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Can a rich person be a good person? (kbin.social)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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I don't mean doctor-making-150k-a-year rich, I mean properly rich with millions to billions of dollars.

I think many will say yes, they can be, though it may be rare. I was tempted to. I thought more about it and I wondered, are you really a good person if you're hoarding enough money you and your family couldn't spend in 10 lifetimes?

I thought, if you're a good person, you wouldn't be rich. And if you're properly rich you're probably not a good person.

I don't know if it's fair or naive to say, but that's what I thought. Whether it's what I believe requires more thought.

There are a handful of ex-millionaires who are no longer millionaires because they cared for others in a way they couldn't care for themselves. Only a handful of course, I would say they are good people.

And in order to stay rich, you have to play your role and participate in a society that oppresses the poor which in turn maintains your wealth. Are you really still capable of being a good person?

Very curious about people's thoughts on this.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I don't understand the obsession with rich people and their not spending/giving money in ways that please others. Also, the notion that wealth can ONLY be achieved through exploitation of others is silly. Has SOME wealth been acquired through exploitation? Of course. But it is easily provable with basic math that living beneath your means and steadily investing long term can result in a very comfortable, and sometimes early, retirement. There is no benefit focusing on what others have, focus on what you are doing. This is straight grown-up advice, if you disagree, you don't have enough life experience yet.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

This is straight grown-up advice

Nope. You wanna know what actual grown-up advice looks like? Go read Nougat's comment in this thread. Or read OP's post. Again.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Those are not the kinds of people that everyone here is talking about. This is what we are talking about.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Lmao nobody is getting 10s of millions or billions of dollars by just being frugal. OP is pretty explicit he's talking about the truly wealthy and not someone who saved well and retired modestly at 55 or 60.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Rofl you try saving your way out of poverty on $27,000 a year, you entitled twat

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

But it is easily provable with basic math that living beneath your means and steadily investing long term can result in a very comfortable, and sometimes early, retirement.

It's incredibly sad that if you're not filthy rich, you have to dedicate your life to living "beneath your means", being incredibly frugal, giving up the chance to have experiences because you must save money, working yourself to death all to have somewhere decent to die in the last few years of your life. Not sure what your point was.