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A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

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Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#31

Post by bbctol »

homulilly wrote: post #17
pilom wrote: post #5

> Money doesn't make you happy. It makes you unhappy in a better part of town. Great quote!

It's something only the fabulously wealthy can say. For almost everyone else, even if money doesn't directly make you happier, it removes the vast majority of barriers to attaining happiness (though clearly not all of them). I know I'm much happier now that I make six figures and don't have to worry as much about medical bills, rent, food and so on and have disposable income to direct into new hobbies I couldn't have…

A better quote, from eminent philosopher Kanye West, would be "Having money isn't everything; not having it is."

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#32

Post by justboxing »

huehehue wrote: post #22
self-diversity wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What in particular makes you feel ill about this? What is the strong emotion that affects you so upon reading of the wealth of a person you will never meet? Normally when people say this, their tone makes it evident they are envious, but that's missing here and I'm curious.

Ironic that you're being downvoted for prompting half the discussion in this thread (at present). I'm curious about this, too. Sibling comments are asking why any person or company would hoard that money when they could be donating it. A company I know just spent over a $1M USD on a domain name and got a lot of hate for it -- many complaints that the money could have been donated instead. For reference, I grew up dir…

> But if I get rich and blow my fortune on luxury goods so what?

This. Exactly. What prompted you to say this? Do you think if you do get filthy rich, you will follow through on blowing your forture on luxury goods? If so, what prompted you to feel this urge??

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#34

Post by ImSkeptical »

self-diversity wrote: post #6
justboxing wrote: post #4

> In another, Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines accused of stealing billions from state coffers, sits in her Manila apartment beneath a gold-framed Picasso Everytime I read something like this, I feel ill. What drives human beings to this level of greed and excess? Is there some primitive or primate instinct in all of us? Meanwhile, the beggar children in India don't even have a shirt on their b…

What in particular makes you feel ill about this? What is the strong emotion that affects you so upon reading of the wealth of a person you will never meet? Normally when people say this, their tone makes it evident they are envious, but that's missing here and I'm curious.

To me it seems deeply shameful and embarrassing that these people can't think of a better use for their money. You could spend your fortune building something, starting a business, patronizing public works or artistic projects, funding scientific or medical research, or helping innumerable worthy charities. Instead, these people spend their money buying fancy labels and useless things.

Their inability to use their money well is contemptible and unfortunate.

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#35

Post by metaphorm »

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #14
justboxing wrote: post #4

> In another, Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines accused of stealing billions from state coffers, sits in her Manila apartment beneath a gold-framed Picasso Everytime I read something like this, I feel ill. What drives human beings to this level of greed and excess? Is there some primitive or primate instinct in all of us? Meanwhile, the beggar children in India don't even have a shirt on their b…

Hoarding during scarcity is quite a sensible strategy, you want to get through the winter season or drought. What we don't seem able to do is turn that off in an environment of abundance. We can't seem to get past that evolutionary adaptation and it isn't doing us any good.

I don't buy this. The behavior of the wealthy people profiled in the article seems like it is clearly in the column of social signaling. A big bank account is hoarding. A closet full of Hermes handbags is showing off your status.

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#36

Post by ispolin »

justboxing wrote: post #13
self-diversity wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What in particular makes you feel ill about this? What is the strong emotion that affects you so upon reading of the wealth of a person you will never meet? Normally when people say this, their tone makes it evident they are envious, but that's missing here and I'm curious.

I'm not envious. I want to understand why such wealthy people wouldn't spend the money improving the lives of other human beings, and instead waste it on overprices sh*t like a $12,000 Hermes bag. I grew up in India and the wealth disparity couldn't be any starker. I feel that if I was ever that wealthy, I would spend a lot of it trying to improve the lives of poor people and homeless people, instead of buying 4000 s…

One way to answer that might be to look inside ourselves.

Take me for example. I indulge myself with books, songs, apps, etc. Granted, it's on a completely different financial scale than Hermes bags, but I own more things than I can realistically consume. So let's call whatever I buy but can't consume "excess".

Whatever instinct causes me to buy stuff in excess instead of using that excess to help the poor more than I currently do is likely the same instinct that causes the rich to buy 4000 shoes and 100 Hermes bags instead of helping the poor more.

I don't introspect enough to know what that instinct is, but most of us here probably have similar very minor excesses in our lives and can get some clues by thinking about those.

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#37

Post by metaphorm »

self-diversity wrote: post #6
justboxing wrote: post #4

> In another, Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines accused of stealing billions from state coffers, sits in her Manila apartment beneath a gold-framed Picasso Everytime I read something like this, I feel ill. What drives human beings to this level of greed and excess? Is there some primitive or primate instinct in all of us? Meanwhile, the beggar children in India don't even have a shirt on their b…

What in particular makes you feel ill about this? What is the strong emotion that affects you so upon reading of the wealth of a person you will never meet? Normally when people say this, their tone makes it evident they are envious, but that's missing here and I'm curious.

accusing other people of envy is some seriously weaselly argumentation that seems designed to deflect away from real, rational, and salient criticisms about economic injustice

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#38

Post by polymeris »

justboxing wrote: post #4

> In another, Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines accused of stealing billions from state coffers, sits in her Manila apartment beneath a gold-framed Picasso Everytime I read something like this, I feel ill. What drives human beings to this level of greed and excess? Is there some primitive or primate instinct in all of us? Meanwhile, the beggar children in India don't even have a shirt on their b…

> Is there some primitive or primate instinct in all of us?

I think so. An instinct exacerbated by marketing.

Most of us who aren't wealthy also spend a decent chunk of our incomes on unnecessary things. They might not be luxuries as extravagant as the ones described in the article, but they would still pay for plenty of shirts in India -- or my country. Why do we do this? Why do we eat at restaurants, go on vacations abroad or buy nice clothes instead of spending that money in a humanitarian way?

After that, it's just a matter of scale and of getting used to a lifestyle that includes 100s of ugly bags and tackily framed works of art.

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#39

Post by rhcom2 »

polymeris wrote: post #38
justboxing wrote: post #4

> In another, Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines accused of stealing billions from state coffers, sits in her Manila apartment beneath a gold-framed Picasso Everytime I read something like this, I feel ill. What drives human beings to this level of greed and excess? Is there some primitive or primate instinct in all of us? Meanwhile, the beggar children in India don't even have a shirt on their b…

> Is there some primitive or primate instinct in all of us? I think so. An instinct exacerbated by marketing. Most of us who aren't wealthy also spend a decent chunk of our incomes on unnecessary things. They might not be luxuries as extravagant as the ones described in the article, but they would still pay for plenty of shirts in India -- or my country. Why do we do this? Why do we eat at restaurants, go on vacation…

A little different with that specific example though because the Marcos were criminals that stole billions.

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#40

Post by tekjsraske »

Banthum wrote: post #23

I really wish people would stop using the term "1%" to refer to the super-rich. They're actually talking about the 0.01%, or an even smaller group. Heck, anyone making $30k/year is in the 1% globally. Even in the West, a good (not superstar) doctor or lawyer can expect to be in the 1%. If you're buying $300k handbags, you're way, way, way beyond the 1%. II Documentary works like this, mixing avaricious fascination wi…

I wish people would stop using the "1%" as a global entity. When people refer to the "1%" it is understood implicitly that they are referring to the 1% of the wealthiest individuals in the western world. By referring to the "1%" in the way you do, you demean people who struggle daily making 8 bucks an hour because "chin up, you're in the 1% hehe".

You think you're doing some good by making this argument, but really you're hurting more people than you understand.

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