Why does everyone hate the rich?
"Another reason for pride, that of being a citizen! For the poor,
citizenship consists of supporting and sustaining the power and
idleness of the rich. They must work for those goals before the
majestic equality of the laws, which forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets and to steal bread."
Anatole FranceDefine "everyone" Infact, everyone does not hate the very rich as the question imposes. What does balance have to do with hate anyway? Again I say, balance is key!
I worked for a few billionaires in London. I can't say I took to any of them.
Some members of the Ikea family actually seemed human, in a cool Nordic sort of way.
Only the members of the Saudi royal family I came across were genuinely friendly. Which was a good thing, since I need my head to remain attached to my body.An example of why people hate the Banksters just occurred to me--Do you recall who got the first supply of swine flu vaccine while it was still in short supply? You guessed it, none other than Goldman Sachs. Seems to me this is an example of the bankers' outsized sense of their own entitlement. Not to mention the $70 billion of taxpayers' money they got after it was laundered through AIG.
Here's a link on Goldman and swine flu vaccine--
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/11/ou … swine.htmlEveryone hates the rich because they can do and buy things that money can buy better than everyone else. In addition to that, they have so much influence because they are "rich."
- sandieganlizposted 14 years ago
0Wow, this topic hurts my head. Did I read somewhere (in the bible) that the rich are wicked?
People are always looking for an excuse to blame their own lack of success or motivation on. What better target than those who are successful?
I don't think people are looking for excuses to blame other for their lack of success. It's a proven fact and no secret that people with money seem to think they are the exeception to the rule.
It all has to do with greed, on all sides. Those who have not, are envious and greedy because of it. Those who have, are greedy and do not care to share, or even let any of it trickle down. I read an article that said that 1% of the population own 97% of the cash worldwide.
I only want enough to supply my family with a few comforts, like food and clothes.
The article also said that the gap between the two, called the middle class, is getting bigger and bigger. The middle class is dissapearing, and the poor are getting poorer, the rich richer.The use of all inclusive"The Rich"confuses me.The way to Financial success is simple.
Find something you have a Passion for and Do It!
Treat your employees like the Dignified Contributing People you want working for you and they Won't Let you Down!
Show them through Fair pay and benefits that your not just Flapping your Jaws.
My employees have contributed more to the success of my businesses than I could in every way including improvements and long hours when necessary.In turn I make Sure they are rewarded with Recognition as well as bonuses in pay.
I can't tell you how many times I've had to force Folks to walk away from a problem they were trying to solve for ten or twelve hours straight.That kind of dedication doesn't come from getting Screwed by your Employer.
Sorry if this comes across as a rant but not ALL rich people are A**holesI think that it mostly falls into the same category as "Why does the rest of the world HATE America?" America is one of the wealthiest countries in the history of the world.
Why?
Does it matter?
Nope. The USA is guilty of doing what the rest of the world was, and still is, doing. We just incorporated a governmental system that allowed us to do it better and more efficiently before any other country thought of it.
Everybody complains that the U.S. is guilty of slavery. And we are. But we weren't the first or the last. England did it. Spain did it. Portugal did it. France, the Dutch, the Middle East, the Far East, everyone was guilty of it. The U.S. just happened to be a new country with a larger demand for slaves at the time.
"Well," the argument continues, "The U.S. got rich off the backs of the slaves AND by stealing the land from the Native American Indians." And Mexico and Central America and ALL of South America did not suffer the same fate? Australia? The Middle East?
England did it before U.S. did it. The French and the Prussians did it, too. Spain, Portugal, the Romans, the Egyptians, the Greeks. Remember? They were called empires for a reason. Mainly because they were built by defeating others and then taking what they had from them.
And how did all this happen? By seeing an opportunity, and taking advantage of that opportunity at the right time.
The richest, wealthiest continent on the face of the earth is composed of a large portion of the poorest countries in the world. Africa. Why? Because they are suffering the same fate that the Native American Indians of North, Central and South Americas suffered. They never overcame their tribal differences long enough to unite as one.
So what does all this have to do with 'people' hating the "rich"?
It's the same story. The "rich" were people who saw an opportunity, whether that opportunity was theft, inheritance, pure luck, foresight or hard work doesn't matter. They saw an opportunity and took a chance and it paid off in the long run. So, the "rich" did what the 'people' want to do, get rich. And the 'people' do not like that.
Aesop's fable of the fox and the grapes comes to mind. The fox really wanted those grapes and really did try to get them. But couldn't in the end. Rather than admit HIS failure, the fox claimed the grapes were probably sour anyway. It's a weak attempt to foist fault on someone or something other than your own shortcomings.
And THAT is why 'people' hate the "rich".Thank you Thank you Thank you.
Believe it or not,it is possible to make money and still have a clear conscience.The number one realization necessary is that Investments are not necessarily financial.The biggest pay offs I've had were investments in improving self confidence in my People!
- sandra rinckposted 14 years ago0
Here, I thought other countries just hated America because we consume more than we produce.
Anybody who really wants an answer to the question why many people hate the rich should read "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis which tells the inside story of the bursting of the housing bubble and several people who saw it coming and got rich.
F**KING THE POOR
Here's a description of one of the main character's (real people), Steve Eisman's epiphany moment at a luncheon organized by a big Wall Street firm.
"Obsessing over Household, he attended a lunch organized by a big Wall Street firm. The guest speaker was Herb Sandler, the CEO of a giant savings and loan called Golden West Financial Corporation. 'Someone asked him if he believed in the free checking model,' recalls Eisman. 'And he said, "turn off your tape recorders." 'Everyone turned off their tape recorders. And he explained that they avoided free checking because it was really a tax on poor people--in the form of fines for overdrawing their checking accounts. And that banks that used it were really just banking on being able to rip off poor people even more than they could if they charged them for their checks.'
"Eisman asked, 'Are any regulators interested in this?'
"No," said Sandler.
"That's when I decided THE SYSTEM WAS REALLY 'F**K THE POOR!'"
I highly recomment Michael Lewis's fascinating book.I am someone and I don't hate the rich. Everyone - one = not all. I've seen a few other one's in this forum that you could also minus - so it could be Why do some people hate the rich? or What are the assets and abilities of rich people? In all areas of life there are some who positively process and contribute to others and those that negatively process and are concerned only with self. Nothing to do with money.
Not everyone hates the rich. Envious, maybe ;-)Is it the same thing? If yes, then you will hate yourself if you plan to go the same way. If no, then at least you will envy yourself and that is good because it is your own anyway :-) and this will add to your feeling good about yourself. In short, this is a very funny question which deserve an equally quirky answer.
I don't hate the rich people, moreover I respect them because they achieved their goals.
I find this whole conversation rather disturbing. The only people who have a religious reason to despise the rich are Christians but it's someone called JesusJohn complaining about people hating the rich. As another poster pointed out Jesus was unequivocal, rich people cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, camel, eye of a needle etc. If you are rich in Jesus Christ's eyes you're not in, you're out. But Christians follow Christ and want to get rich. Very odd. It's clear from the gospel that possessions, particularly money were something you were supposed to give away. You complain about the welfare state but Christ would have the shirt off your back. It's fascinating to watch this unfold and as I said rather disturbing. Kierkegaard wrote about the gaping hole between what he called Christendom, what Christians actually act like, and what Jesus Christ actually stood for. Nothing seems to have changed. I don't want to make enemies of Christians here, I have an extremely high regard for Jesus but I'm just trying to understand if you really believe what you're saying? And if so, where does Jesus come into it?
I don't hate the rich, I despise the means in which most of the rich seem to attain their wealth. If I must shank my fellow American to attain some extra bobbles then I gladly remain middle class. It is not the general wealth that is the scary part, it is the upper one percent, The so called Elite that would love to see us all licking their boots that I hate.
I can only surmise that many "Christians" are just regular people who want money and possessions, but also want to be thought of as 'good' or 'godly' so they imagine themselves to be followers of Jesus Christ even though their belief systems have virtually nothing to do with the Jesus Christ of the gospels (and very often are just the opposite). Jesus didn't say, for example, homosexuals couldn't get into heaven but he expressly ruled out the rich. I'm not a Christian but I have great respect for Jesus's actual teachings as written in the gospels. Does that make me more Christian than rich anti-gay "Christians". I don't know. I've nothing against the rich either. I'm not particularly fond of blatant hypocrisy of course, although I imagine a lot of it is unintentional. I just can't figure it out. I'm sure Jesusjohn is a reasonable and smart enough guy; why can't he and others just read the gospels and act accordingly if they want to be considered Christians. On the other hand if they want to be rich, just stop pretending, and enjoy your money.
I don't know. I think some people have low self-esteem. If you believe in yourself then all you have to do is study those who have mastered success and immolate their behavior. Everyone can win in life.
I admire those who are financially successful and wonder what it's like to travel by private jet or do whatever you want.So let me say I attended private schools, lived in a home with three full time servants, had a driver on call if I needed to go somewhere, was socially connected through my schooling and my parent's status to all the rich people in the country, etc.
For much of my life I dated only CEOs and millionaires. You could say that I have a very clear idea of what rich people are like.
So, first of all, there is a difference between the upper middle classes and the rich. An upper middle-class person is not what is referred to when people speak about 'rich' these days. An upper-middle class person might have an income of about a $1 million a year. Peanuts. I still have people like that in my circle.
I find it amusing that they consider themselves rich. They have no idea.
So, when we speak about rich, we're actually speaking about people like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell, Carlos Sims, etc. Multi billionaires - not a paltry millionaire.
There are six people in the world who own as much wealth as half the people in the world do. But they have far more power than governments do. They are directing how the rest of us live. And it's not pretty.
The problem is not their money. It's their power.
There is absolutely nothing to admire about these people. i've met them, socialized with them, and even slept with some of them. You could say we had a close relationship.
Firstly, they're stupid. They're ignorant. And they no more know more than you and I than Thor or Zeus do. They all inherited money or they had access to money. They became rich, not because they were particularly clever or saved money or didn't waste money (this is an upper-middle class fallacy). They simply had enough money to set up a business.
Most business fails because there isn't sufficient money to keep it going long enough - not because it's a bad business idea.
There really isn't much to business at all. Let's see. My father was in business. My mother was in business. My sister was in business. My brother in law was in business. I was in business. And everybody I knew was in business.
It's very simple.
You buy something at a cheap price, you underpay labour, you overcharge on goods, and you take the difference as profit and rightfully yours. Very unethical.
There is nothing clever about it.
Advertising?
If you read the work of Edward Bernays, you will understand how advertising convinces people to buy something that they don't need or want. Advertising is the way that business influences (brainwashes) people to buy rubbers ducks, Mercedes, purple ties, and bs products. Business is responsible for climate change. And so is consumerism.
So do we hate rich people?
Nope.
Too much energy.
But we cannot solve the world's problems if we continue to believe that the rich got there through their own efforts. Every bit of research has shown it has nothing to do with their lifestyles and 'good' habits, and it has everything to do with their access to resources.
I know you don't believe me. But have you ever really looked at the research? It's there if you care to look for it.
There is no such thing as a meritocracy. That's an idea that the rich and powerful invented to make you think that the only reason you're poor is because you aren't as clever as they are. Research shows otherwise.
Finland has shown that the average IQ of business owners is 115 while genius is at 140. So you don't have to be bright to be business owner.
Here are some links for you to consider.
Meritocracy is a myth invented by the rich.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr … admissions
Meritocracy doesn't exist, and believing in it is bad for you.
https://www.fastcompany.com/40510522/me … ad-for-you
There is no such thing as a meritocracy.
dragonhearted.com/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-meritocracy/
Oh, you don't know what a meritocracy is? It's a system where everybody gets what they deserve, i.e. the rich have money because they deserved it and the poor don't because they didn't deserve it.
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