this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2024
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I agree with you generally, but narrowing the scope to serj specifically I'm not 100% on the same page. You say he's a class traitor, but that's assuming he's in the same class as you and I. His net worth is apparently ~$20 million. Are you a multi-millionaire? I know I'm not. He's simply not in the same social class as you and I. As I said earlier, the relationship of violence and coercion (which is only part of the issue) that makes renting problematic. He's taking money from people in the same class as himself. If anything, the idea that he's taking money from other wealthy people and (presumably) and funneling it to progressive causes should be a point of reassurance. I don't personally view it that way and I definitely see the red flags but I'm being hypothetical-ish here.
Serj isn't personally responsible for homelessness and poverty and he could (I would argue has an obligation to) be doing more. It is an indictment of our system, you're absolutely right. But is it an indictment of him specifically?
If other rich people are paying for another rich person's mortgage, I don't personally have a big issue with it. It's money changing hends between two people in a similar position. Again, the rent is 6,000 dollars a month. That's 3x what I make in month working 60 hours a week in public service. I don't feel bad that a rich person is fleecing another rich person. It happens all the time and it's either inconsiquential or very, very mildly helpful to the left in general.
To your last section, that looks like beneficial virtue signaling to me. That landlord has a direct impact on the livelihoods of people like you and I, serj doesn't. If he were serious about expressing solidarity he would do something akin to rent to own for his tenants or give them equity in his business.
Land lords are shitty. You're right. Serj is doing a shitty thing by renting his house. Considering the context in which this shitty thing is taking place, who it's affecting, I don't think it's as shitty as you think it is. We could extrapolate and put all of our problems on serj tankian but that doesn't do much. It's the system we're within and the selective pressures at play to blame, not this specific individual. If we were talking about someone like Larry fink (CEO of blackrock) I'd be with you, but we're not