While billions of people around the world have been affected, on way or another, by the Coronavirus pandemic, capitalists are becoming richer. While the world's working class is suffering from increasing exploitation, mass layoffs, decline in living standards and lockdowns, the big capital enjoys more and more profits. The 2021 Forbes list of billionaires is quite revealing about the situation:
“The number of billionaires on Forbes’ 35th annual list of the world’s wealthiest exploded to an unprecedented 2,755 — 660 more than a year ago. Of those, a record high 493 were new to the list — roughly one every 17 hours.
“The number of billionaires on Forbes’ 35th annual list of the world’s wealthiest exploded to an unprecedented 2,755 — 660 more than a year ago. Of those, a record high 493 were new to the list — roughly one every 17 hours.
Another 250 who’d fallen off in the past came roaring back. A staggering 86% are richer than a year ago. Jeff Bezos is the world’s richest for the fourth year running, worth $177 billion, while Elon Musk rocketed into the number two spot with $151 billion, as Tesla and Amazon shares surged.
Altogether these billionaires are worth $13.1 trillion, up from $8 trillion in 2020.”
Just for the record, the 10 richest parasites in the world are:
1. Jeff Bezos (Amazon), $177 billion.
2. Elon Must (Tesla, SpaceX), $151 billion.
3. Bernard Arnault (LVMH), $150 billion.
4. Bill Gates (Microsoft), $124 billion.
5. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), $97 billion.
6. Warren Buffet (Berkshire Hathaway), $96 billion.
7. Larry Ellison (software), $93 billion.
8. Larry Page (Google), $91.5 billion.
9. Sergey Brin (Google), $89 billion.
10. Mukesh Ambani (diversified), $84.5 billion.
The capitalist system itself is the great plague of our world. The virus of capitalism is the one that creates and perpetuates exploitation, poverty, impoverishment, deep inequalities and wars.