Thread: Is making/having money a bad thing on SRP?

From the VAT-thread and the winning the lottery thread, I am getting the idea that a significant portion of SRP'ers at least frown upon big incomes and the possession of significant sums of money. Is that true? Is it "bad" to make a lot of money (and what is a lot? More than $100K per year? $150K?) or own a lot (lottery, inheritance, retired out of a business or something along these lines)? Is "handwork" seen as more "honest" than "brainwork"?

I'd like to find out more from people here, quite interested in the general opinion. And all deviating ones.

I'm not getting the same vibe as you (i.e. I don't think larger incomes are frowned upon), Hillie, though I do agree that in any environment where people come together to meet there is a general mixture of feelings about those who make more/less money from either side of the house.

I would hope that people here would judge me by my personality and what I have to offer to the community (if anything) versus the size of my paycheck. Of course here, "paycheck" equates to your razor/hone/soap/brush collection.

Cheers,

Ogie

I don't care so much about people's paychecks, but one remark (of a few actually from different people), I think from you even, struck me. It said something along the lines that there are rich jerks and nice rich people, but the jerks had the upper hand. Or something along these lines.

Originally Posted by Hillie

I don't care so much about people's paychecks, but one remark (of a few actually), I think from you even, struck me. It said something along the lines that there are rich jerks and nice rich people, but the jerks had the upper hand. Or something along these lines.

LOL... Yes that was me, but all I said was that of all rich people, more are jerks than not (paraphrased).

BUT.. this has nothing to do with the money itself. It has everything to do with the person. So to answer your point, the judgement should be made on case by case basis (person by person), rather than by lumping the whole group that fits the demographic together and pointing and saying, "We don't like them".

Know what I mean?

Good question, Hillie; I'll also be watching your thread to see how people weigh in with their opinions.

I mentioned in my winning the lottery thread that I'm not one who believes that wealth should be involuntarily redistributed to the less wealthy (aside from taxes since we're all essentially forced to pay them). Is being wealthy "good" or "bad"? I personally have don't have a burning desire to be wealthy and wealth does not impress me. I don't aspire to be wealthy or feel inferior for not having wealth just as I don't view the wealthy as superior to me. CHARACTER is of true value in my opinion; a wealthy person can be a wonderful person or they can be a jerk, loser, pathetic and pitiful just as anyone else can be.

Money is an interesting concept to say the least.

I know there are people that IMO have some pretty extreme and negative views against the wealthy. I don't consider myself one of them. It does intrigue me a bit that some such people argue that the uber-rich spanning generations could not have amassed such massive wealth without being nefarious, unethical, etc in dealings along the way; essentially criminal. I don't even want to go there since the last thing I have time for in my life is to spend a significant amount of it "researching" such conspiracy. I'm simply saying such a concept is interesting to me.

Short answer:.....for me, wealth ultimately would be bad. For others it may be simply wonderful in all ways.

Chris L

Yes, money is a bad bad thing, and nobody here will be your friend if you are wealthy. You better just give it to me for disposal.

I am your friend here rich folks, I will help you.

Thanks Chris and Ogie for chiming in.

I understand what you mean Ogie, so no problem there. The original quote seemed to hint to something different, but maybe I didn't fully pick up its context.

Like you Chris I see character and money as seperate factors, but I do think they influence each other. Money has some influence on character, and yes, I think character influences one's money too.

But bedtime for me now, I hope to see more in the morning.

Interesting. I was having a discussion with my step-son similar to this just recently. He is convinced that sudden wealth can change a person. I contended that sudden wealth might bring out, or exaggerate, in some, previously unexpressed character traits, but that those traits already exist and that the perceived change is only an apparent one and not a real change of the individual.

Yes I think it would be a bad thing, although I can't speak from experience.

There has been a lot of talk lately about "The redistribution of wealth". So, if someone wanted to create parity by say, giving each of us a Chandler and a set of Shaptons, well that should be all right.

Just let me know who to PM my address to.

My father was a tool (not as glorious as a razor) grinder in a factory, my mother worked as a secretary for a Dr. I was the youngest of 7 and one of 2 to go to college. I think that puts my formative years solidly in the middle class. Since college, my wife and I make a comfortable living. We manage to pay our bills, give to charity and put some aside.

In my experience of the wealthy, some are jerks, some are eccentric, some are great assets to the world. I am not sure the proportions are much different in that pay grade than any other. The jerks do stand out and they have the finances to be ostentatiously or flamboyantly rude and uncivilized. In contrast, those of lessor means are somewhat restrained by finances.

As I meet people, they reveal themselves by their behavior where they fall on the scale without respect to finance. I expect my own behavior does the same for me.