Reply to Wealth and Morality

Forum Index » Off-Topic

Reply to "Wealth and Morality"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It's probably too late to try to right this thread, but I'll post a question generated from the responses.

People say the poor driving is because wealthy people can more easily afford the consequences.  I think this is true in part.

I'll relate this to my own life.

Sometimes, I do not have enough change for the parking meter for the amount of time I need (and there is not one of those pay with a card meters nearby).  I put what I have in the meter and figure that if I get a ticket, oh well, I'll run the risk.

So far, so good, as far OP's point goes.

But, I never decide [b]not[/b] to put change I actually have in the meter because I am willing to run the risk.

Does that just go to the size of the risk I am willing to run, a moral relativism point of view that an attempt at compliance is good enough, or something else?

I can easily afford even a $100 ticket, so assume for this purpose that paying such a ticket doesn't register on my radar.
[/quote]

I'm the 11:18 poster. I CAN'T easily afford the $100 ticket. So if I don't have enough change, I find another parking space, even if it's far away. Or cut my time short to avoid the ticket.

People who cheat/skirt the rules don't do it all the time, only when the potential benefits outweighs the cost. Just like you do with the meters. When it benefits you to skirt the rules/run the risk, you do. If there's an easy way to lower the risk (putting change in the meter) you do that too because that benefits you as well.

It's the cost that differs between you and I. $100 doesn't register for you, so that's a small cost to pay to stay at dinner/pick up your kid at daycare/avoid a long walk in the rain. For me, $100 can be the difference between making all my bills that month or having to dip into savings. I'd rather walk 4 blocks in the rain or leave dinner early than get a ticket.

I'm not bitter about the wealthy, I don't care how much money you make unless you're an asshole about it. I know plenty of poor cheaters and plenty of incredibly kind and generous wealthy people. That said, I do think that having a lot of money can make you prone to being entitled or insensitive to others' struggles. There's a feeling that if you have more money than me, you're better/smarter/more worthy than me, when that's not always the case. I've run into it in real life, at all levels of income, not just with rich people.[/quote]

It's an interesting point, but there were some experiments where the participant faced no negative consequences for cheating.  So while I get that poor people may be more disuaded by a fine, it doesn't explain all of the behavior.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics