This List Of The Most Powerful People In The World Should Scare The Sh*t Out Of You (VIDEO)

Forbes Magazine understands power. Focusing on finance, business and investment, the publication knows that wealth and influence most often go hand in hand. They are famous for, among other things, compiling lists of people. Wealthiest, best known, most powerful women: they publish these lists often throughout every year.

Now the financial magazine has put together a list of what it calls “the World’s Most Powerful People.” The publishers used four key criteria for determining who these powerful people are.

First, they looked at the number of people over whom the candidate has power. Next they took into account the financial resources of each candidate and whether he or she has influence in several different areas of life. Finally, they made sure that each of the people under consideration is actively using their power now.

The list of 20 men and women around the globe who wield the most power is chilling, especially at a time of so much change and turmoil. Especially during a time of so called populism around the world.

At first glance, the list is unsurprising. There are very very rich people, like Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Bill Gates of Microsoft. The fact that their businesses impact the lives of most of the developed world multiple times a day is enough on its own to make them influential.

Other names are found because they are people who lead powerful countries. We can count Angela Merkel of Germany and Teresa May of Great Britain as part of that list. I guess we’d have to put the Prime Minister of India in that same category, too. The nature of the job makes them all powerful.

But some of the names are more alarming.

For instance, there are the folks who control the flow of money in the U.S. and Europe. These include Janet Yellen, who heads the Federal Reserve, and Mario Draghi, the leader of the European Central Bank. Control the money, control the power. Bam.

Other names are scary because of the people who carry them, and how those people have behaved in the world. How do you feel about having the hawkish, war loving Bibi Netanyahu on the list? Or how about the Premier of China, Li Keqiang? Neither is known for his diplomacy or support of human rights.

Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud is the repressive, filthy rich King of Saudi Arabia. The King of a country that’s known for its strict, medieval Islamic laws and values. He’s on the list, too.

If those don’t worry you quite enough, you should note that the #2 most powerful person in the world, according to Forbes, is none other than Donald J. Trump. The man who lives in his own private delusional reality has more power on this earth today than any of the other 7.4 billion humans who live here.

Except for one.

The one person who Forbes believes has more power than Donald Trump is the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

That did it, right? Now you’re ready to start stockpiling supplies.

Featured image via Pixabay.

Karen is a retired elementary school teacher with many years of progressive activism behind her. She is the proud mother of three young adults who were all arrested with Occupy Wall Street. To see what she writes about in her spare time, check out her blog at "Empty Nest, Full Life"