How having money changes your attitude

a reply to: Metallicus

You are absolutely correct. I see bad habits, bad mistakes made over and over by people with money problems. I've tried to help some young people, but they are either stubborn or blind. For example, If you make 10 dollars an hour, and you buy a cell phone that is 400 dollars, after taxes and such it will take you about a week and a half to pay for that phone. Is that really a good use of your labor and time? You can have a phone that is a fraction of that price, buy a used phone etc. It is all about choices, not about money. Some of the richest people I know are the most giving and generous, and some of the poorest are some of the meanest SOB's, and vice versa. Money does not make people bad, but that is what poor people would like to assume. I also explained to some that getting a gigatic tax refund at the end of the year is really stupid because you are giving the government your money to use for free, you should adjust your taxes to get more of your money monthy. I was told it was the only way for that family to have a "bonus" and save. They would then spend that money up very quickly. So dumb!

originally posted by: Metallicus
a reply to: dfnj2015

You really hate money and people that have it. Your recent OPs all seem to show a sad attitude where you focus on what others have instead of what YOU have. Maybe work on yourself and stop worrying about what others do. You seem to be preoccupied with this topic lately.

I realize you might be a Communist and maybe just have a different attitude towards wealth and freedom than I do, but I do think you are showing a preoccupation with other people's money.

Yikes!
OK well in my experience in living on both ends of the spectrum when it comes to the option of moving about freely and deciding my own desires, rather than lock myself into working seven day work-weeks...living paycheck to paycheck;

I have to become someone I'm not if I desire to move about freely.
I have to compromise myself and who I am, what I stand for if I want to move about freely.

Seems to go along the lines of OPs intended thought pattern in making article and bringing it to us here.

Such hostility and for what? Does it hurt your feelings bc it strikes a guilty nerve?

Sorry if I hurt your feelings, just saw the hurdle set before you and helping you and others get over it.

I dunno if that study gives us an accurate view of reality.

I'm pretty sure that people of all economic tiers can be selfish jerks or really nice kind people.

It seems to boil down to the individual and their personal experiences in life.

So I don't really agree with the concept of grouping people into classes and then making sweeping judgments about "their" attitudes.

Seems like a really simple minded way of viewing the world around you, ya know?

Some threads just have amazing timing for me.

I recently left my job at a firm ran by venture capitalists (along with a number of other employees) and it was because of a change in their attitude after they became successful.

They were always cheap. For example, I NEVER had a chair - always had to borrow one from the conference room or another office. They made people work Christmas eve and never gave low level employees any type of holiday gift/bonus. I just assumed they were just trying to save money and really didn't take it too personally.

Unlike the other peasants, I happened to know that they made a TON of money on a certain date. They seemed to go into total EXTREME jerk mode after this date. They talked about outsourcing the work to India. They started nit picking people's schedules and just seemed to be trying to squeeze more out of the employees. The company's success certainly didn't trickle down to their employees. I guess their theory was a little cheapness made us a lot of money so being super cheap/tyrants will make us even more.

But the major difference was their personalities just seemed more surly and unhappy. I even asked my boss why he wasn't happy.

Depends on the person.

Those make alot spend alot, while those who don't can't. Easy come, easy go, the saying.

Thing is for some of you old timers, they didn't have internet or cellphone back then, which, today is very mandatory to do anything these days. Gas an insurance have gone up exponentially, same with minimum wage, all the while all the other professions degrade unless compensated for the difference.

Hell, a pack of good smokes an a case of beer was, a quarter or something, if my dad was my age again


Hell, I'm looking at the leaders and the shining example of what they are, do dick all, an talk an talk, all the while they constantly make more.

I'd like to see one of these leeches last a day, hell, a week in a general labor setting, an not bitch while being Mirco managed, while telling the same old excuse to go do something with themselves

All the while, I don't see that kiosk paying taxes with it new wage increase.

Hell, of there no need for human workers, there no need for human leaders ether.

originally posted by: Metallicus
a reply to: FyreByrd

And losers complain on the internet...yawn.

Seriously, I have put some excellent advice in this thread and so far the OP has ignored my offer to help. If he really wanted to get to work on his own life and make it better why wouldn’t he instead of starting thread after thread abou how unfair life is and how money is bad.

This thread isn't about their desire to get rich - it's about rich people becoming unethical.

In the next few days I'm going to do a thread about all the sexual harassment by rich/powerful men and then correlate this with the current economy.

Just like sexual harassment isn't about sex because it that was true they had plenty of women who would be drawn to the power or at the least access to a prostitute. It's about power over vulnerable people. The current economy isn't so the rich will get richer - the things they do will have long-term negative effects - it's so they can feel power and control over the masses.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: Metallicus

No, I have no problem leveraging the "poor" people to death. Money is good by any means necessary. Skull and crossbones stuff. Most poor people probably have enough bad karma they deserve their lot in life.

The communist do make a good point. They do not consider "other people's money" to be fairly taken. They claim the laissez faire capitalists do not deserve the money because they stole it from the workers immorally. Why is your point of view better or more right than theirs.

I'm not sure I'm in complete agreement with the communists but here's a really good video arguing the CEOs are criminals:

If communism is the thesis and laissez faire capitalism is the antithesis then probably a more equality and more fairer system would be the synthesis of the two. Greed is good. Sharing the commonwealth is good.

It's funny how the same Capitalists in London who cry "Laissez Faire, Laissez Faire" for their right to make money any way they like without legislation (bankers bonuses, property speculation leading to empty office blocks and apartments sold overseas before they have been built) are the ones to demand "austerity measures" in order for everyone to keep salaries and inflation down. Then they complain that nurses are leaving the NHS to work for private supply staff companies.

There was a time when there was such a dire shortage of plumbers in London, that Oxford graduates were changing professions all in order to earn £80K/year. The government had to put a stop to that by bringing in Polish workers and
salaries dropped.

a reply to: dfnj2015

I have heard of an experiment (Via a TV show in UK called QI), whereby the subjects were divided into groups, each group is asked the same questions (on individual basis), with one group dealing out money and the other group dealing out paper, the questions were designed to get an emotional response, with the questions being around how other people percieve you and how that makes you feel.

The ones dealing the money were shown to have less empathy for other people, I still prefer cuddling my GF rather than piles of cash.

Call me a hippy or communist but money has the power to poison the human mind.

a reply to: Daughter2

I have the mother of all cheap rich people stories. I was a lowly assistant in a very large firm. I worked in the International division which was seen as the cream of the crop. These people were making huge money, we are talking buying private island kind of money. There was a business meeting, which was always catered and one of the executives came out holding a can of pepsi trying to sell it to us. I thought it was a joke at first, but no, he was actually trying to get someone to pay for a soda he just got for free.

a reply to: JAGStorm

That's so funny - at the place I just left they made people leave money for their sodas. This includes their clients who were dropping thousands of dollars.

a reply to: UpIsNowDown

Not the money so much as the materialism it enables.

If you get caught up in materialism, always needing to have more and better, keeping up with the Joneses, that sort of thing, then you will chase money and power to get those material things.

Without the materialism, money is just a pile of paper. It's nice to have, but it's also easy to let go of. You need to be smart with it because modern life makes it necessary, but once you take care of necessities, then is the time to be generous.

originally posted by: Azureblue

originally posted by: rickymouse
I have no desire to be rich. Never did, never will. I had a construction business and was usually cheaper than most other contractors and tried to do a very good job, one where I would not be ashamed to say I did it in twenty years. Most of my customers were not rich, common working people. I did do some work for a few people who were rich around here, retired business owners. But they were the same way I was, they took a lot of time to build up their wealth, they tried to give people affordable services and products. That is not how it is today anymore, the business owners prided themselves on providing jobs in the community and a decent service. I guess I am old school because I think that is important.

Money does not have to make you entitled or spoil a person. I know some people who have gained wealth and they are not that way. People who work hard for their money are often less apt to get entitled than those who make money doing easy work.

But would you knock it back if it came to you in life?

To give it all away within a short period of getting it is easy enough but could you put it into a bank account, leave it there for 4-5 years and then just give it all away, that is the question.

If the study referred to, is real and is correct in its findings then it means that you also would tempted to spend just a little bit of it, then another little bit of a bit later and so on.

I have no desire to be rich. If I did win many millions in the Lotto, I would not give it away. I would start businesses to give people employment, if I broke even after paying everyone, I would be happy knowing that these people are earning a living and I am helping them do so.

If I gave a buck to everyone in this country to help them buy a cup of coffee, it would cost three hundred million bucks and people still would have to throw in extra to get the coffee. If you spend two hundred thousand to start a business that employs say fifty people and the money invested actually gets returned to pay for things from sales of the goods or services, they can work for years there and the company actually strengthens the local economy, as these people circulate their money to create more jobs. Giving money to charities like Vinnies or the food bank is all right, profits from the business could go to help those agencies locally. Now think how many small factories you could start for three hundred million bucks if two hundred thousand will start a business for fifty.

We need to get some of the production jobs back here in America. That will make it so people do not have to beg from charities to live. I see a big problem in this country with the new Elite who would rather line their pockets by jacking the price of imports up and get super rich instead of helping our own citizens make a living. Then we congratulate them for donating a small amount of their income to the poor that they helped to create.

We have problems throughout our society, this thread is actually right on in what it is trying to say. But I say that there are still people out there that would create jobs and they are really good for our economy and our citizens.

a reply to: dfnj2015

Perhaps it's simply that unethical people tend to make more money in a fallen world. Could be that, instead of the money causing the behavior.

originally posted by: Metallicus
a reply to: Look2theSacredHeart

Are those people spending money on cable tv, internet, car payment, living alone? They need to examine their income and expenses and make some tough cuts until they have the capital they need.

I didn’t have anything, but a bedroom when I started working. No TV, no video games, no car, and my entertainment was playing RP games with friends where the only cost was a bag of chips and some pencils.

People have forgotten very basic life management skills. If starting out didn’t suck I never would have been motivated to the success I achieved later in life.

Exactly! Some people seem to think that if anyone has something they don't, it's somehow unfair, and also that they are somehow entitled to everything. Spoiled, is what I call it. Call me old school, but I didn't grow up with a gazillion electronic devices, thinking such things were vital to life. Nowadays, even little kids walk around with cell phones, tablets, etc. People buy devices to plan a grocery list. What's wrong with a pencil and paper?

I had a time of having very little, too. Could barely afford cable, and it as CHEAP then, about $30 a month, and that was my sole entertainment. Cheap car, for which I paid cash, a movie night was a he $1 Cinemark, second run stuff. Cheap groceries, scrounging to afford gifts for my oldest. Took some effort just to earn enough to get a better apartment, in those days.

a reply to: Metallicus

That is my point. People are too focused on other people and not bettering themselves. I started my professional career with student loan debt and $50 in the bank. Everything else was up to me.

There is an issues you are failing to see and address. The wealth disparity between the rich and the poor is greater than it have ever been. Stop defending a failed system. Capitalism is dying and as it does it is consuming the entire planet with it.

Before you use the big C word no i am not a communist either. Both are proven failed systems..