Hello,
So, assume for this thread that by "ruling class," we mean the political active faction of the owning class (bourgeoisie) who, for the most part, would rather just sit on their butts and receive stock dividends. The ruling class itself controls the media apparatus, corporation, and politics of the western world.
I bring this up because I'm about to read "DuPont Dynasty: Beyond the Nylon Curtain" a book so damning that the DuPonts attempted to buy every copy of it and now the price for a hardcopy is over $500 (I'm getting mine from the library)
The DuPonts are a family of chemical manufacturing magnates who are largely responsible for the state of Delaware being a tax haven for corporations today. I know they've had a hand in deregulation and stifling reports of asbestos toxicity, but I hope to learn more from the book.
Robert H. Richards IV, a Dupont Heir, was found guilty in 2014 of raping his own daughter and as punishment had to attend rehabilitation (which he never did) and got labelled as a sex offender. He also molested his own son repeatedly and despite his ex-wife's best efforts did not face any legal repercussions for doing so.
In the US, some of the most notable ruling class families are the Astors, Rockefellars, DuPonts, Kennedys, Guggenheims, Rothschilds, Fords, Vanderbilts, Morgans, and Bushes. Not all of them are American but the capitalist class is transnational. There are others. Some, like the Vanderbilts, have largely lost their fortune but due to intermarriage with other families (except notably the Rothschilds who favor inbreeding) they have managed to maintain some power. Anderson Cooper is a vanderbilt to give you an example of how far they have fallen–even the haute bourgeoisie are not immune to proletarianization.
Flagging because I like pancakes.