Why everything in society gets decided by the rich?

1. 72

   Goodpalposted 12 years ago

   Why everything in society gets decided by the rich?
   
   Will the rich any importance left if suddenly all the poor people vanish from the societies? In fact, poor people work at cheaper wages to create wealth for the rich. Yet, the poor have hardly any voice in society. The rich shun them as lazy or criminals when there are many reasons of poverty. Is it fair?

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2. 69

   Larry Fieldsposted 12 years ago

   Excellent question. And no, it's not fair.
   
   Here in the West, there's some interesting religious history about that. Centuries ago, one of the early Protestant Christian religions to challenge the corrupt Catholic Church was Calvinism.
   
   Calvinists believed that every person is fated to go either to Heaven or to Hell after the body dies. And there's absolutely nothing that a person can do about it. No amount of kindness or good works could cancel the soul's preordained change of address.
   
   Calvinists also believed that one could recognize those who were destined for Heaven in the afterlife. Such a person was a prosperous, respected member of the community in their Earthly existence.
   
   I don't know if Calvinism still exists in its original form, or if it has evolved into more modern Protestant churches. However it has left a bigger imprint here in the USA than in Europe, for example. And the Calvinistic heritage partially explains the callous attitude that many Americans have toward the less fortunate.
   
   Of course, there are also many Americans who take the attitude:
   There but for fortune go I.

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3. 60

   Jesus was a hippyposted 12 years ago

   Most people are not born rich. They get rich by being good at something. Many of those who remain poor  do so because they are lazy or are no good for anything.
   
   Yes it is fair.
   
   Are you saying that people who have done well for themselves should not employ people?
   
   Where would poor people get jobs from?

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4. 59

   feenixposted 12 years ago

   I have been living on this planet for nearly seven decades and a very long time ago, I learned that it is not wise to make vast, sweeping generalizations and to ask leading questions.
   
   First, everything in U.S. society is not "decided" by the rich. Much of what takes place in this society is "decided" by the middle-class and poor -- for better or worse.
   
   Second, the vast majority of rich people do not shun poor people, nor do they view them as being lazy and/or criminals. The average person, whether rich or poor, has enough common sense and sufficient education to know that neither one of those things is true.
   
   Finally, life is not fair and it will not be fair until Kingdom Comes.

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5. 60

   JadeFitzposted 12 years ago

   Part 2 - My family and I are classed as middle class but in the last 3 years I have seen a huge decline in the middle class.  We now live paycheck to paycheck because jobs are scarce and the average wage has dropped considerably for those even with an education and a vast wealth of experience in their field.  That is not caused by the rich. The economy isn't in the toilet because the rich woke up one day and decided they wanted to make people suffer.  How ridiculous.  It is a known fact that most of the jobs in this country are created by the small businesses, which are normally owned by middle class citizens and not the rich.  Maybe if the government focused on improving the economy, promoting free enterprise and worked at creating more jobs then the poor would have more opportunities to rise out of their poverty. 
   
   I actually laughed out loud when I read your sentence stating that the rich shun the poor as lazy or criminals.  Where an earth did you dig up that fact?  I think you have watched 'Trading Places' one too many times.
   
   The rich employ the middle and working classes just as the middle class, small business owners employ other middle and working class workers.  The poor have a choice as to who to vote for in the elections.  I would say that is a pretty powerful voice.  If they don't exercise their right to do that then that is their fault.  And that is a fact!

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6. 60

   JadeFitzposted 12 years ago

   Part 1 - You can't make such a sweeping statement and then not even back it up with some factual information to prove your point. You didn't even answer the question yourself.  I keep expecting a pop up window to appear stating that I am on some form of Internet Candid Camera. 
   
   To say that the rich decide everything is absolutely untrue.  All three branches of government have the ability to make laws; the Congressional branch, the Executive branch, and the Judicial branch.  The poor and middle class partake in voting along with the "rich" for the next President as well as who will represent them in the House and Senate. 
   
   Not all rich people are born rich.  There are some who have become rich with hard work and a desire to be successful.  I mean, after all, is that not what this country is about.  The ability to live the American Dream.  If someone owns a company they have the right to decide how the company is run and how much they pay in wages.  However, they still have to follow federal and state laws and legislations, which also enforces a minimum wage.  Most big companies owned by the rich pay more than minimum wages.
   
   The rich don't define who we each are.  My mother worked 3 part time jobs when she went back to school and I can quite assure you she wasn't rich or middle class.  She decided that she didn't want to stay "poor" as you put it but rather get an education, work hard and elevate herself in society.  In turn, I decided that I didn't want to stay poor for the rest of my life and went from working as a seasonal waitress to owning my own home and small business.  The rich didn't decide that for me.  I did.

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7. 72

   lburmasterposted 12 years ago

   Easy. They have the money to buy people and loyalty, education (typically), and the social ties to make it happen.

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8. 61

   kathryn1000posted 12 years ago

   It is very wicked and they will say you re a communist if you say things should be shared.But if wealth was shared we'd have less crime. andlesss poverty and sickness caused by poverty.They say you have a vote but rich
   people often are frinedly with top politiciand and have undue influence on them

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9. 60

   lostdogrwdposted 12 years ago

   rich understand theater and how it manipulate people who don't have and get them to sellout there WANTS to the rich and believe any thing they say because the have money and make having it look so good. the fools in this country sold out there freedom for fake security that the government plan and let investment banker rob the people and say the people bough a too big house and THE FACT THAT THE HOMES PRICES WAS MANIPULATED NEVER CAME UP, AND THAT'S FRAUD. the mass  of the people who are poor have the power. they just sold it out for a dollar and there freedom..

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10. 60

    Epleeba1posted 12 years ago

    The rich are more likely to vote than the poor. The poor are too busy surviving to worry about  who gets elected. history in this country has shown that the politicians are more interested in supporting the people that support them and have no time for the poor people who rarely vote.

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11. 79

    syzygyastroposted 12 years ago

    No it is not fair. The rich today get to decide everything because of a long history of the evolution of class division. When humanity perfected production beyond hunting and gathering subsistence and created a surplus, this allowed for some to break off and to do different things than hunting - gathering and agriculture. As specialization intensified it grew to include defense, religion - astronomy, the trades and everything else we now know. From primitive societies of tribes, to theocracy, to monarchy and finally the rule of the wealthy, it has been the result of alienation between people and the bullying of many by a few who initially took the surplus by force. This process eventually became enshrined by law.
    
    If the poor, the real producers were to "suddenly disappear" then the foundation of production and real wealth creation would disappear too. But; as we now have robots to do much of the heavy, hard, dirty and dangerous work, many producers are no longer required. These traditionally get thrown out of the production process with each advancement or crisis of overproduction. Thus, if the producers who are now "unnecessary" due to the existence of the robot, disappeared, the wealthy would not miss them as machines would keep production and thus real wealth flowing.
    
    The wealthy also control the media, which is why the poor have almost no voice. They are shamed as being lazy when put out of hard labor due to the fact of being replaced by machines. It is this accusation the prevents interventions such social safety nets from being effective and in some cases, terminated. When forced into absolute desperation, many poor turn to crime and prostitution. Remember, crime id defined by law. A poor person stealing a pizza slice is guilty of a felony that could land them in prison. A wealthy person erecting a Ponzi scheme and embezzling billions is protected by the very laws and economic safety valves designed to keep the poor out and the wealthy bailed out.

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12. 51

    sansu13posted 11 years ago

    This 'cold currency' has great value, in todays world! Anything and everything revolves around these small sheets of paper which we proudly call money. A person who posses most of it is termed as rich and those who posses less of it is fondly termed as poor! This matter decides anddifferentiates people in our society.The so called difference between the 'haves and th have-nots'.
    The 'haves' feel themselves superior to their counterparts as the poor depend knowingly or unknowingly on the rich. This is a confidence booster for them which ultimately becomes overconfidence. Their opinions and actions carry a lot of worth and value.

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13. 83

    gmwilliamsposted 6 years ago

    Because those who have the MONEY, have the POWER.   MONEY=POWER--------> power CALLS SHOTS.  Rich & powerful people decide everything because they have respect.  They have INFLUENCE.  MONEY+ POWER+ RESPECT+ INFUENCE= being a SHOT CALLER.  Don't hate, baby...Don't be a NEGATER......Envy is .....so....TOXIC, baby!
    

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    1. 89

       wildernessposted 6 years agoin reply to this

       LOL  Buying a politician does not indicate any respect from either that politician or the populace in general.

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       1. 83

          gmwilliamsposted 6 years agoin reply to this

          Politicians DO MORE for constituents who give money than those who don't.  Why do you think wealthier neighborhoods have things that poorer neighborhoods don't-because wealthy people give money to the politician & demand that the politician do what they ask for whether it is improving schools, creating new zone areas & other areas.  Poorer people since they don't have money, politicians neither listen to their needs nor respect them as constituents.  Politics is a.......GAME, man!

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          1. 89

             wildernessposted 6 years agoin reply to this

             That's why I said what I said.  But the winner of that game only gets respect from others that play the same game - the other social climbers - and never the general population that does NOT play.  They get only disgust from them, never respect.
             
             I can respect the rich for their ability to gain money, but seldom for the methods they use, for their ethics or even attitude on life.
             
             But I can also respect a dirt poor artist for his ability to create beautiful beautiful artwork (but not modern "art" ).  Or a poor Olympic athlete for their ability to ski or run.  Or a poor teacher for the ability to teach and help students.  Even the hermit that lived near me, that owned nothing but the clothes (hand-crafted from animal skins) he wore, for his ability and knowledge on survival without the niceties of society.

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