Users of social media ridiculed billionaire venture capitalist Thomas Perkins after he compared wealthy Americans to the Jews in Nazi Germany is a letter sent to The Wall Street Journal, The Independent reported. Estimated to be worth about $8 billion, Perkins said there were parallels between what the Jews underwent in the Holocaust to what he called the "progressive war on the American one percent."
Published on The WSJ on January 24, Perkins started his letter with, "Writing from the epicenter of progressive thought, San Francisco, I would call attention to the parallels of fascist Nazi Germany to its war on its "one percent," namely its Jews, to the progressive war on the American one percent, namely the "rich.""
A founding member of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers, the billionaire proceeded with, "From the Occupy movement to the demonization of the rich embedded in virtually every word of our local newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, I perceive a rising tide of hatred of the successful one percent."
He cited the "libelous and cruel attacks" made towards author Danielle Steele in the Chronicle which alleged her to be a "snob" even if she had spent millions in the past decade for the "city's homeless and mentally ill."
Perkins ended his letter with, "This is a very dangerous drift in our American thinking. Kristallnacht was unthinkable in 1930; is its descendent "progressive" radicalism unthinkable now?"
The Independent cited the reaction of social media users towards the letter. One Twitter user labeled Perkins as a "rich idiot" while others also expressed their disapproval to the newspaper for publishing the letter, the report said. The tweet of Steven Greenhouse was also featured in the report. The New York Times writer said in his tweet, "As someone who lost numerous relatives to the Nazi gas chambers, I find statements like this revolting & inexplicable."
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