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As title: Who is the most powerful person in the world?
The way the world is connected right now, any number of people could drastically influence people on the other side of the globe with a seemingly unrelated decision. This is not to even mention the effect they could have in their own country.
The idea for this thread came from last week, when just rumors of Alan Greenspan's health problems dropped the stock market.
Meeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!! HA HA HA
no really... I bet we've never even heard of the guy, but I'd put jim carey and rupert murdock at the top of the list.
> jim carey
The hell? Why?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Govtcheez
Duh...like havent you seen Bruce Almighty!??!
Bruce Almighty is the worst movie for Jim Carrey
I think the most powerful man in the world is who knows more than anyone else in the world coz knowledge and science is the power
well, why not Bush? He is commander in chief, and whoever controlls US military might as well be god of the universe.
That's definitely a decent answer, but I was wondering if people had any other ideas.
John Paul II, well respected by world leaders and beloved by most of the world's Catholics.
Yeah, but does he really have power? If he told the Catholics out there to do something silly (like not playing or watching sports on Sunday), they'd probably ignore him. The world leaders certainly wouldn't give a crap.
Power can be indirect. While people would probabily ignore a silly comment like that, if he said proclaimed that homosexuality was not immoral the effects would be great.
You really can't say one person is the most powerful since power is localized.
But that's kinda what I meant in my first post. If Alan Greenspan suddenly came on CNN and said that the dollar would be replaced by Skittles, millions (billions, even) of people would be affected.
Hows the leader of China? USA dont mess with China. They have more men than Americans have Big Macs!
If Alan Greenspan said that it really wouldn't effect anyone since he doesn't have that authority :)
And affecting X number of people does not really relate to power.
The guy who threatened to jump off of the bay bridge in Oakland/San Fransico tied up traffic for over 12 hours and effected millions of people. Does that mean he's powerful?
No, because it didn't affect them for more than a little while. If Greenspan said something bad about interest rates, the stock market could crash, which certainly wouldn't do anything to help markets in Europe or Asia.
But that affect would only last for a little while in the great scheme of things.
Granted Greenspan is a powerful man but I wouldn't call him the most powerful.
This Greenspan bloke (?) is obviously not powerful, as I dont know who the hell you are talking about. I would rather slap him about than the leader of China. Why no replies to my post?
Just 'cos China is quiet at the moment alters nothing. Power does not have to be loud!
> This Greenspan bloke (?) is obviously not powerful, as I dont know who the hell you are talking about.
He's the financial god of the US
China is definitely a force to be reckoned with, yeah.
Our economics teacher says that Greenspan is the 3rd most powerful in the world. Fountain you need to keep up with your politics.
I think it has to go back to Silvercord's answer. The US controls a lot of what happens worldwide, whether you'd like to believe it or not. Being fresh off a trip to Europe, I can back this statement up. US culture is embedded in a small manner in France, at least, and I'd be willing to bet it's the same in the rest of Europe.
What was the #1 question asked to me by all Frenchman/women that I met that had the time to ask it? They wanted to know my opinion on Bush. People watch his every move. That is undeniable. Why? Because in some shape or form, the President of the US affects the entire world with his decisions.
To me, that is power. And to me, the office of the President of the US holds the most power in this world.
This is obviously a hard question, and greenspan is probably near the top of the list. Unfortunately I don't think that there is ONE single most powerful person. But I'm curious as no one thus far brought up the issue of OIL. Wouldn't it makes sense, that the one who controls oil and other natural resources would be the most powerful?
So you claim the leader of OPEC is most powerful? They only produce 1/3 of the world's oil, so you could hardly assume that they have the MOST power. Granted, OPEC could hurt a lot of countries very quickly... but so could Bush. OPEC will hurt you in the pocket. Bush could make your country a big hole in the ground.
If you are looking for some less obvious people that are still influential, then perhaps Tony Blair? I base that on the fact that Britain seems to back us up, no matter what the situation is.
he's the most powerful guy ever. he was completely destroyed on american idol and he's still kicking. this guy is unstoppable.
http://www.williamhung.net/
ok seriously tho... i think world leaders and members of the media have the most control in the world altho i can't really say one person specifically does. at the same time whoever controls given resources has a lot of power. even joe blow at your local power station is pretty darn powerful in his own right.
For media i guess Murdoch(sp?) would rank pretty high.
Bush may seem to have a lot of power, but, theoretically, doesn't Congress have more power than him? And the Supreme Court?
Congress can veto just about anything he wants to happen and the Court can declare things constitutional or not, right?
Ideally all three parts have equal parts.
>>Ideally all three parts have equal parts
KEY WORD - IDEALLY
Thats why I put it in there :)
The single most powerful person in the world is the person who occupies the office of president of the United States of America, and this has been so for almost a century now. President George W. Bush wields an imperium even the most ambitious Roman emperors could not dream of. Whole nations crumble because the President has decided the status quo in some country may have a negative effect on America's vital interests.
Those of us who recognize the awe-striking divine power of the President indeed worship Him, and our cult is Patriotism. We protect our symbols, the American Flag in particular, because they represent nothing less than the President, who represents the overwhelming might of the United States of America. Some call us conservatives, but we want to do so much more than conserve America's role in world affairs: We want to ensure that America will be the sole superpower forever!
Holy crap, heil you. Most americans aren't that into it, I suggest calming down before your heart explodes.
EDIT:
just wondering, what are the odds that the USA could defeat China? I mean, they're got
A) a lot of people
B) relatively good technology (from what I understand, including nukes, but also conventional military)
C) a long distance between them and any potential support bases and supply lines
Obviously the Majestic Twelve, or the chair of Alluminati society. Together they control the wolrd. THEY are the most powerful people in the world, and you don't even kno wwho they are.
The only person who has more power than yourself is one that you let overpower you.
"Don't you know you're just another brick in the wall?"
Donald Trump
me duh, get back to admiring, peasant.
This is a very interesting and open ended topic for discussion i must admit. I do see that there could be a single most powerfull person in the world, but what would happen if such a person was to hold the full majority in the scheme of things, would not a potential revolution occur in the masses (and lesser powerful figures) banding together to form a greater whole to reduce the overwhelming power such a figure could hold?
Its just a question because for someone to hold so much power would they not have to encompass a diverse range of portfolios some including political office economic environment media and technology?
Is it possible for such one peson to dominate the various areas to such an extent that they actually could hold such an awe inspiring hold on the power of the world?
I just thought id throw a few more possibilities into the mix as i currently see that even the American president (as much power as he does hold) even has to answer to oversight parties and then the masses.
Please continue this on as im taking notes and planning world domination ;) (what a sad world it would be then)
(Oh its just a discussion dont worry i have enough trouble at home to deal with. How could i hold a position of power my g/f is on my case again :) )
sorry guys but definately not george bush. America is a democracy with a senate and some other house and george bush doesnt have absolute power. He is controlled by party politics and campaign funders like any other democratic politician. And if your anything like aus and uk if the house doesnt like his attitude they can vote no-confidence.
The leader of china ( whoever he is ) I would say maybe, being a socialist country he may have absolute power.
Otherwise in the 1st world, the Murdocks control the media. They could get anyone they want elected in australia or USA. I'd say that gives them a bit of power.
>>china vs us
lets just say i d want to be on the sidelines
EDIT: maybe the wife of the leader of china???
Well, it certainly depends on how you define power. Bush has the power to topple governments if the majority approves.
A terrorist has the power to kill you no matter who may or may not approve.
In other words: "I'm not afraid of the man who wants ten nuclear weapons, Colonel. I'm terrified of the man who only wants one."
Power is relative. My hairdresser probably has more power over my daily life than Mr. Bush. But then, actions of my hairdresser will hopefully not kill people.
You could also argue that the most powerful man ( or woman ) is someone who is not dependant on others. As noone has power over them, they must be the most powerful. Which would again favor fanatics who don't care if they live or die.
There probably is no "most powerful" being, as everyone can be killed by anyone else in a matter of seconds given the right circumstances. Power means avoiding those circumstances.
You guys realize that Bush can send troops wherever he wants without Congress's authorization, right? He only needs authorization to go to war. Except for this war in Iraq, that hasn't happened since WW2. Korea and Vietnam were both fought without Congress's approval.
Exactly. The ability to send troops anywhere in the world cannot make someone the most powerful person.Quote:
Originally Posted by nvoigt
Hey Govt, what is the point of declaring war then? I can understand why the president has that power, but if you can send this much power to wherever you want, who needs to actually declare war? Are there limitations to what you can do unless you declare war?
There is a difference between sending troops to another country and telling those troops to shoot.
Jane Fonda. i'd bet she's got to be in the top 5, if not first! i mean, she has some major brainwashing powers. how many people do you know can make people believe pieces of their body will dissappear by walking up some steps? yeah, you know i'm right.
P.S if you by chance DO NOT KNOW(shame on you) who Jana Fonda is. check this:
http://www.collagevideo.com/Fonda/fonda.asp
Technically there are supposed to be, but in practice, that doesn't seem to happen IRL.Quote:
Originally Posted by Silvercord
I find it interesting how everyone equates power with the ability to do harm. Sending troops. Causing a stock market crash. Autocratic power in a socialist state. The power to deal death and misery is an illusion as that is easy. History has proved that many can make a person's life worse. How hard is it to pick up a gun and shoot someone. Does that really give you power over life and death? Hardly. Death is inevitable. Causing death is simply being a member of life.
And the ability to command troops is another illusion of power. An individual like Bush is granted power by the obedience of many. This power doesn't belong to one man, but to a nation as many people working together have power by default.
So what about individual power, then. That's what this is about. I submit that real power is the power to affect positive change by the will of one. To me, Ghandi represents this.
Many would say that's exactly what Bush is doing, although with not as peaceful methods.
i vote for charles ---edit- points ^^^ -/edit---
:D
mason?
you were thinking of manson, not mason, and yes my name is charles
No no, charles mason the guy who made that nice brick chimney
Bill Gates has a ton of power. He could just send out an evil-update that crashes every MS computer out there. That's a lot of power (evil that is). Even if MS stops updating its software for security, hackers out there will destroy the computing world until people make the costly and timely switch to other platforms. Either of these two circumstances could wreck the economy and whatnot.