George Soros has a long and storied track record of being all villains to all people. Nobody that rich, and that meddlesome in international affairs - through his massive, market-influencing hedge-fund bets against national currencies, or via his multi-billion dollar 'Open Society' philanthropy in 50-plus countries - could avoid being fitted for devil's horns on a daily basis. ... Until very recently, you could place most of Soros' fiercest critics in categories marked 'paranoid' and 'anti-democratic.' In 1990s Central Europe, where he and his various organizations were ubiquitous presences (at least in the cosmopolitan capital cities), reaction to Soros was a useful if crude indicator of a politician's basic orientation. ... But now, Slavic autocrats have been joined in red-faced George-bashing by two new overlapping groups: American conservatives, and hawkish friends of Israel. ... Thus we now have the spectacle of one of the world's most active and influential anti-communists (not to mention one of its most successful capitalists) being tarred as a particularly dangerous friend of Marx and Lenin.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The text describes how Soros is viewed differently by various political groups over time.
- In plain terms
- Rich people who influence politics often face harsh criticism from many sides.
- What can you take from it?
- Public figures with wealth and influence attract diverse and intense scrutiny.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does wealth affect public trust?
- Why do critics target influential figures?
Another view
The text reflects specific historical periods and might not apply universally.
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Permalink to quote #83 All these countries [in East Asia] have spent 40 years trying to build up their economies and a moron like Soros comes along with a lot of money to speculate a…
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