Reply to Do most of you not realize how out of touch and privileged you are?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]First generation American here- grew up with a single mom because dad abandoned us and took all the money with him. Tons of student loans. Worked 4 jobs in college and could barely afford shampoo. I’m an obvious minority and a woman and experienced it all. 20 years of hard work later I’m well off.

My absolute biggest privilege was being born in the USA. If you don’t get that, you’re ignorant of the world.[/quote]

Multiple people have gone off about this but it doesn't change the fact that the truly wealthy are usually a-hats who convince themselves that they deserve to be rich, no one else worked as hard as they do or their immigrant parents did (who came here with $1 and walked to and from their four jobs with no shoes uphill every day).  Yes, it is a nice thing to be born in the US compared to *some* other places, but it doesn't mean there aren't many, many people here who are living through great hardship.

Fact is, if you are wealthy, you got lucky in some way.  Tons of people work as hard or (likely) harder than you do every day and will never make six figures.  Tons of people have immigrant parents who worked four jobs and they are their kids never became wealthy.  Tons of people live good, honest lives and will never be wealthy.  If you are wealthy, you should be thankful for your good fortune, give back as much as you can, and stop believing you "deserve" this more than others.  You don't.  These myths about your life you tell yourself are just the way you soothe your (in some of your cases, vanishingly small) conscience.[/quote]

PP here- of course I got lucky.  My existence in America a huge stroke of luck. Access to USG funded grants and student loans is a huge stroke of luck. Having been taught decent family values and the need to contribute to your community a huge stroke of luck. Nothing in my post said I deserved this more than anyone else. OP wants to burn the system down because she is unhappy with it, and eliminate the path to prosperity America has offered millions of people over the course of history. Its a super messed up proposal, and if you don't recognize it, YOUR intelligence and conscience has been addled by envy and hatred.[/quote]

I don't agree with OPs draconian take on it, but I do see a lot of rich people trying to rationalize for themselves why they deserve to be rich (and the subtext that everyone else does not) on this thread and all over this board.  If you are cognizant of your good fortune, then you are not one of the people that I, or even the OP for that matter, were talking to.  It's the idea that so many rich people are oblivious to their own privilege and kinda jerks.[/quote]

PP here. No doubt there are some jerks on this message board, but the point of this board is to try to get a frame of reference to how people in your income bracket are spending and managing their money.  That should absolutely include charitable giving and other efforts to not be a leach. But the OP just hates everyone for having money. Don't get me wrong, there are times when I am around people who are much richer than me and I feel like GTFA of here, but I certainly don't think the response is to burn the system down, or have so much hate in my heart.  I hope someone helps the OP so they don't feel so angry. Health and well being is wealth. Money makes the world go round, but we all die someday. Don't waste your rage on an anonymous message board that is actually quite helpful to some people.  I've learned a LOT on this form (and I just ignore the jerks).[/quote]

+1.  Why do you waste your energy OP on something you can’t control and that is other people having money?

You should channel that anger into something productive.

I grew up poor and learned a long time ago that it doesn’t matter what other people do.  I could care less.  It also doesn’t matter what other people think about me.  I could care less.  What is important is what how I think of myself and what I am able to do and the things I can control.

You need to get some help letting go of this anger and resentment.  It’s not healthy.[/quote]

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