Why Do We Hate The Wealthy?

That question has been around for centuries where the wealthy have control and the power while the rest us have seconds. Thankfully we have come a long way since the days of the Roman Empire where people were pitted against each other while the loser hoped the crowd did not give the thumbs down, yes it was pretty brutal.

image by cohdra

Is being rich the real issue or the power that it commands?  For example, we all have seen how the wealthy buy their way out of trouble while the average person perhaps that 18-year-old living in a so-so neighborhood cannot do the same. Not a day goes by when we read how this one got a slap on the wrist because they know someone or they were owed a favor, money and power can make that happen.

Maybe it’s the arrogance that some of the wealthy display or maybe the “you don’t belong here look”. I think a lot has to do with so many of us believing that the so-called American Dream is gone, crushed, and dead like bodies in cement. As for me, I don’t think it’s dead, it’s just wounded and it needs fixing.

I also think there’s been a trend going on in this country for the last couple of years where a negative image is being portrayed on the rich, making them feel guilty about their success, that they don’t pay enough taxes or corporations are bad, so it may be only natural that the average person may be fueled by these thoughts and perhaps justifying the feelings they may already have.

People have become lazy and complacent, they want nice things but they don’t want to go out and earn it, the entitlement mentally has become embedded in our society. Instead of trying to better oneself and learn, most would rather complain, hate and wait for something to be handed to them instead of going out and earning it themselves.

image by doctor_bob

We shouldn’t begrudge or punish those who have worked hard to become a success that is not what this country is all about. The problem is we don’t seem to talk or listen anymore, we just assume the worst. Look, for the most part, there are reasons why people do and act a certain way, we must make an attempt to know what they are and how to work things out.  The problem is on both sides of the fence, the rich and the not rich.

I know from my personal experiences growing up in NYC, it was difficult for me to see many of my friends go on vacations to Florida or one of the islands during school break as we couldn’t go because we didn’t have the money, hell, we were lucky if went during the summer. Experiences like that one never forgets, even after all these years.

Is this something we should be blaming the wealthy for?  Some will say yes others no. What do you say to the person who took chances, gave up partying, and worked after school, worked on weekends, studied till early morning, putting themselves in a position to be successful? So why should this person be penalized or hated because they did all the right things?

image by click

Yes, sometimes you have to be lucky or be in the right place at the right time but the one thing that successful people believe is you have to make your own luck if you fail once, don’t give up, take a step back see what you did wrong and try again. If you really want something bad enough you will get it.

Look, with companies cutting jobs,  real unemployment still way too high, the available jobs paying much less than before, most of them are part-time or temporary jobs, many people are working two to three jobs to stay afloat, why would you not feel that way about the wealthy.

We must understand that it is not solely the companies fault, but it’s the way things are being done in our government that are not helping us, Uncle Sam is not blameless here.