So, you remember that stand-up comedy special that Louis C.K. distributed online for $5 last weekend? Absolutely nothing but good news came of it. Not only was it hugely successful — it’s made over $1 milllion so far, meaning at least 200,000 people have downloaded or streamed it — it demonstrated not just the drawing power of Louis C.K., but the ability and power of the Internet to cut out the middle man. Instead of all the extra surcharges and distribution fees that typically go along with putting a special like this out on DVD, most of the revenue was gravy.
And what does Louis C.K. do with his gravy? Horde it? Blow it on hookers and speed? No sir. Not Louis C.K. This man gives back. In a huge way. The first $250,000 covered the expenses (website fees, etc.), then he gave the second $250,000 to his staff as a big fat Christmas bonus. On top of that, he gave $280,000 to charities recommended to him by friends and on Twitter.
That leaves me with 220k for myself. Some of that will pay my rent and will care for my childen. The rest I will do terrible, horrible things with and none of that is any of your business. In any case, to me, 220k is enough out of a million. I never viewed money as being “my money” I always saw it as “The money” It’s a resource. if it pools up around me then it needs to be flushed back out into the system.
The only downside? Louis C.K. just gave the entire conservative movement ammunition to prove that trickle-down economics does indeed work, as long as the rest of America’s fat cats were as generous and big-hearted as the world’s most famous professional masturbator.
(Source: LouisCK.net)
