@kbin.social 3 points 8 months ago

yeah fair. it seems like she got the money from her husband, but still. getting that money in the first place is inherently unethical

[–] admiralteal@kbin.social 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

It takes far less money than a billion dollars be able to make world-changing charitable donations. You could, say, fund a light rail system (yes, even in a decently-sized city) or housing for every homeless person in your home town for vastly less than that.

There's only so much you can invest in yourself and your personal hobbies before there is nothing more you can realistically buy. Any normal, reasonable person, once already confronted with a luxurious lifestyle for themselves and their loves ones that will last forever, looks at all their extra money and decides it would make them feel good to make those world-changing charitable donations. And so they do it.

I'm sure everyone's point of balancing anxiety and lifestyle is different... but any reasonable person, it's WAY before they hit a billion.

In short: a normal person starts wildly giving away their wealth long before they become a billionaire. You have to be some kind of antisocial weirdo not to.

[–] Maven@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

If you read the summary, she didn't hoard it. Her husband did, and she gave it away pretty much immediately after he died.

[–] DessertStorms@kbin.social 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

Lol, right, I'm sure she lived a life of poverty in a shack round the back of his mansion and had nothing to do with those ill-gotten billions and the privileges they bring.. 🙄🙄

[–] Kage520@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Wtf is wrong with Lemmy lol. "You didn't give away all your wealth fast enough! Bad person."

[–] DdCno1@kbin.social 1 points 8 months ago

Do you want the short list or the long one?

[–] livus@kbin.social 1 points 8 months ago

Idk, maybe she played the long game.

Her husband has turned into a sociopathic wealth hoarder

divorce or
keep her head down so she can redistribute all of it when he's gone.

Seems like she made a legit choice to me. I'd rather someone did the right thing late than not at all - I'd save my ire for the people who don't.