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When time permits I hope some will take the opportunity to watch 'born rich',(Jamie Johnson) it's a documentary that compliments some of the view points here.
The creator of this documentary is himself from a prominent family...And in his own way has questioned the choices and standards set upon the wealthy. I admired his tenancity to expose the reality of this cloistered existence....
Some of the young and rich really are arrogance to the tenth degree.
So if you get the chance...Watch it. It's worth a penny of your time
It's an accomplishment in navel-gazing and that's about all.
Actually I think there is but I think it's two other things, one on both sides of the coin.
1) Seems like we are more "showy" now. Especially with the uber rich, they use to quietly donate and support stuff. Now everyone seems to want "acknowledgment" for every thing.
and on the other side...
2) This expectation that you have to help in a manner I see befitting. Remember a while back when Oprah was the first to give away a new car to her audience. lol, she got a lot of criticism because it was only a "ford" and she could afford to give away luxury cars. WTH?? I live in Philly and they just instituted a new tax on sugar drinks. soda, gatoraide, propel, any thing with sugar added. 1.4 cent an ounce. it supposedly goes to paying for pre-k for the poor. of course there was a huge controversy and it's still in the courts but I remember a women saying to me, "what's the problem, you can afford it". oh ok, so because I can afford it that means I want my taxes to go up?? but there is this "expectation" that because the wealthy have money they can pay more and it not affect them.
Actually I think there is but I think it's two other things, one on both sides of the coin.
1) Seems like we are more "showy" now. Especially with the uber rich, they use to quietly donate and support stuff. Now everyone seems to want "acknowledgment" for every thing.
and on the other side...
2) This expectation that you have to help in a manner I see befitting. Remember a while back when Oprah was the first to give away a new car to her audience. lol, she got a lot of criticism because it was only a "ford" and she could afford to give away luxury cars. WTH?? I live in Philly and they just instituted a new tax on sugar drinks. soda, gatoraide, propel, any thing with sugar added. 1.4 cent an ounce. it supposedly goes to paying for pre-k for the poor. of course there was a huge controversy and it's still in the courts but I remember a women saying to me, "what's the problem, you can afford it". oh ok, so because I can afford it that means I want my taxes to go up?? but there is this "expectation" that because the wealthy have money they can pay more and it not affect them.
So you don't like taxes. You don't want to pay taxes.
If you grow up around rich kids (as in before someone teaches you to hate them), you'll develop an empathy with them, just as you would in growing up around black or hispanic or any other kind of kids.
I don't care if someone comes from a rich family but I think it is pretty lame when people try to use money as the sole measuring stick for success. Some of the wealthier people I know have an attitude that personal accomplishments need to be monetized in order for them to be considered worthwhile. I attribute this to their own insecurity regarding their abilities to do things other than just being rich. It is absolutely human nature for an individual to adopt a values system that prioritizes characteristics in which they excel. For example, professional athletes will often base a large part of their self worth on how well they play a game, musicians will value their proficiency with an instrument, and academics like myself will value our contributions to our field of study. Because money can buy so many things, SOME wealthy people adopt an attitude that the values such as the ones I described earlier(athletics, arts, intellectual pursuits, etc) don't really matter unless they contribute to the bottom line. If money is all that is important, being rich obviously lets that person rank themselves very high up on the pecking order.
I find people, rich or poor, who are obsessed with money to be incredibly boring, and the act of creating things to be far more important that the capacity to acquire things. I understand that my values are based to some extent on my own socioeconomic status where I don't have to worry about being poor or affording basic necessities yet I have no career aspirations of becoming mega rich either. I am very happy that my parents encouraged me to follow a career that allowed me to do what I love rather than chasing a bigger paycheck, although I recognize that I might feel differently if following my passion led me to homelessness rather than my dream job of being a science professor at a great university.
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