“Charles Koch on the right, or George Soros on the left, have altered the public policy. More than $10 Billion a year is devoted to ideological persuasion in the US alone. “ 6
The idea that a philanthropist’s money is their own to do as they please is deep-rooted. Some philosophers argue that each individual has full ownership rights over their resources – and that a rich person’s only responsibility is to use their resources wisely. John Rawls, one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century, saw justice as a matter of fairness. He argued that citizens discharge their moral responsibility when they contribute their fair share of the taxes governments use to care for the poor and vulnerable. The better-off are then free to dispose of the rest of their income as they like. But what the rich are giving away in their philanthropy is not entirely their money. Tax relief adds the money of ordinary citizens to the causes chosen by wealthy individuals. Depending almost wholly on capitalist charity, American culture equals the Third World countries. Philanthropy culture is terrible for society in the long term. First, philanthropists come from the dominant social class and do not want equity, diversity, and inclusion. In the second place, foundations cannot guarantee long-term cultural and social policies because they depend on the profit of the donor. The rich fund arts because of profit tax benefits, no gain, no culture. Socially and culturally important tendencies could be missed in a bad economic period. Foundations can not take risks and foresee creative processes because they are not cultural but corporate institutions. The culture of philanthropy is a thesis with no antithesis, which makes development impossible. Museums accumulate a donor-dependent heritage and shape cultural history for upcoming generations.
Nedko Bucev August 2022
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