finnime
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Post by finnime on Jul 23, 2022 6:10:51 GMT -5
Interesting article. Money Changes PeopleSo, wealthy people really do act differently and their children are also affected. The lack of empathy and tendency to ignore laws are observable and measurable. I wonder if these attributes last over generations, or does old money affect people differently again than new money?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2022 7:49:11 GMT -5
Interesting article and I have to go back and re-read it. The part about drivers of expensive cars being far less likely to stop at intersections may be more a function of the mindset of people who buy expensive cars. I could afford one but it's just not my priority and I'm a very polite driver in my boring compact sedan! While I've certainly seen cases of addiction, binge drinking, etc. among kids from wealthy families (my Ex was one), I believe that poverty and trauma also lead to unhealthy behaviors. Less empathy? I'm not great at that but that started early on in a solid middle-class household. When I was given vocational testing in HS I scored in the second percentile in Social service- type work- anything that involved helping people. That means that 98% of the tested population was more interested in that type of work than I was. My brother tested in the FIRST percentile. He became an accountant. I try to make up for it by donating generously to charity and serving nonprofits in areas that fit my skill set. And yes, I definitely see the perception of the rich as "evil"- it's all over my FaceBook feed. A millionaire is someone who got that way by lying, cheating and oppressing the masses. I just stay in my closet and don't tell anyone I'm a multi because I didn't want tp be dependent on the taxpayers in retirement.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Jul 23, 2022 11:06:41 GMT -5
I can totally see this... there are a lot of dynamics to wealth.
If you have money, you may be obligated to "share" it with extended family. Sounds nice but I can see where there may be some emotional conflict - you may be doing things (behaviors) that get you the more money (or keep the more money) - but your extended family does not and so sharing feels very unequal/unfair.
I suspect that people with money may get asked for money (charity) all the time. Or may be asked for other kinds of help (an introduction, a recommendation, an "in" into an organization).
Wealthy people don't always get wealthy just on their own labor alone - they get that way by sometimes taking advantage of other people.
I can see where there might be a conflict with empathy and compassion. Especially if the person is surrounded by other people NOT exhibiting empathy and compassion. as it this is how we all behave therefore it's OK.
Add in the media's spread of the fear that "someone is trying to take away my wealth"... and I can see how empathy and compassion gets squeezed out.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Jul 23, 2022 11:14:40 GMT -5
I'm not sure "millionaires" are all that wealthy these days... I personally tend to suspect the moral and ethical values of people who have a yearly income of close to or over a million dollars a year.... they have a complicated financial life - and I suspect they have to make some very tough choices.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Jul 23, 2022 11:27:12 GMT -5
I’m taking the Berkeley study with a grain of salt. The article claims wealth results in addiction issues. The reason for this claim is that students in “wealthy” schools were evaluated to exhibit a higher rate of maladjustment than inner city students on several measures of maladjustment. I wonder what “several” measures of maladjustment means? Is it 27 of 30 measures, or is it 4 of 30 measures? And those luxury car driving scofflaws. How many were interviewed to determine their socioeconomic status? Maybe they were like a former neighbor of mine who had a Ferrari in the garage but couldn’t afford furniture for the living room. Faux wealthy. I wonder how the behavior of luxury car drivers compares with the behavior of the drivers of jacked up, big wheeled trucks?
Overall, I wonder what the perspective of the study leader is? The basis of a study is generally some sort of premise. If you start off with the premise that wealthy people are inherently bad people. How hard is it to find some statistics that “prove” your premise? If you started with the opposite premise, that wealthy people are inherently “good” people. Could you find statistics to validate that premise? Is any study really worth the paper the study results are written on?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2022 11:38:42 GMT -5
I'm not sure "millionaires" are all that wealthy these days... I personally tend to suspect the moral and ethical values of people who have a yearly income of close to or over a million dollars a year.... they have a complicated financial life - and I suspect they have to make some very tough choices. It varies, I'm sure. The CEOs who run a company into the ground and exit with golden parachutes? Yeah, there are plenty of them. OTOH, most CEOs of large companies have multi-million dollar compensation packages. I think it's risen to crazy-high levels but not all lied, cheated and oppressed to get there. Some are just darn good leaders, or are wizards at bringing on new customers and clients (that would apply to many partners in CPA, law and consulting forms). Not a skill set I had, nor would I want to put in that level of commitment to my work. And I agree with you about a million not guaranteeing wealth- comfort and some security, maybe, but not wealth.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Jul 23, 2022 11:52:05 GMT -5
I’m taking the Berkeley study with a grain of salt. The article claims wealth results in addiction issues. The reason for this claim is that students in “wealthy” schools were evaluated to exhibit a higher rate of maladjustment than inner city students on several measures of maladjustment. I wonder what “several” measures of maladjustment means? Is it 27 of 30 measures, or is it 4 of 30 measures? And those luxury car driving scofflaws. How many were interviewed to determine their socioeconomic status? Maybe they were like a former neighbor of mine who had a Ferrari in the garage but couldn’t afford furniture for the living room. Faux wealthy. I wonder how the behavior of luxury car drivers compares with the behavior of the drivers of jacked up, big wheeled trucks? Overall, I wonder what the perspective of the study leader is? The basis of a study is generally some sort of premise. If you start off with the premise that wealthy people are inherently bad people. How hard is it to find some statistics that “prove” your premise? If you started with the opposite premise, that wealthy people are inherently “good” people. Could you find statistics to validate that premise? Is any study really worth the paper the study results are written on? Here is the link to the study on the maladjustment issue: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1950124/. It should answer your question of how many. Unfortunately I can't find a link to the driver's study. Studies can be tricky. That can be compounded when you are actually looking at an article about a study. That is why I like to go to the studies themselves. As far as the statistics reported in the story, they were not "found". They are reports of observed actual behavior.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Jul 23, 2022 12:16:46 GMT -5
I can totally see this... there are a lot of dynamics to wealth. If you have money, you may be obligated to "share" it with extended family. Sounds nice but I can see where there may be some emotional conflict - you may be doing things (behaviors) that get you the more money (or keep the more money) - but your extended family does not and so sharing feels very unequal/unfair. I suspect that people with money may get asked for money (charity) all the time. Or may be asked for other kinds of help (an introduction, a recommendation, an "in" into an organization). Wealthy people don't always get wealthy just on their own labor alone - they get that way by sometimes taking advantage of other people. I can see where there might be a conflict with empathy and compassion. Especially if the person is surrounded by other people NOT exhibiting empathy and compassion. as it this is how we all behave therefore it's OK. Add in the media's spread of the fear that "someone is trying to take away my wealth"... and I can see how empathy and compassion gets squeezed out. A joke I read recently seems appropriate here It seems a man was asked “If you had $10 million, would you be willing to give half to those less fortunate?” The man responded “yes”. The man was then asked “If you owned 4,000 acres of land, would you be willing to give half the land to someone who was homeless?” The man responded “yes, I would”. When asked “If you had two cows, would you give one to someone who had no cow?” The man replied “no, I would not”. Asked why he was willing to share a large amount of money, or a large amount of property, but he wouldn’t give away something as paltry as a single cow, the man replied “well, I actually have two cows.” It’s easy to think we would be generous with something we don’t have. Or to think others should be generous with the bounty they have. It’s nice theory. But when faced with the prospect of giving away resources you have worked long and hard for an extended period of time to acquire, would you be equally generous? Or might you fall into some version of the “someone is trying to take away my wealth”, the reward for a lifetime of hard work, camp?
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Jul 23, 2022 12:26:46 GMT -5
I’m taking the Berkeley study with a grain of salt. The article claims wealth results in addiction issues. The reason for this claim is that students in “wealthy” schools were evaluated to exhibit a higher rate of maladjustment than inner city students on several measures of maladjustment. I wonder what “several” measures of maladjustment means? Is it 27 of 30 measures, or is it 4 of 30 measures? And those luxury car driving scofflaws. How many were interviewed to determine their socioeconomic status? Maybe they were like a former neighbor of mine who had a Ferrari in the garage but couldn’t afford furniture for the living room. Faux wealthy. I wonder how the behavior of luxury car drivers compares with the behavior of the drivers of jacked up, big wheeled trucks? Overall, I wonder what the perspective of the study leader is? The basis of a study is generally some sort of premise. If you start off with the premise that wealthy people are inherently bad people. How hard is it to find some statistics that “prove” your premise? If you started with the opposite premise, that wealthy people are inherently “good” people. Could you find statistics to validate that premise? Is any study really worth the paper the study results are written on? While some of it might be wealth, some of it might just be how the car drives. More expensive cars tend to be faster, weigh more, and can take longer to stop. Some of the fail to stop might be due to unwillingness given how the car handles. I do think the faster the car is the more drivers feel they can successfully cut people off and they might be more willing to do so. Some however are just impatient. I saw someone weave past three different cars switching lanes in an area of 45 to 40 mph with only two lanes going one direction just this week.
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finnime
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Post by finnime on Jul 23, 2022 12:29:18 GMT -5
I can totally see this... there are a lot of dynamics to wealth. If you have money, you may be obligated to "share" it with extended family. Sounds nice but I can see where there may be some emotional conflict - you may be doing things (behaviors) that get you the more money (or keep the more money) - but your extended family does not and so sharing feels very unequal/unfair. I suspect that people with money may get asked for money (charity) all the time. Or may be asked for other kinds of help (an introduction, a recommendation, an "in" into an organization). Wealthy people don't always get wealthy just on their own labor alone - they get that way by sometimes taking advantage of other people. I can see where there might be a conflict with empathy and compassion. Especially if the person is surrounded by other people NOT exhibiting empathy and compassion. as it this is how we all behave therefore it's OK. Add in the media's spread of the fear that "someone is trying to take away my wealth"... and I can see how empathy and compassion gets squeezed out. A joke I read recently seems appropriate here It seems a man was asked “If you had $10 million, would you be willing to give half to those less fortunate?” The man responded “yes”. The man was then asked “If you owned 4,000 acres of land, would you be willing to give half the land to someone who was homeless?” The man responded “yes, I would”. When asked “If you had two cows, would you give one to someone who had no cow?” The man replied “no, I would not”. Asked why he was willing to share a large amount of money, or a large amount of property, but he wouldn’t give away something as paltry as a single cow, the man replied “well, I actually have two cows.” It’s easy to think we would be generous with something we don’t have. Or to think others should be generous with the bounty they have. It’s nice theory. But when faced with the prospect of giving away resources you have worked long and hard for an extended period of time to acquire, would you be equally generous? Or might you fall into some version of the “ someone is trying to take away my wealth”, the reward for a lifetime of hard work, camp? It's just a small hop between this and judging the not-well-off for not working hard enough, or they, too, would be rich. I tend to believe everyone who becomes wealthy benefited from some forces beyond themselves: being born white, or male; being born in the U.S.; receiving a scholarship or a first job that allowed growth; being lucky at least one time; having an address; being able to learn easily; a billion other factors. Of course, many people are born into wealth, too.
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haapai
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Post by haapai on Jul 23, 2022 12:34:18 GMT -5
I’m taking the Berkeley study with a grain of salt. The article claims wealth results in addiction issues. The reason for this claim is that students in “wealthy” schools were evaluated to exhibit a higher rate of maladjustment than inner city students on several measures of maladjustment. I wonder what “several” measures of maladjustment means? Is it 27 of 30 measures, or is it 4 of 30 measures? And those luxury car driving scofflaws. How many were interviewed to determine their socioeconomic status? Maybe they were like a former neighbor of mine who had a Ferrari in the garage but couldn’t afford furniture for the living room. Faux wealthy. I wonder how the behavior of luxury car drivers compares with the behavior of the drivers of jacked up, big wheeled trucks?Overall, I wonder what the perspective of the study leader is? The basis of a study is generally some sort of premise. If you start off with the premise that wealthy people are inherently bad people. How hard is it to find some statistics that “prove” your premise? If you started with the opposite premise, that wealthy people are inherently “good” people. Could you find statistics to validate that premise? Is any study really worth the paper the study results are written on? Their socioeconomic status is unknown. All we know about them is that they choose to drive expensive cars, which probably indicates that they care a lot about status and ranking. It makes total sense that such individuals would engage in pushing down more often than other folks.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Jul 23, 2022 13:34:20 GMT -5
I'm altruistic. I will generally share - especially if I believe I am helping someone else who could use some help.
I think it comes down to if one has a thought about what level of "It's good enough" is good enough for them. If someone has 2 cows and 1 cow is good enough - do they really need the 2nd cow? or do they need to have more cows?? does the 2nd cow (or getting more cows) make their life better?
I mixed together two different ideas in my original post...
There's a difference between being willing to be altruistic versus someone who is forced to give up (it's taken away by others) something.
And that's kind of where the "morality" or "ethical" part comes in:
I was listening to an NPR report on an enclave of wealthy people in California who were dealing with homeless camps in their town. The homeless were camping there because it was "convenient" for them - other towns had laws about the camps for example. What I want to highlight from this report were two closing quotes:
1 opinion of a wealthy person from the town - was that the town (and it's people) should find some way to help the homeless people. perhaps build homes that were affordable for the non-multimillionaires for example. AND 1 opinion of a wealthy person from the town - who came right out and said the whole reason for the town to exist was so that the people who worked hard could enjoy the fruits of their labor (ie an exclusive town just for multimillionaires). Why should the town give away what it had? The town should not allow the campers and the town (and it's people) had no obligation to help them.
I wondered about each of those two people's "good enough"... I was wondering what each of them felt they owed other humans (what do we owe each other?) what they felt was their civic duty/obligation to their fellow humans?
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Jul 23, 2022 13:56:34 GMT -5
It’s easy to think we would be generous with something we don’t have. Or to think others should be generous with the bounty they have. It’s nice theory. But when faced with the prospect of giving away resources you have worked long and hard for an extended period of time to acquire, would you be equally generous? Or might you fall into some version of the “someone is trying to take away my wealth”, the reward for a lifetime of hard work, camp?
I'm guessing that since wealthy people have to be careful - there's always someone trying to get a peice of or ALL of their wealth: a competitor business trying to ruin their business so the competitor will have more customers people saying to invest with them so the wealthy person will get better returns (for a cost or with more risk of losing all their wealth) people selling them services that take their money but don't provide much service. People willing to literally STEAL their stuff (hence the need to live in an exclusive area) People willing to damage their stuff (scrap their expensive vehicle in a parking lot for example). It's tough to be wealthy. I can totally see why it might be difficult to be generous - because "it might be a trap!"
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2022 14:24:24 GMT -5
I'm guessing that since wealthy people have to be careful - there's always someone trying to get a peice of or ALL of their wealth: a competitor business trying to ruin their business so the competitor will have more customers people saying to invest with them so the wealthy person will get better returns (for a cost or with more risk of losing all their wealth) people selling them services that take their money but don't provide much service. People willing to literally STEAL their stuff (hence the need to live in an exclusive area) People willing to damage their stuff (scrap their expensive vehicle in a parking lot for example). It's tough to be wealthy. I can totally see why it might be difficult to be generous - because "it might be a trap!" I've never been poor but I bet it's even tougher to be poor. I agree with you on the threats, though. I'd add: -"Friends" (especially potential partners) looking for a meal ticket. My first husband turned out to be a parasite. I attracted quite a few overtures from guys who saw my pictures in exotic travel destinations on Match.com who were vague about their interest in me ("I like your smile") or were ridiculously younger. - The people who clamor for taxing the rich and giving them all the $$ so they can live like I do. Social programs are meant to be a safety net, not the means to a new, tricked-out F-150 and crab legs in every pot. Subset: those who rail against rich people but cozy up to them when looking for donations for their pet charities.
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jerseygirl
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Post by jerseygirl on Jul 23, 2022 15:09:12 GMT -5
Colleague from India , PhD statistics, had a successful career in US but decided to go back to India to start a girls’ school. She wanted to give girls opportunities. She stayed with family . Tried about 2 years but huge obstacles prevented starting the school. She was so disappointed also in her family. They treated her as a pocketbook to pay for weddings, buying houses, etc etc and were rude to her. She really wasn’t wealthy here in the US but back in India apparently this amount of savings put her in a different category. She returned to the US br]Another friend from India has a successful business here in the US. He supports a school in India but his brother in India manages the school. Friend said his family also treats him as a pocketbook there and he rarely visits
Most folks in the US and Canada are wealthy in comparison to most of the world School our sons attended (private Catholic run by monks) really tried to emphasize the boys ‘owed’ giving back to less fortunate, wether those with physical challenges here or going to Appalachia or Central America or during the school year to local inner city brother private school. They collected all year and during summer went to these regions to volunteer. Most of these boys came from fairly privileged families . We’re happy we sent them there instead of local HS where most kids seemed to be very insular and a main trip was visiting local mall
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Jul 23, 2022 16:00:04 GMT -5
Most folks in the US and Canada are wealthy in comparison to most of the world School our sons attended (private Catholic run by monks) really tried to emphasize the boys ‘owed’ giving back to less fortunate, wether those with physical challenges here or going to Appalachia or Central America or during the school year to local inner city brother private school. They collected all year and during summer went to these regions to volunteer. Most of these boys came from fairly privileged families . We’re happy we sent them there instead of local HS where most kids seemed to be very insular and a main trip was visiting local mall See, at our private (Catholic) high school, it is about money and prestige. Tuition used to be 17K a year. Now it's 13K a year.
It's a place the wealthy can send their kids to after they've been kicked out of the public school system.
All the 8th graders going there feel superior to the kids going to public high schools. Part of it is the parents. Though. The parents think by spending 13K on tuition a year, Jesus himself is going to come down and protect their kids from drinking, drugs, and sex.
(The reality is this school has had a long standing reputation...think 40 years...for having the *good* parties because the kids/parents can afford the good drugs and the good booze). I actually have a lot of fun having discussions where I say "well, you know, there are drugs, drink, sex, and kids who fail at the school." Parents and kids alike look at me like I have two heads.
I guess Jesus requires more money to come down and protect the kids from themselves.
It's been a while since I've been close to a family that has sent their kids there. I know when one of my old kiddos went there, he was invited to a sweet 16 party. Limos, kids were expected to dress up in formal wear, the whole 9 yards.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2022 16:14:37 GMT -5
See, at our private (Catholic) high school, it is about money and prestige. Tuition used to be 17K a year. Now it's 13K a year. It's a place the wealthy can send their kids to after they've been kicked out of the public school system. All the 8th graders going there feel superior to the kids going to public high schools. Part of it is the parents. Though. The parents think by spending 13K on tuition a year, Jesus himself is going to come down and protect their kids from drinking, drugs, and sex. (The reality is this school has had a long standing reputation...think 40 years...for having the *good* parties because the kids/parents can afford the good drugs and the good booze). I actually have a lot of fun having discussions where I say "well, you know, there are drugs, drink, sex, and kids who fail at the school." Parents and kids alike look at me like I have two heads. This surprises me. I'm the product of Roman Catholic schools and they were not like that. One advantage they had was that kids who were behavioral problems could be expelled- and the public school had to take them. I've kept in touch with many of my HS classmates and have been surprised to find that many had to work to pay their tuition (nowhere near the values you mention even when expressed in 2022 dollars). One, now a doctor, who was smart and driven, said she was definitely from the wrong side of the tracks. Another said that when her Dad lost his job she was told she had to find a PT job to pay tuition for her and her younger sister. I knew she worked in a bakery. I didn't know why. Maybe it's the steep tuition now. I believe we used to get some state support and that went to zero over the years. It may be that the kids whose parents can pay $13-$17,000/year do come from wealthy families. I see that mine (modest city in Ohio) is now $9,000/year but with an extensive scholarship program and a generous donor base. I give every year.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2022 16:29:57 GMT -5
Most folks in the US and Canada are wealthy in comparison to most of the world School our sons attended (private Catholic run by monks) really tried to emphasize the boys ‘owed’ giving back to less fortunate, wether those with physical challenges here or going to Appalachia or Central America or during the school year to local inner city brother private school. They collected all year and during summer went to these regions to volunteer. Most of these boys came from fairly privileged families . We’re happy we sent them there instead of local HS where most kids seemed to be very insular and a main trip was visiting local mall See, at our private (Catholic) high school, it is about money and prestige. Tuition used to be 17K a year. Now it's 13K a year.
It's a place the wealthy can send their kids to after they've been kicked out of the public school system.
All the 8th graders going there feel superior to the kids going to public high schools. Part of it is the parents. Though. The parents think by spending 13K on tuition a year, Jesus himself is going to come down and protect their kids from drinking, drugs, and sex.
(The reality is this school has had a long standing reputation...think 40 years...for having the *good* parties because the kids/parents can afford the good drugs and the good booze). I actually have a lot of fun having discussions where I say "well, you know, there are drugs, drink, sex, and kids who fail at the school." Parents and kids alike look at me like I have two heads.
I guess Jesus requires more money to come down and protect the kids from themselves.
It's been a while since I've been close to a family that has sent their kids there. I know when one of my old kiddos went there, he was invited to a sweet 16 party. Limos, kids were expected to dress up in formal wear, the whole 9 yards. I knew a man whose not-wealthy parents scraped together money to send him to a well known private high school in the area, where a lot of wealthy parents sent their children. He said that is where he learned about hard drugs like cocaine. Some kids he knew from public school might have smoked weed, but the drugs of choice at the private school were on a whole ‘nother level, and stuff he’d never been around. I was surprised when he first talked about it, but after listening, it kinda made sense. For teenagers that have a tendency to dabble in drugs, the more money they have access to, the more expensive drugs they could buy.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jul 23, 2022 16:50:53 GMT -5
I can totally see this... there are a lot of dynamics to wealth. If you have money, you may be obligated to "share" it with extended family. Sounds nice but I can see where there may be some emotional conflict - you may be doing things (behaviors) that get you the more money (or keep the more money) - but your extended family does not and so sharing feels very unequal/unfair. I suspect that people with money may get asked for money (charity) all the time. Or may be asked for other kinds of help (an introduction, a recommendation, an "in" into an organization). Wealthy people don't always get wealthy just on their own labor alone - they get that way by sometimes taking advantage of other people. I can see where there might be a conflict with empathy and compassion. Especially if the person is surrounded by other people NOT exhibiting empathy and compassion. as it this is how we all behave therefore it's OK. Add in the media's spread of the fear that "someone is trying to take away my wealth"... and I can see how empathy and compassion gets squeezed out. A joke I read recently seems appropriate here It seems a man was asked “If you had $10 million, would you be willing to give half to those less fortunate?” The man responded “yes”. The man was then asked “If you owned 4,000 acres of land, would you be willing to give half the land to someone who was homeless?” The man responded “yes, I would”. When asked “If you had two cows, would you give one to someone who had no cow?” The man replied “no, I would not”. Asked why he was willing to share a large amount of money, or a large amount of property, but he wouldn’t give away something as paltry as a single cow, the man replied “well, I actually have two cows.” It’s easy to think we would be generous with something we don’t have. Or to think others should be generous with the bounty they have. It’s nice theory. But when faced with the prospect of giving away resources you have worked long and hard for an extended period of time to acquire, would you be equally generous? Or might you fall into some version of the “someone is trying to take away my wealth”, the reward for a lifetime of hard work, camp? The Mega Millions lottery jackpot is now up to $790 million. I don't think I would like to have the sole winning ticket for that amount. It would change who I am and into a not very nice person. Money can be a curse.
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seriousthistime
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Post by seriousthistime on Jul 23, 2022 17:15:19 GMT -5
I can totally see this... there are a lot of dynamics to wealth. If you have money, you may be obligated to "share" it with extended family. Sounds nice but I can see where there may be some emotional conflict - you may be doing things (behaviors) that get you the more money (or keep the more money) - but your extended family does not and so sharing feels very unequal/unfair. I suspect that people with money may get asked for money (charity) all the time. Or may be asked for other kinds of help (an introduction, a recommendation, an "in" into an organization). Wealthy people don't always get wealthy just on their own labor alone - they get that way by sometimes taking advantage of other people. I can see where there might be a conflict with empathy and compassion. Especially if the person is surrounded by other people NOT exhibiting empathy and compassion. as it this is how we all behave therefore it's OK. Add in the media's spread of the fear that "someone is trying to take away my wealth"... and I can see how empathy and compassion gets squeezed out. A joke I read recently seems appropriate here It seems a man was asked “If you had $10 million, would you be willing to give half to those less fortunate?” The man responded “yes”. The man was then asked “If you owned 4,000 acres of land, would you be willing to give half the land to someone who was homeless?” The man responded “yes, I would”. When asked “If you had two cows, would you give one to someone who had no cow?” The man replied “no, I would not”. Asked why he was willing to share a large amount of money, or a large amount of property, but he wouldn’t give away something as paltry as a single cow, the man replied “well, I actually have two cows.” It’s easy to think we would be generous with something we don’t have. Or to think others should be generous with the bounty they have. It’s nice theory. But when faced with the prospect of giving away resources you have worked long and hard for an extended period of time to acquire, would you be equally generous? Or might you fall into some version of the “someone is trying to take away my wealth”, the reward for a lifetime of hard work, camp? If I had two cows, I'd likely view it the same as having two kidneys. What happens if I give one away, and the other one starts to fail? On the other hand, if I had three cows, or kidneys, I'd give one away because at least I'd have a backup. So if I had immeasurable wealth or even just ordinary wealth by virtue of being born into a wealthy family, I'd likely have a different view of giving a big part of it away.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2022 17:16:48 GMT -5
A joke I read recently seems appropriate here It seems a man was asked “If you had $10 million, would you be willing to give half to those less fortunate?” The man responded “yes”. The man was then asked “If you owned 4,000 acres of land, would you be willing to give half the land to someone who was homeless?” The man responded “yes, I would”. When asked “If you had two cows, would you give one to someone who had no cow?” The man replied “no, I would not”. Asked why he was willing to share a large amount of money, or a large amount of property, but he wouldn’t give away something as paltry as a single cow, the man replied “well, I actually have two cows.” It’s easy to think we would be generous with something we don’t have. Or to think others should be generous with the bounty they have. It’s nice theory. But when faced with the prospect of giving away resources you have worked long and hard for an extended period of time to acquire, would you be equally generous? Or might you fall into some version of the “someone is trying to take away my wealth”, the reward for a lifetime of hard work, camp? The Mega Millions lottery jackpot is now up to $790 million. I don't think I would like to have the sole winning ticket for that amount. It would change who I am and into a not very nice person. Money can be a curse. If I won that much money in the lottery, I don’t really think it would change who I am. I’m a generous person by a nature, so, I would definitely give a lot of the money away. BUT, I would give away whatever I’m going to give away, then disappear and play catch me if you can lol.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2022 17:19:28 GMT -5
The Mega Millions lottery jackpot is now up to $790 million. I don't think I would like to have the sole winning ticket for that amount. It would change who I am and into a not very nice person. Money can be a curse. Read the follow-up stories of many of the lottery winners. Most end up broke and deserted by the "friends" they had when they had money. One show I watch when I'm a hotel room with cable is "My Lottery Dream Home". Some people are sensible- they won $1 million and are looking for a $250K house. Others who won $1 million are looking at $800K homes with a swimming pool, extensive lawns and cathedral ceilings- all high-maintenance features. I'd like to see a follow-up on them, too. $790 million would not change my life. I wouldn't know what to do with it except give it away and that could attract too many fake "friends".
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jul 23, 2022 17:42:26 GMT -5
The Mega Millions lottery jackpot is now up to $790 million. I don't think I would like to have the sole winning ticket for that amount. It would change who I am and into a not very nice person. Money can be a curse. Read the follow-up stories of many of the lottery winners. Most end up broke and deserted by the "friends" they had when they had money. One show I watch when I'm a hotel room with cable is "My Lottery Dream Home". Some people are sensible- they won $1 million and are looking for a $250K house. Others who won $1 million are looking at $800K homes with a swimming pool, extensive lawns and cathedral ceilings- all high-maintenance features. I'd like to see a follow-up on them, too. $790 million would not change my life. I wouldn't know what to do with it except give it away and that could attract too many fake "friends". I would hate to lose my anonymity. I live in a states where winners' names must be announced.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Jul 23, 2022 17:52:35 GMT -5
A joke I read recently seems appropriate here It seems a man was asked “If you had $10 million, would you be willing to give half to those less fortunate?” The man responded “yes”. The man was then asked “If you owned 4,000 acres of land, would you be willing to give half the land to someone who was homeless?” The man responded “yes, I would”. When asked “If you had two cows, would you give one to someone who had no cow?” The man replied “no, I would not”. Asked why he was willing to share a large amount of money, or a large amount of property, but he wouldn’t give away something as paltry as a single cow, the man replied “well, I actually have two cows.” It’s easy to think we would be generous with something we don’t have. Or to think others should be generous with the bounty they have. It’s nice theory. But when faced with the prospect of giving away resources you have worked long and hard for an extended period of time to acquire, would you be equally generous? Or might you fall into some version of the “someone is trying to take away my wealth”, the reward for a lifetime of hard work, camp? The Mega Millions lottery jackpot is now up to $790 million. I don't think I would like to have the sole winning ticket for that amount. It would change who I am and into a not very nice person. Money can be a curse. Here is your saving grace. You could take the cash payout which is only 464.4. Uncle Sam will take 37% (top bracket amount so marginally less). That means you would only get about $293 million in your pocket. And that doesn't take into account any State tax if you have one. So it won't be that bad.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2022 18:06:11 GMT -5
The Mega Millions lottery jackpot is now up to $790 million. I don't think I would like to have the sole winning ticket for that amount. It would change who I am and into a not very nice person. Money can be a curse. Read the follow-up stories of many of the lottery winners. Most end up broke and deserted by the "friends" they had when they had money. One show I watch when I'm a hotel room with cable is "My Lottery Dream Home". Some people are sensible- they won $1 million and are looking for a $250K house. Others who won $1 million are looking at $800K homes with a swimming pool, extensive lawns and cathedral ceilings- all high-maintenance features. I'd like to see a follow-up on them, too. $790 million would not change my life. I wouldn't know what to do with it except give it away and that could attract too many fake "friends". Well, it would change mine! Most importantly, I wouldn’t have to go to stupid work anymore. Not know what to do with it?! I know exactly what I would do…….. it would change my life because I would be able to live my life as a traveler, traveling as much as I want to. There are so many things in this world that I want to see with my own 2 eyes, so many places I’d love to visit and stay for longer than I could with the way my life is currently set up, so many cultures and peoples I’d like to learn about first hand. I guess I would need a home base to regroup at between travels, but it would likely be years before I spent long stretches of time there. My life with a few hundred million dollars at my disposal would look NOTHING like my life today.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Jul 23, 2022 18:58:21 GMT -5
Read the follow-up stories of many of the lottery winners. Most end up broke and deserted by the "friends" they had when they had money. One show I watch when I'm a hotel room with cable is "My Lottery Dream Home". Some people are sensible- they won $1 million and are looking for a $250K house. Others who won $1 million are looking at $800K homes with a swimming pool, extensive lawns and cathedral ceilings- all high-maintenance features. I'd like to see a follow-up on them, too. $790 million would not change my life. I wouldn't know what to do with it except give it away and that could attract too many fake "friends". Well, it would change mine! Most importantly, I wouldn’t have to go to stupid work anymore. Not know what to do with it?! I know exactly what I would do…….. it would change my life because I would be able to live my life as a traveler, traveling as much as I want to. There are so many things in this world that I want to see with my own 2 eyes, so many places I’d love to visit and stay for longer than I could with the way my life is currently set up, so many cultures and peoples I’d like to learn about first hand. I guess I would need a home base to regroup at between travels, but it would likely be years before I spent long stretches of time there. My life with a few hundred million dollars at my disposal would look NOTHING like my life today. love that for you but I am not a traveler. My life would become very comfortable. I would purchase a home that fits my lifestyle as perfectly as i can find (At 65, I don't want to wait for a custom built home.) My recliner would be hand made to fit my body perfectly. My clothes tailor made. I am a private person so don't want a live in chef but the area restaurants would know my preferences perfectly, save my favorite table or deliver my meals to me (being very appreciative of how I financially acknowledge their efforts). Every function possible in my house would bec9me voice activated. I would have every option for viewing anything I wished on an appropriate screen. I know there is an option for me to rent a fully stocked boat, boarding and leaving it in the water at the pier which I would use instead of buying a boat. Private jets, no commercial flights when I did go anywhere. Comfortable.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Jul 23, 2022 19:26:48 GMT -5
Most folks in the US and Canada are wealthy in comparison to most of the world School our sons attended (private Catholic run by monks) really tried to emphasize the boys ‘owed’ giving back to less fortunate, wether those with physical challenges here or going to Appalachia or Central America or during the school year to local inner city brother private school. They collected all year and during summer went to these regions to volunteer. Most of these boys came from fairly privileged families . We’re happy we sent them there instead of local HS where most kids seemed to be very insular and a main trip was visiting local mall See, at our private (Catholic) high school, it is about money and prestige. Tuition used to be 17K a year. Now it's 13K a year.
It's a place the wealthy can send their kids to after they've been kicked out of the public school system.
All the 8th graders going there feel superior to the kids going to public high schools. Part of it is the parents. Though. The parents think by spending 13K on tuition a year, Jesus himself is going to come down and protect their kids from drinking, drugs, and sex.
(The reality is this school has had a long standing reputation...think 40 years...for having the *good* parties because the kids/parents can afford the good drugs and the good booze). I actually have a lot of fun having discussions where I say "well, you know, there are drugs, drink, sex, and kids who fail at the school." Parents and kids alike look at me like I have two heads.
I guess Jesus requires more money to come down and protect the kids from themselves.
It's been a while since I've been close to a family that has sent their kids there. I know when one of my old kiddos went there, he was invited to a sweet 16 party. Limos, kids were expected to dress up in formal wear, the whole 9 yards. This was dsis experience in private catholic school. They also let dsis not do any math work of any kind for an entire year. They let her just sit and stare out the window, never talked to my mom, and didn't send home a failing report card until the end of the year. She did 2 years of math in 1 summer with a tutor so it wasn't ability. They just didn't care. By the time it was my turn, my folks were more than thrilled with public school.
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Jul 23, 2022 19:36:47 GMT -5
"We’re happy we sent them there instead of local HS where most kids seemed to be very insular and a main trip was visiting local mall"
How do you know that they did not do any volunteering locally - seems like a slight to every person who went to a public HS.
I know that in our public schools here - elementary, middle and high - they had to have a certain number of volunteering hours to graduate.
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jerseygirl
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Post by jerseygirl on Jul 23, 2022 19:47:29 GMT -5
"We’re happy we sent them there instead of local HS where most kids seemed to be very insular and a main trip was visiting local mall"How do you know that they did not do any volunteering locally - seems like a slight to every person who went to a public HS. I know that in our public schools here - elementary, middle and high - they had to have a certain number of volunteering hours to graduate. I know because DD went to the local HS. Some volunteering but much less and wasn’t the same emphasis about giving back to less privileged. Local HS has a good reputation but not the emphasis on seeing understanding rest of world . Also lesser academics. Our town has similar socioeconomic as the private school families I drove DD to athletic lessons early in morning. We wanted her to go to private school after her first year at public HS but she couldn’t take her lessons as private school would have required giving up the lessons because time conflicts . Couldn’t convince her
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jul 23, 2022 20:39:03 GMT -5
Most folks in the US and Canada are wealthy in comparison to most of the world School our sons attended (private Catholic run by monks) really tried to emphasize the boys ‘owed’ giving back to less fortunate, wether those with physical challenges here or going to Appalachia or Central America or during the school year to local inner city brother private school. They collected all year and during summer went to these regions to volunteer. Most of these boys came from fairly privileged families . We’re happy we sent them there instead of local HS where most kids seemed to be very insular and a main trip was visiting local mall See, at our private (Catholic) high school, it is about money and prestige. Tuition used to be 17K a year. Now it's 13K a year.
It's a place the wealthy can send their kids to after they've been kicked out of the public school system.
All the 8th graders going there feel superior to the kids going to public high schools. Part of it is the parents. Though. The parents think by spending 13K on tuition a year, Jesus himself is going to come down and protect their kids from drinking, drugs, and sex.
(The reality is this school has had a long standing reputation...think 40 years...for having the *good* parties because the kids/parents can afford the good drugs and the good booze). I actually have a lot of fun having discussions where I say "well, you know, there are drugs, drink, sex, and kids who fail at the school." Parents and kids alike look at me like I have two heads.
I guess Jesus requires more money to come down and protect the kids from themselves.
It's been a while since I've been close to a family that has sent their kids there. I know when one of my old kiddos went there, he was invited to a sweet 16 party. Limos, kids were expected to dress up in formal wear, the whole 9 yards. Remember the Kavanaugh hearings and all of the happenings going on at Catholic schools in the DC area. When I was in high school, the catholic high schools were separate for girls and boys. A good friend went to the Academy for girls. She had lots of fun in high school. Her grades were so bad her parents sent her to a Catholic boarding school in Wisconsin for girls. Also to get her away from her boyfriend who wasn't Catholic. She ran away so many times, they let her come home and finish high school. We were not required to do volunteer hours when I was in high school. The public school district where I live now does require volunteer hours. Some are done during school hours and they do a lot of good things in the community. It's the elitism of Catholic and other private schools why I do not want my state tax dollars going to them. They send all of their behavioral problems to the public schools.
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