The Vunerability of the Rich Sport and music have given birth to a new breed of young and trendy millionaires. By their mid twenties they have amassed a fortune and are well on track to becoming billionaires by the time they reach forty. One such person is Robbie Williams,his recent record deal with EMI is reported to be worth £80 million, making it the biggest record deal in British history. David Beckham’s lucrative deals with Pepsi Adidas and Marks & Spencer have made him the wealthiest sportsman under the age of 30. However, they all have a bit of catching up to do if they want to overtake Sir Paul McCartney who still remains the richest figure in the UK music world. He’s thought to be worth £715 million. Nevertheless, wealth and fame bring their vulnerability and pain. As the gap between the rich and poor widens, the superrich are becoming more marginalised, so much so that they have to live almost like prisoners in their own homes. After baby Romeo was born, Victoria Beckham was deprived of walking out of the front door of the hospital with her new son; she had to leave via a back entrance to avoid the media attention. The paparazzi might be tiresome but they are harmless. What is emerging is a highly developed and sophisticated underground world of crime that is targeting the superrich. As seen in Germany recently with the aristocratic von Metzler family who are one of the wealthiest families. Their 11-year-old son was found dead in a lake after a £630,000 ransom was paid for his release. Mexico’s biggest female pop stair, Thalia, has also become a victim of wealth vulnerability. A gang kidnapped two of her sisters and have demanded one million US dollars. Kidnapping has now become the norm in Argentina. People can be taken from their cars and not released until a ransom is paid. Failure to do so can result in death. Ransoms can range from 1000 US dollars to hundreds of thousands. Although the rich are a bit safer in the UK they are still vulnerable. London is now one of the worst places for crime the streets of our capital city and it is not only the rich they target. Last year I had my laptop stolen whilst at Victoria Train Station. It happened so quickly that I didn’t even see the person take it. When I went to report it to the transport place, they said: "oh no not an other one." Although kidnapping is still rare in this country, it is rising in many parts of the world and could be the new threat to the superrich of Europe. What is certainly on the rise is car jack assault and theft, as experienced by Liza Minelli. A few months ago, while honeymooning in London, she was attacked as her car was stopped at the traffic lights; three youths tried to grab her necklace through the open window. The wealthy also need to breath the fresh air but even that might now be at a price. However, one solution is to give their wealth away and redress the balance between people. |
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