this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2025
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[–] TheReanuKeeves@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Does becoming uber rich make people do weird stuff or do people who are into weird stuff have the abnormal drive to be uber rich?

[–] vaguerant@fedia.io 8 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I'm mostly talking out of my ass, but I wonder if the access to copious amounts of hard drugs and alcohol that comes with money plays some part in it. Seeing if there's anything to substantiate that idea, here's a review of prior studies on the subject: Substance misuse and substance use disorders in sex offenders: A review.

The following is an excerpt from Table 1. History of substance abuse among sex offenders: retrospective file research:

Study N Sample(s) Outcome measure (%)
Tzeng et al. (1999) 532 Child molesters Substance abuse 51.3
Alcohol misuse 27.3
Cocaine misuse 5.3
Other drug misuse 14.0
Looman et al. (2004) 25 Child molesters Alcohol misuse 66.7
Drug misuse 41.7
Carlstedt et al. (2005) 70 Child molesters with pedophilia Substance abuse 23
103 Child molesters without pedophilia Substance abuse 33

(No, I don't know what "child molesters without pedophilia" means.)

It basically continues like this. You can read the study yourself, but there does appear to be at least some correlation with drug and alcohol abuse when it comes to child molestation. Speaking anecdotally, I have also heard that cocaine use can lead to engaging in riskier sex acts that might not be appealing while sober.

I have no experience using cocaine, but being drunk has never made me want to sexually abuse children, so I suspect there must be some other personal defect which leads to these kinds of behaviors, with drugs/alcohol reducing inhibitions. Obviously, drug and alcohol use does not explain disgustingly rich people being disgustingly horrible creeps on its own, but it might be in the mix.

[–] LetterboxPancake@sh.itjust.works 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Being drunk not only ~~didn't~~ doesn't make me want to sexually abuse children, being that drunk would prevent any possible action. And weed has never made me a pedo as well.

[–] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

In my misspent youth I did a lot of cocaine. Not 80s business man amounts, but regionally touring rock band amounts. I was also regularly binge drinking. Not once did I have the urge to abuse a child in any way. That much cocaine did short circuit my inhibitions and I engaged in a lot of risky behaviors that I wouldn't have otherwise but there wasn't a single time that I looked at a kid and thought about them in any way except as a kid. In fact, if someone showed up with a kid while I was high I would leave because I didn't want kids to see that.

I think it has something to do with the taboo nature of it. If you're rich you can get away with more and more depraved shit. So eventually you turn to raping kids as one of the most depraved things a person can do.

I'm explaining it badly but basically it's a ladder of behavior proving what they can get away with because to them it means they have power. Drugs happen to be a (lower) step on that ladder from their point of view. Can I get away with driving too fast or impaired? Cheating? Can I force my significant other into a threesome they don't want? Drugs? And so on until it's diddling kids, hunting people for sport, or eating the brains of live humans who are restrained in a table built for that purpose.

[–] TheReanuKeeves@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

What an odd study

[–] TheKracken@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

I think it's a bit of both. You need to have low morals or be a narcissist just to become Uber rich since it's inherently exploitative to make that much money. Then once you have the money you are protected from most things because you can pay money to make it go away. So then you start getting into weirder and weirder things, or it just becomes more of your focus since you can afford anything you want.

[–] CanadaRocks@piefed.ca 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Like the saying goes "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"

Thats what happens when you have a king instead of a president.

[–] Kalothar@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 days ago

Power doesn’t corrupt, power reveals

[–] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

A little of both.

You tend to do what the people around you do. If I'm in a religious person's home I'm going to act differently than I would in a rowdy bar.

[–] TheReanuKeeves@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I don't think most people could be peer pressured into pedoing though

[–] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 2 points 3 days ago

"Of course all these girls are over 18 and none of them are being coerced in any way."

[–] altkey@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 days ago