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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

#11

Post by haasted »

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.

Sounds like it's because he has seen the polar opposite, and is frustrated that the resources Marcos is spending on gold-framed Picassos and shoes are not used to improve the existence of the vast number of poor people in the region.

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#13

Post by justboxing »

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.

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 shoes or a 100 Hermes bags.

I know from close contact with Filipino Boxers, how broke and poor a large population of their country is. Meanwhile their President is stealing from her people and hoarding 4000+ shoes, when she can only wear 1 pair at a time :)

So I really want to know, is there some very primate (and hence hard to control) instinct in all human beings, which causes them to hoard useless stuff instead of using their wealth for 'greater causes'?

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#14

Post by tonyedgecombe »

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.

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#15

Post by clort »

gmarx wrote: post #2

When Fortune (or was it Forbes) introduced the list of 500 richest Americans (early 1970s?) many people on the list were angry and threatened to sue. Now it's honor, a form a celebrity

people are still sueing Forbes

  http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-saudi-billionaire-idUSBRE9560Q020130607

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#16

Post by tonyedgecombe »

jasonkostempski wrote: post #10
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…

It's not like that money disappears, it just traded hands. Whoever sold the painting might use some of it for charity.

I'm not convinced it's as benign as that. Less equal societies tend to be less happy, at the top and the bottom as you can see in the article.

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#17

Post by homulilly »

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 afforded before (fishkeeping and hydroponics in my case).

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#18

Post by carsongross »

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…

Don't get ill. Sin brings its own punishment along with it.

Ask me how I know.

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#19

Post by wufufufu »

iza wrote: post #8
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.

There is no moral justification for accumulating more wealth than you and your family can spend in a lifetime. The only way to amass such an amount is by exploiting the labour of others. The extremely wealthy are a net drain on society.

I often wonder what would happen if there existed a public, self-updating list of every person on earth and their respective net worth.

Re: A Look at the Ugly Side of Getting Rich

#20

Post by tsunamifury »

carsongross wrote: post #18
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…

Don't get ill. Sin brings its own punishment along with it. Ask me how I know.

how do you know? (out of real interest)
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