Honestly I’m around a lot of both, and am impressed with neither. The people who impress me are the brilliant and passionate (quiet or loud) people who accomplish things despite all of life’s barriers. And that can be anyone from a stay at home mom with a special needs kid, to a scientist, to a ceo, to a dad who is great kids soccer coach, to a born rich person who has a non-profit. Life is meant to be lived with purpose and impact.

While it's not "impressive" to be born into the idle rich, it should would be great. I'd much prefer that to not being born rich but working hard and ending up with a "prestigious" and high paying career.

That's what I did, and while it "impressed" my family and friends and that money has been nice I'd take being born rich over having to work for it in a heartbeat.

Anonymous wrote:I like people who are smart, interesting, funny, and pro-social. Many born rich and self-made people fail.

I like Warren Buffett. I do not care for Jeff Bezos. He's on a villain arc now.

I do have a preference for self-made people because they are usually interesting and energetic. Just having lots of money and stuff is not impressive to me.

Warren Buffett does have a much better PR machine

Anonymous wrote:Aren't we impressed with people who accomplish great things?

Maybe it's Jeff Bezos who founded a company and became a billionaire...or maybe it's Mackenzie Bezos who is giving away her billions in the divorce to worthy causes (often who have no idea she was even considering them as places for donations).

Honestly, I think the vast majority of all billionaires (whether self-made or inherited) in fact want to install a "striver mentality" in their kids. They don't necessarily need them to apply that mentality to making money vs. making an impact in the Arts or an NPO et al...but they aren't interested in their kids accomplishing nothing with their lives.

One of those people accomplished great things. The other ripped off taxpayers and workers.

I am not at all impressed by the sociopathic money hoarders who have become a blight on the cultural and political landscape. It doesn't matter to me whether they inherited their money or accumulated it themselves.

Rich

Anonymous wrote:Can we not feed the trolls? This is an unserious question that doesn’t merit response.

Just like half the questions on here.

Anonymous wrote:Neither.

The more impressive is the wealthy person who flies under the radar while driving their 20yo Camry and wearing clothes from Costco.

What a DCUM question! 😀

That would be my uncle. Financial analyst who drove Camry, mall clothes, lived in expensive neighborhood but never redid it, sensible furniture, nothing fancy. He retired early and was extremely generous. He left behind about $50 million dollars after having given away at least that amount over his last 30 years. Guys like him live under the radar and there aren’t enough of them.

We know a few people who were born rich and they themselves never amounted to anything except for staying rich. Sadly, their kids are not amounting to much as well. Building wealth on your own creates a feeling of accomplishment even if the career wasn’t prestigious.

Op sound like a 14yo - or troll

Neither of these things is impressive to me. "Impressive" indicates doing something challenging that has real value. Being born rich obviously doesn't qualify -- those people didn't do anything. A prestigious career may or may not qualify, depends on the career. I am not impressed by most careers in corporate law or finance because I feel they offer minimal benefit to society, though they are prestigious. Meanwhile, I think school teachers who are really good at their job and take it seriously are impressive, but their jobs are not prestigious. Then there are jobs that are both prestigious and impressive, like being a successful surgeon or writing a series of well-regarded books on science or history.

Simply being rich is not impressive, though it is nice.

I feel like in most posts, people are generally impressed with born rich people - see them as better than new rich. Eg, they drive old cars and wear cheap clothes not like new rich who “show off”

I don’t see much to be impressed with born rich people - they tend to be out of touch with how most people live.

Can we not feed the trolls? This is an unserious question that doesn’t merit response.

Why would being born with a silver spoon be impressive? What the f@@ck did they do to impress fools like you. You sound like a fool fresh off the boat op. Welcome to America.

I’d rather be born rich and have a hobby job. I don’t think you’re asking who I envy more, but there’s my answer.