Does Wealth Make One Heartless?
(R)ich people are more likely to think about themselves. “They think that economic success and political outcomes, and personal outcomes, have to do with individual behavior, a good work ethic,” said Keltner, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Because the rich gloss over the ways family connections, money and education helped, they come to denigrate the role of government and vigorously oppose taxes to fund it.
“I will quote from the Tea Party hero Ayn Rand: “‘It is the morality of altruism that men have to reject,’” he said. (source)
Are rich people heartless because they are rich or does being rich make them heartless. What do YOU think?
Tags: heartlessness, wealth
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on -
Arcus - RE: "Non rich people usually have a good work ethic, but have been less fortunate in their decision making."
I believe that that's an incomplete sentence that requires the ending, ",...or in the opportunities they chance to encounter."
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Permalink Reply by Arcus on -
Indeed. One thing to note is that 'chance' would be meant as random, not arbitrary. Those who get truly rich appear to be better at seeing and seizing opportunities.
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Permalink Reply by Ed on -
"Are rich people heartless because they are rich or does being rich make them heartless. What do YOU think?"
Are you speaking in generalizations? Has there been a study of rich people that indicates they are more inclined to have heartlessness as a trait? What defines rich? Ninety-nine percent of ALL Americans are rich from a worldview perspective.
Making money in a capitalistic society is not always a pretty picture. I dislike certain aspects of it (capitalism) but on the other hand I cannot find fault with an individual who excels and becomes wealthy. There are certainly countless individuals who made a TON of money without the benefit of nepotism, higher education, or pulling on purse strings. There decision to share, or not, that wealth with those less fortunate should not necessarily make them heartless. There ability to isolate themselves from those of lesser means should not necessarily be construed as their having a general lack of concern for those less fortunate.
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Permalink Reply by Yahweh on -
I wouldn't say heartless. I would say it makes rich people have less time to deal with trivial matters like family issues. It just seems heartless, but really they can't be bothered to waste time with matters that don't involve a positive cash flow.
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Permalink Reply by Unseen on -
I guess they have their priorities straight. Like most conservative Republicans, they believe in the trickle down theory of economics, applied in this case to their family.
Me, I believe in the trickle up theory. Give money to the middle and lower classes and WE will decide who gets rich.
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Permalink Reply by Yahweh on
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I do not necessarily believe in giving out when you're rich. I mean people got rich not because they plucked it from their garden in their yard. People who are less fortunate always cry about how they should have hand outs all the time. They spend more time complaining than doing something about it.
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Permalink Reply by kOrsan on -
Beware of the leechy hippies to come and get you for that comment. There are many commies here who think everybody wealthy owes them money.
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Permalink Reply by Yahweh on
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tell me about it. It's even worse how the govt punish the rich people for being rich.
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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on
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Fortunately for me, I've never had that problem.
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Permalink Reply by Unseen on
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The real job creators are the consumers. Just as predators drive evolution, consumers drive business success. Trickle up! Trickle up!
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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on
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The REAL real job creators are the ad people who convince consumers that they not only must consume, but what to buy --
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