posted on Oct, 15 2014 @ 03:41 AM
a reply to:
SourGrapes
It's the result of a deep rooted belief that success denotes quality.
Since America is so strong and rich it must be because of our ideology not a complex web of factors mostly having nothing to do with the actions of
Americans.
Bill Gates must be a genius and hard working because he made so much money, ignoring his advantages of birth, luck and timing as well as his
incredibly dirty business practices.
In our society people like your family or mine don't seek out fame or fortune. Without one or the other you are essentially voiceless outside your
community and social group. Over time as the world is more interconnected fame or fortune give you a disproportionally loud voice.
The compounding effect is that the worst kinds tend to rise to the top. There are exceptions to this, since some decent people are so good at what
they do for a living they end up with fame or fortune without seeking it but that is not common.
Most of the rich and famous are there because success, power and acclaim or other external validations are their guiding star. When your primary
motivation is a selfish need for external validation it's nearly impossible to maintain morality. Only when your goals include caring about other
people can you maintain morality. If your entire world is just you everyone else becomes a mere prop on the show of your life.
Empathy is the requirement for morality and today empathy is in short supply.