Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Are rich people meaner? Two teams find errors in each other’s work

retractionwatch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 81 posts

Re: Are rich people meaner? Two teams find errors in each other’s work

#51

Post by cirgue »

randyrand wrote: post #48

Is this even a question? Having spent my teenage years in what would otherwise be called a ghetto and now living in a wealthier suburb, poor neighborhoods have way more selfish assholes. I'm very glad I got out of there. I think being an asshole hurts you more than is helps you as you get richer.

> I think being an asshole hurts you more than is helps you as you get richer.

As a product of private school: my experience is yes and no. There are certainly some behaviors that hurt your success, and there are plenty of extremely successful people who are successful specifically because they are excellent human beings all-around. There are also plenty of people who are financially successful because they are exceptionally selfish and generally horrible to others, but not in overt or combative ways.

Re: Are rich people meaner? Two teams find errors in each other’s work

#52

Post by mruniverse »

randyrand wrote: post #48

Is this even a question? Having spent my teenage years in what would otherwise be called a ghetto and now living in a wealthier suburb, poor neighborhoods have way more selfish assholes. I'm very glad I got out of there. I think being an asshole hurts you more than is helps you as you get richer.

I have the same experience. When I was younger I was puzzled when my friends mom (richer family) was so nice. Cooked large breakfast for us when I stayed over, etc. And his friends were nice. And they talked normally to each other and were funny and clever.

Where I came from, the norm was just anger. And the conversation was mostly putting each other down. Or challenging each other. Still trying to overcome that.

Re: Are rich people meaner? Two teams find errors in each other’s work

#53

Post by paulddraper »

flachsechs wrote: post #43
_ptgt wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Equally important is how you define "unethical." I'd imagine people in higher socioeconomic levels are more likely to lie in a negotiation or ignore traffic laws (traffic penalties fines are regressive in the sense they are fixed, skill in negotiating is probably correlated with skill in lying), but less likely to commit violent crimes or engage in drug abuse.

> less likely ... to engage in drug abuse. i really doubt this.

It depends how you define it.

Alcohol abuse is positively correlated with wealth. Tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine use is negatively correlated.

Re: Are rich people meaner? Two teams find errors in each other’s work

#54

Post by ozim »

randyrand wrote: post #48

Is this even a question? Having spent my teenage years in what would otherwise be called a ghetto and now living in a wealthier suburb, poor neighborhoods have way more selfish assholes. I'm very glad I got out of there. I think being an asshole hurts you more than is helps you as you get richer.

For me maybe not a ghetto but dirt poor people that rest of a small city referred to as 'miracles street' (drunks, poor people, police visits once a month) had bunch of decent people and friends I think will have contact for life whereas I got to know quite some rich people who were maybe smooth in contact but in reality they were awful backstabbers.

So your mileage may vary...

Re: Are rich people meaner? Two teams find errors in each other’s work

#55

Post by KGIII »

charlesdm wrote: post #46
jstanley wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Less likely to get caught engaging in drug abuse, maybe

Or be convicted, definitely.

There is so much right in the above three posts that I'd vote twice, if I could.

The wealthy buy drugs from people who drive nice sports sedans and wear suits, or similar. They aren't down at the crack house giving blowjobs for dime bags.

Some of the biggest stashes of drugs, that I have seen, have been inside what you'd probably call a mansion. No, this wasn't dealers. This was for personal consumption and/or to be consumed by their guests.

Those guests may well have included people who work in the judicial system, by the way.

Re: Are rich people meaner? Two teams find errors in each other’s work

#56

Post by KGIII »

randyrand wrote: post #48

Is this even a question? Having spent my teenage years in what would otherwise be called a ghetto and now living in a wealthier suburb, poor neighborhoods have way more selfish assholes. I'm very glad I got out of there. I think being an asshole hurts you more than is helps you as you get richer.

Sort of related, there are a lot of lessons learned and observations made when one changes social class.

At some point in my life, I've been close to both extremes. I've been a poor college student with a family and just barely below the poverty line because of the dependents. I was firmly middle class for my youth and then after starting my business. Selling my business has put me in the upper class section.

There are some broad stereotypes that can be made but the biggest difference I see is in how others respond to you and how the system responds to you.

Re: Are rich people meaner? Two teams find errors in each other’s work

#57

Post by big_youth »

KGIII wrote: post #55
charlesdm wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or be convicted, definitely.

There is so much right in the above three posts that I'd vote twice, if I could. The wealthy buy drugs from people who drive nice sports sedans and wear suits, or similar. They aren't down at the crack house giving blowjobs for dime bags. Some of the biggest stashes of drugs, that I have seen, have been inside what you'd probably call a mansion. No, this wasn't dealers. This was for personal consumption and/or to be…

Back in college my cocaine dealer was a city police officer. I had no idea until I saw him eating at a local restaurant in his police gear.

Re: Are rich people meaner? Two teams find errors in each other’s work

#58

Post by KGIII »

KekDemaga wrote: post #13
pc86 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I upvoted you because it's a good point, but if you're discussing interpersonal behavior, does it really matter if someone living in poverty in the American deep south is in the top 2% globally for PPP? Studies like this are not looking at the world as a whole, they're looking at interpersonal relationships, by definition very local or regional.

The super wealthy proclaiming without citing evidence that the mega wealthy are evil or cheated somehow is a pet peeve of mine, it just seems petty when you put it into a global context.

Yeah, people were mad at some of my comments during the OWS phase. They were making comments about stuff like hanging and shooting the 1%. I'd point out that, if they were online, in Slashdot or Fark, in a home with regular power, and had clean water, they were quite probably in the world's 1%.

My point wasn't that there was no reason to complain, indeed there are many reasons to complain. My point was that making generalizations and threats based on an arbitrary number wasn't very productive or honest.

Re: Are rich people meaner? Two teams find errors in each other’s work

#59

Post by KGIII »

big_youth wrote: post #57
KGIII wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is so much right in the above three posts that I'd vote twice, if I could. The wealthy buy drugs from people who drive nice sports sedans and wear suits, or similar. They aren't down at the crack house giving blowjobs for dime bags. Some of the biggest stashes of drugs, that I have seen, have been inside what you'd probably call a mansion. No, this wasn't dealers. This was for personal consumption and/or to be…

Back in college my cocaine dealer was a city police officer. I had no idea until I saw him eating at a local restaurant in his police gear.

I don't want to be too specific, but one of the best 'cooks' that I've known was the ADA and now holds a higher elected position.

Cooks, for those who don't know, turn coke into crack, a smokable form.

She would do it with a stove and a coffee pot, as much as an ounce at a time.

Re: Are rich people meaner? Two teams find errors in each other’s work

#60

Post by 24gttghh »

paulddraper wrote: post #53
flachsechs wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> less likely ... to engage in drug abuse. i really doubt this.

It depends how you define it. Alcohol abuse is positively correlated with wealth. Tobacco, marijuana, and cocaine use is negatively correlated.

Source? Marijauana use and alcohol use both seem to correlate positively with wealth, but Tobacco indeed appears to be a negative correlation. [0]

[0]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3410945/

Post reply on HN