Reply to Do rich people and their immense privilege bother you?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The only rich/wealthy people who annoy me are the ones who believe everyone could have what they have if they just "worked hard enough". That type of lack of nuanced thinking bothers me in anyone though. [/quote]

What about the people that did make it themselves? Came from nothing, worked for it, and succeeded? Why can’t they feel that way, it worked for them, it can work for others. [/quote]

Those are few and far in between. Basically the myth of rags-to-riches is dead because if you don't have superior upbringing and schooling in terms of access to the best schools, tutors, and connections the door to immense wealth is already closed. Bygone are the days of striking it out on your own and making something out of nothing.[/quote]

And here come the excuses....

Plenty of people that grew up poor, and did not go to college make it. Most small business owners seem to have figured it out. You think every person that owns a restaurant/dry cleaner/car dealership/whatever grew up privileged?[/quote]

Except working hard is no guarantee. Take Shaun King, the journalist in NYC. He is married, his wife works, he’s pretty well-known, has 4 jobs, and just tweeted that he can’t afford to buy a house where he lives (Brooklyn). If you didn’t get a pretty serious leg up, you can’t afford to truly accrue wealth (through property, the markets, etc) because you just aren’t starting from the same place as someone who inherited their riches. Or, even beyond ‘riches,’ someone who didn’t have to pay for college. Or who had parents who paid their car loans. [/quote]

Thats nonsense.  You can easily be among the top 5% of earners in the country, and not be able to afford a house in Brooklyn, because Brooklyn (and certainly the parts where a journalist would be willing to live) is incredibly expensive.  Yes, its hard to accumulate wealth living in NYC (or any expensive metro area).  But thats the trade-off for living somewhere that many people worldwide want to live.  If he's that amazing I'm sure he could be successful in many low-cost parts of the country, and afford to buy a home in many wonderful neighborhoods.  Is working hard going to mean you automatically get to be in the 1%, or even the top 50%?  Of course not.  But for most people in the United States, barring bad luck, working hard can get you out of poverty, and even a lower middle class lifestyle in the United States is fairly cushy.  My BIL does not have a college degree and earns a living driving for Uber and private charter-types minibuses (no CDL).  He has no family money.  He is far from rich, but he is able to live a nice lifestyle in a desirable but low cost Southern city.  He rents an apartment, owns a car, and can go out for beers on weekends at the neighborhood pub.  He drives rich people around all the time, and I dont think he wastes one minute resenting them.  Most of them are probably much less happy than he is.  [/quote]

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