Are Rich People Unethical?

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That actually wasn't my point so much as the law can not be considered a code for morality. Ideally it would be, of course, but at present there are aspects of the law which I do not consider consistent with good ethics and morals.

What I meant was that nearly all our Senators and House members are millionaires.
The U.S. has become an oligarchy.

Actually, that is pretty much the story between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

Why do you tar all the successful people with this brush?

Some get rich because they invent useful stuff or bring useful things to the market place.

Some people became rich by placing your computer in front of you.

ruveyn

Money doesn't make people good or bad. It just reveals another part of peoples personalities.

I think a high percentage of society can be influenced by money. Too many people would do anything for it, especially if given another incentive.

I don't think that that was the point. I think YippySkippy was criticizing the fact that you seem to have to be rich to be elected to the federal government.

Rich people whine, too

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/bonus-wit ... 00338.html

You think.... as in suppose or conjecture.

In a forum heavily populated by Aspies, it would have been nice if he said so right at the start.

ruveyn

Well, given that he used the term "oligarchy" that would be the logical assumption.

Yes, what Astrogeek said.

You seem to be all for logic, so are you applying logic here, or are you simply making an emotional complaint to stop yourself from experiencing cognitive dissonance?

I mean, there are plenty of rich, moral people, but there also plenty of rich, immoral people. This fact cannot be denied. I see this kind of mentality often and I know how to spot it.

A person who says that a rich person who has gotten to the top through immoral means is not whining, they are stating an objective truth. Do you blame the poor for being weak-willed or weak-minded?

Personally. my family is fairly well off (middle class). I was not raised in a poor family. I do work now. But I still see a lot of prejudice toward people who grew up in poor families and do not have all the luxuries that I have experienced. Do you feel that the most objective response is to simply say these people are whining or do you think something needs to be done about the situation?

I agree that some people have become rich because of having invented something that everyone wants and they've contributed to the world in some way. However, if the inventor has become rich beyond his wildest dreams, I think the right thing to do would be to charge less for his product and/or pay his staff more, especially the ones at the bottom end.

And there are many more useful things he could do with the cash, rather than it sitting in a bank. They no doubt do some useful things with their cash (I imagine they get involved in some philanthropic endeavours, etc), but not nearly enough, by my estimations, otherwise they would not be quite so rich and there would be much less inequality in the world.

Of course, it's their money, they can do what they like. It's between them and their conscience (or God, if they believe, or whatever they look to for guidance on such matters). But, it can be a little obscene and I would be ashamed, if it was me. I'm not jealous of the ultra-rich at all, I'm happy with my lot. I certainly wouldn't want to be one of them, as I couldn't live with the guilt.

I wouldn't have put it quite like that, but it does seem like some people would really like to think that success is a result of dirty dealings or dishonest behavior in order to feel more virtuous in their own lack thereof.

Personally, I imagine that the wealthy aren't much more honest or dishonest than the public at large, it can just be a bit more high profile when they do something good or bad than for the average person.

I think there are some valid arguments against welfare. The effort should be focused on providing the poor with jobs, and not merely giving handouts. The reason is because many poor people are capable of work, but simply don't have the wherewithal, intelligence, mental ability, social skills, confidence, or job experience to actually get a job. It is very hard for a homeless person to get a job without any support, very close to impossible actually for many homeless people. Isn't it a little cruel to say that these people are simply lazy? Actually it is extremely cruel and self-centered, I take it back.

When people take advantage of welfare, I get pissed myself, but come on, some poor people are mentally ill (schizophrenic for example and do not deserve to be demonized. Most homeless don't even realize that they are deserving of welfare, and so the people who take advantage of the system help while the people who are severely disabled get nothing whatsoever. I admit this is very backwards.

Even autistic people, while many are capable of work, many who are low functioning are going to have extreme difficulty finding jobs, and so these people need to be supported.

It is about the mentality, this mentality that the rich are good and the poor are weak, stupid, and lazy, that is the mentality I want to rebel against furiously. Because it is elitist and cruel.

Yes and no. The two wealthiest areas of the U.S. are Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.

A lot of fortunes have been made honestly in Silicon Valley. To get wealthy in Washington, on the other hand...

I wasn't actually talking about welfare at all there, so I'm not sure why this post is addressed in response to my comment. I was more interested in this sort of passive aggressive defense mechanism that some people use to rationalize their lack of something normally though of as desirable by labeling it as unethical or the result of dishonesty or some other falseness or mendacity. If you think that all rich people are cheats and liars, it's much easier to tell yourself that you're morally superior if not financially superior. You can see similar mental gymnastics on such subjects like attractiveness, social skills, background, etc, especially on this site if NTs are involved. I'm a big believer in accepting luck as part of life, and luck, as life, is not always fair.