What if I told you the people who are complaining about the wealthy are the same people keeping your from becoming wealthy yourself?
I think there is misinformation floating around that casts the wealthy as if they were all evil like the old evil stepmother depiction that was oh so popular in the Disney movie classics (I wonder what they had against stepmothers? Perhaps childhood issues, or an easy target?).
Now just in the little that I wrote so far I’m sure some readers put their hands over their ears, closed their eyes and started chanting “I’m not listening, la la la”. If you have made it this far read each of the points below with an open mind.
- 8 out of 10 people who are rich today came from a middle class or lower background. This means that 80% of those that are rich are just like you and me! Look around and in the mirror, practically everybody you see, including yourself, can or may already be rich. Don’t believe the crazy people they have on “The Real Desperate Housewives” as representing the rich. As much as they say it’s real, it not really representative of the rich. Those TV shows are about as representative of the rich as a pink dolphin is representing the average dolphins.
- There are both good and bad people who are rich. Bad is a relative term, perhaps good and (aggressive, mean or selfish) people who are rich is a better way of describing them.
- There isn’t some magic that happens to these people who come from the middle class that makes them more prone to be successful other than drive, belief that they can do it, and the willingness to try.
- Most rich people (at least the ones that I know) give money away to causes that improves everybody’s lives, whether they realize it or not. Parks, recreations centers, the Arts (yes, liberals that protest the rich benefit greatly from people being rich… surprise), medicine, hospitals, and quite literally the list goes on and on.
- Big media like to portray the rich as bad guys (which is ironic since they themselves are super rich), but if you read blog sites and their interviews with the rich, you’ll see that they aren’t really the way big media like to present them. Big media just want you to watch their shows because it makes them money. I wonder if they think we are all slow? Just remember when you listen to one of those shows trashing the rich, that the people pulling the strings are richer than you or I can imagine. A bit hypocritical huh…
The wealthy are the ones that bought apple products, enabling the android devices to take off and become popular at a much lower price. If it weren’t for the wealthy buying both calculators and computers of yesteryear, computer still might be giant behemoths of past, or so expensive that they never become mass-produced and exist only in the government world. I don’t know about you, but my computers and electronic devices has made a huge impact on my life, and might be a way for me to someday advance to the wealth level of the rich, even on a middle class income.
Think you are still a victim? The try the following:
- Grow your own food
- Stop buying products that the rich provide
- Start bartering more
- Make your own clothes
- Start a side business on the cheap
- Think and exist outside of the box
- Experiment
- Become more socially active and make new friends
- Live life well…
The thing is you are a victim only because you let people tell you that you are. You are only limited by your desire to be wealthy and your determination to get there.
I’ve been asleep for years, not really believing or even trying to become wealthy. Now I’m awake and trying things. I think life will slip by too quickly if you let it.
If you don’t play the game, how do you expect to win?
MR
amen!
The media often paints the rich in bad light becasue it is more interesting and entertaining to read about or watch some Real Housewife or other celebrity act deplorably than it is to watch the normal wealthy people plug money into investments.
Very true, it’s a shame how the media paints the wealthy.
So true. I know someone who whines and complains ALL THE TIME about how unfair it is that rich folks can afford “nice things” in life, and she can’t. She also thinks rich folks should be paying more taxes and she shouldn’t have to pay any taxes. Rather than take responsibility and take charge of her own future… she wants to bitch about how easy rich people have it and how difficult her life is.
Yep, it’s funny if the shoes were turn I’m sure she would be singing a different song. Sad huh…
I don’t know…I think there are a lot of people who were defrauded by the rich during the housing bubble who would disagree with you (I’m not talking about the people who bought more house than they knew they could afford, I’m talking about the people who were straight lied to).
I don’t begrudge any rich person who got that way through hard work. I do begrudge those who got rich by engaging in anti-American activities like betting on people to fail and setting it up so they profit.
It’s not money that people are mad about, it’s deception and avarice.
The very fabric of our economy has been destroyed over the last 40 years. I don’t think there is a lot to be proud of for those who played a role in that.
I think some people may have been defrauded by crooks that may have been trying to become rich… I say trying to become rich, because most rich people aren’t dumb enough (excluding Bernie of course) from risking their hard earned gains on something as stupid as fraud.
I’m positive Jaime Dimon didn’t defraud anybody, but it’s his house they are protesting at. So I think you know what you are against, but the rest of the people protesting such activities are blindly following without researching or even looking around them. I know a few rich people and they are good people that help and care about people. You’ll never see them on the news though….
I like to be with successful (rich) people. I learn a lot from them. I have been that way all my life. I felt comfortable being with the “enemy”. See, i went to school with them and now live amongst them and some are even my friends. I find that they are generous with information that I find helpful. You are right not all of them are like that.
In many ways I view the successful as the pushers of society. They are the ones with the drive and the creators. Most (80%) are from the middle class just like the majority of us. It’s their drive and determination that enable them to become rich…
What a great post! My wife and I became 1 percenters through hard work and dedication..nothing was handed to us….
Its ashame that the media and our president vilify the rich…
I think so too, I see it as discriminatory in many ways. I equate it to sitting on a branch sawing on the wrong side of it…
I’m with Krant. There’s a motto that says, “Dress for the job you want not for the job you have.”
exactly 🙂
The rich are just like you and me. I’ve been broke, I’ve been rich. It’s all the same. When you are rich, your level of envy just goes down and you stop worry about money.
I think in some ways society benefits even more so once the rich become rich. There are plenty of example of people becoming rich and helping society. It’s easy to help when you don’t need help yourself…
I’m glad Steve Jobs created Apple. Seriously so thankful. Glad Google was invented too!
BTW, check out Funancials member post on Y today. Hilarious!
Aren’t we all 🙂
I’m not saying that the poor don’t work hard, but people that are “rich” work hard to get there – they’re not evil, (generally) and they are not the enemy.
yep, they are just people… nothing more and nothing less…
Unfortunately people want someone to blame for their problems of late. First it was the banks fault. Now it’s the rich peoples fault. Maybe tomorrow it will finally be their fault, but it will probably be the governments, China’s, Europe’s, or high gas prices’ fault.
Eventually they will accept the blame but by then the economy will be roaring, they’ll be paid up on their mortgage and happily employed making good money again.
yes, definitely a blame game going on!
Amazing huh…
I am so tired of the rich being portrayed at selfish and greedy, I just don’t get it. Where do people think all the money in the economy comes from?
Great post MR.
Thanks, yes this article was provoked by a comment on an article called “without the rich life would suck”. I’m starting to give up on trying to convince people how a capitalistic society benefits all of us…
Really interesting article. There has been a lot of rich bashing lately and while I don’t consider myself rich (yet!) I do think it’s unfair. I have a lot of wealthy friends and they all came from middle class backgrounds like me. It does lead me to think that most people who aren’t rich don’t have a clue about who the wealthy really are. Now, I know there’s no insurance for success but we are working hard and smart to ensure that we become one of them and soon!
Great post. I read a book years ago (wish I could remember what it was called). The book really drove home that fact that we all choose how we react to our situation. Most choose to be “victims” – in other words, they blame others for their lot in life (e.g. the rich held me down). A smaller percentage choose to be “players” who feel they got exactly what they deserve OR that they can work their way out of their current situation themselves. I choose to be a player. Ever since reading that book, it is astounding how people I meet and interact with clearly demonstrate either “player” or “victim” traits in their speech or actions.