I didn’t see any mention of how the actual “rich people” have changed from a hundred years ago to today. The industrialists of yesteryear tended to care about what high society valued and subsequently funded cultural projects. Carnegie Hall (essentially the top destination for classical musicians) or the Carnegie Library system are prime examples.
Compare that to today, where many of the newly rich are from tech or finance. They don’t seem to care at all about supporting culture or the arts, instead focusing on politics, medicine, or their own pet causes.
This has to be a major factor, and also explains why Bezos Hall or Gates University of the Arts seem like completely implausible things to exist today.
Compare that to today, where many of the newly rich are from tech or finance. They don’t seem to care at all about supporting culture or the arts, instead focusing on politics, medicine, or their own pet causes.
This has to be a major factor, and also explains why Bezos Hall or Gates University of the Arts seem like completely implausible things to exist today.