Ultra-rich actually are more mean-spirited than the rest of us(bloomberg.com)

8 pointsby dragoonvor 16 Jahren4 comments

Ultra-rich actually are more mean-spirited than the rest of us

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-06/finance-s-mega-rich-are-meaner-than-rest-of-us-commentary-by-matthew-lynn.html

4 comments

sosukevor 16 Jahren

I'm not sure the ultra-rich have changed at all. There will be mean and nice rich people, money doesn't give the mean folks any more right to be mean but it might justify it in their eyes I guess. There are plenty of demanding and mean folks in the world. They come in all the shapes, sizes, backgrounds, colors and financial means that you can imagine

For instance, I demand the service I pay for and sometimes that makes me feel like I'm being mean but I'm actually just being put in a position where I have to be more forceful to get the service I've paid for. Think apartment services, warranties and stuff like that. Some companies don't like to give the services they promise without a fight when they lose money.

Besides, you don't get to stay rich by handing out all your money. No one wants to pull an MC Hammer.

protomythvor 16 Jahren

Money, like military services, just brings out what is already there.

dragoonvor 16 Jahren

There's a difference between expecting the service you paid for and being a demanding prick. Expecting that a financial advisor somehow get your child into a prestigious preschool is the latter.

We have, at the top of society in a milieu most of us will never see, some really rotten people with a lot of power and influence. This realization explains a lot.

parallax7dvor 16 Jahren

We are all miserable, as we tend to focus on what's wrong in our lives. The rich simply have a less desperate set issues to deal with. This has a desensitizing effect on how they relate to the reality of peoples real pain. The less you relate, and empathize with others, the more of a prick you seem.

So yeah, they would naturally give less to charity, and treat others more rudely to get what they want. There whole world is focused on experience and consumption, and not getting those concert tickets is as much of a psychological blow to them as me not being able to pay my rent.