4.8 • 725 Ratings
🗓️ 19 July 2021
⏱️ 78 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Especially in our current climate, few topics trigger as strong (and polarizing) of a reaction as money; and the only thing more triggering than earned money is family money which someone’s born into. That's why we're going to talk about it. Despite its inarguable ability to provide comfort, money does NOT buy happiness. Oftentimes - especially when inherited - it actually creates destructive mental health problems and a complete lack of self identity. Because in a capitalist Western society where “life purpose” revolves around pursuing money, who are you if you don’t have to?
This week, we hear from men and women who grew up in the 1% of the 1%. For every story about $16,000 plane tickets, diamond & ruby family heirlooms, shopping sprees and lunches with celebrities, there’s one about insurmountable pressure to succeed, toxic relationships with parents, forced religion-based marriages (!), and existential, incurable sadness. In the words of Biggie, “mo money, mo problems?” That’s for you to decide. (Written submissions start at 14:48, voice notes at 38:00)
~ Tales of Taboo is produced and narrated by Ali Weiss. Follow Ali on Instagram & TikTok @aliweissworld. Audio production by Zoe Kuhlkin. Theme song by Chris Stathopolous. Cover photo by Erika Flynn. Cover art by Kristen Montenegro. GOT A SECRET TO GET OFF YOUR CHEST? Share your own confession - or thoughts and feedback - at [email protected].
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0:00.0 | The |
0:07.0 | The So if you don't all know by now, you must have figured out that I am a big cheerleader for honesty. |
0:43.9 | That's the value that my show revolves the most around. It's what all of my work revolves around. You know, honesty even in the face of discomfort or pushback or even |
0:53.7 | brutal downright rejection. |
0:57.5 | And this week, I want to get really fucking real, really, really, really real about a subject |
1:06.4 | that makes nearly every person on the Western Hemisphere of this planet clutch their pearls, |
1:13.6 | so to speak. |
1:16.0 | You know, especially over the past year and a half, we've seen that life is nothing more than |
1:22.9 | a Black Mirror episode. |
1:25.1 | Yeah, it's a scary and deeply unjust simulation. And it's difficult not to get |
1:36.6 | really hung up on why some people have so much and others have so little. I'm referring to like basic fundamental rights and |
1:48.8 | privilege and with that freedom and of course money. Money. Money is an incredibly taboo subject, even for people who have a lot of it. You know, |
2:06.5 | it may even be more taboo for them, or I should say, for us. And it's especially taboo for people |
2:17.0 | who didn't earn that money themselves, but rather were born |
2:22.6 | into it, grew up with it. You know, like what did we, the descendants of privileged people, do to |
2:31.4 | deserve what we have? Well, absolutely nothing. If your parents are totally self-made, |
2:40.2 | you can feel really, really proud of them while also feeling a complete sense of self-loathing. |
2:48.3 | And you can feel immensely grateful for the opportunities that money has |
2:53.2 | afforded you even kind of like you know obsessed with these opportunities maybe even get |
2:59.2 | lost in the sauce as they say while also being existentially depressed and anxious |
3:07.3 | because of that money. |
3:11.4 | You know, before anyone has the chance to ask, I want to say why I felt inclined to do this |
... |
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