Malcolm Forbes, ‘More Than I Dreamed’

By far, the most ridiculous article I've ever seen printed in the Times. The author is seeing things that really add up to nothing except in his own eyes.

May this be Alam's last article.

I will say this Forbes Magazine was a much better magazine when Malcolm was running it. It has gone downhill as his sons have run it into the ground.

The old saying shirtsleeves to scheist in 3 generations certainly applies to this family.

Incredibly sexist garbage in this article! Gay sensibility allows one to appreciate a Pininfarina styling on a Ferrari? Doesn't anyone edit the times anymore? The great collectors are gay?

I am utterly confused by Alam's article. Do Gay people have the monopoly on good taste? Was Forbes materialist obsession to collect objects making up for his own sadness to, as Alam infers, be a closeted gay man to his death?

Admittley, I am a English born heterosexual expat living in Canada (so what do I really know) but even I can see how Gay people in general would be offended by such a narrow definition of being gay.....not all gay people have a supposed 'good taste' gene. The notion that Forbes found solace in collecting objects to pacify his sexuality seems just a tad simplistic. I am sure those in the gay community can correct me if I am wrong here.

The robber barons of the New Gilded Age no doubt feel psychologically compelled to follow Thorstein Veblen's directive: The purpose of outrageous wealth is the outrageous display of outrageous wealth. Conspicuously collect and consume--and the devil take the hindmost!

I collect Magic Tricks. I also own a sports car and an SUV. I am now Gay. This will come as a surprise to my Wife ...

It seems pretty obvious that Mr Forbes got to enjoy his things, and his women, and his men. Deprivation never seemed to be his style.

While it is true that some taste makers are gay, there are loads of gay men without any more taste than the average guy. Some of my best friends....

A very, very odd 'review'

Being gay a prerequisite for collectors with exquisite taste? Rubbish! This is another puerile pre-judgment that American men, straight and gay, must suffer from (if they care). Just because a man has good taste some folks will automatically assume that such an unfortunate but apparently talented creature is "gay," a silly word really, which does not sound flattering, even at this late stage. Hence pity the poor men, alive today, who have to repress their good taste lest they be branded with an even more idiotic and far uglier word: "faggot," which has even more peculiar and derogatory ring to it, like "queer." Bring back the Renaissance!

Gay sensibility to appreciate a Bugatti Atlantic's beauty more than its engine ? Does that mean you have to be gay to enjoy a woman's physical beauty more her mind?

I am adept at recognizing nonsense when I see it. This 'letter of recommendation' is nonsense. Why was it born; and why in the name of heaven was it published?

I don't know anything about you personally, but I can look at your possessions and tell that you're gay. Words fail me.

"Gay men are adept at recognizing one another"

That stereotype's basis in fact, such as it may have been, has had a shorter half life than Rumaan Alam appears to realize.