Reply To: Why do poor people dislike wealthy people?

#40064

ACC24014
Participant
I have to first wonder why you would 'look up' to wealthy people. Most didn't earn their wealth, they inherited it. There are far more Steve Forbes out there than Horatio Alger types. It seems like you are more admiring of materialism than anything else, and that hardly seems like a healthy attitude. But you don't say who it is you see as resentful of the well-off. If it is people from slightly affluent backgrounds like yourself, it might be simply a feeling of competition. But if it is poorer people you see as resentful, there are four justifiable reasons for that hostility:

1) Unequal treatment in America based on wealth. How many wealthy people who commit crimes wind up NOT being punished for them? Just ask O.J. 2) The open class hostility directed toward poorer people by the well-off. Just look at any debate over welfare or the demonizing of inner-city youth by the news media. 3) Religious beliefs that are opposed to accumulation of wealth. Think of Jesus saying 'It is easier to get a camel throught the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to go to heaven.' These religious truths, plus those of other groups like Buddhists and American Indians, hold that wealth does not equal virtue, no matter how much we are propagandized to the contrary. 4) The far greater power that the wealthy have in this system. Democracy should be one person=one vote. Instead it's more like one dollar=one vote. How many poorer people have the power to influence the political process like Forbes, Perot, Trump or the many wealthy people who play a behind-the-scenes role? The one reason I don't think anyone can honestly say is a reason is the one cited by many conservatives, envy. That is a deliberate misunderstanding of the genuine issues that poorer people face, almost a libel and a smear.

User Detail :  

Name : ACC24014, City : W Lafayette, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : Grad student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class,