Not sure if “ultra-rich” is the right label, since there are probably some of them who are good people, but I’m referring to the likes of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, etc.

I’m just wondering: do people like them watch movies or TV shows, or read books? In so much of popular media, people like them (i.e. rich, powerful, unsympathetic) are usually cast as the villain.

If they have any self-awareness and do consume popular media, surely they would know they are (edit: seen as) the bad guys?

My guess is that they simply don’t consume popular media and instead wind down by doing cliche rich people activities (e.g. attend parties of only the rich, partake in expensive sports)

I tried doing a quick internet, but didn’t find an answer that confirms my thoughts, so I gave up and turned to Lemmy.

  • zbyte64@awful.systems
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    13 hours ago

    Consider that many people who watched the Joker and idolize him didn’t get that the movie was speaking against the character. Fascists don’t understand camp, and so they don’t get that it’s a critique unless the director explicitly tells them so.

  • Deceptichum@quokk.au
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    1 day ago

    Bezos bought the Expanse to save the series so he could keep watching it.

    Musk does lots of nerdy shit like dressing as Iron Man or referencing Star Trek.

    So yeah at least with sci-fi they consume it.

    • Schmoo@slrpnk.net
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      20 hours ago

      Bezos just had to know what the true hero of the story, Jules-Pierre Mao, would get up to next.

  • Acamon@lemmy.world
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    22 hours ago

    The Queen apparently watched the amazing 80s Flash Gordon movie every Christmas. And it’s about overthrowing a tyrannical monarch…

  • Free_Opinions@feddit.uk
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    1 day ago

    surely they would know they are (edit: seen as) the bad guys?

    This is a popular view only on left-wing social media. The vast majority of people just see them as wealthy individuals, without thinking of them as particularly bad. If I didn’t visit Lemmy, I wouldn’t even know how many people dislike them. Everywhere else, I mostly see people looking up to them. Criticism does exist, of course, but it’s usually focused on specific traits - like Elon’s Twitter addiction - rather than condemning them as a whole.

    To answer your question, Elon Musk plays a lot of Diablo IV and is actually quite good at it. He claims to be in the global top 20, though that’s debatable and hard to verify. However, he is ranked in the top 20 on the leaderboard at helltides.com.

  • infinite_ass@leminal.space
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    24 hours ago

    The center of the bell curve. The most popular of popular media. The true fast food. Probably not.

    Because being rich frees you from many of the stresses and concerns that define the populace. Your tastes are different then.

    The edger case? Sure. Good art is good art, no matter how rich you are.

  • iii@mander.xyz
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    1 day ago

    In so much of popular media, people like them (i.e. rich, powerful, unsympathetic) are usually cast as the villain.

    If they have any self-awareness and do consume popular media, surely they would know they are the bad guys?

    I’m missing the connection between the first and second sentence. Or is it implied that, when something is presented in popular media, then that must be true?

  • Ogmios@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    Talked to a mason once who informed me that one of the first rules they have is to never watch TV or listen to the radio.

    Take that as you will.

    • phdepressed@sh.itjust.works
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      1 day ago

      I don’t think there are many Freemasons around anymore and most of lodges that remain have probably adapted their rules.

  • stoy@lemmy.zip
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    1 day ago

    I doubt they are skipping out on popular media, they probably even watch similar Youtube channels like you do if they happen to share your interests.