Any citations for this 'medical fact'? It sounds like psychology, not medicine/biology to me, meaning that it is far from fact. In fact, it doesn't sound like psychology - it sounds like poorly informed opinion.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 24

sanson

Original post by PythianLegume

Any citations for this 'medical fact'. It sounds like psychology, not medicine/biology to me, meaning that it is far from fact. In fact, it doesn't sound like psychology - it sounds like poorly informed opinion.

Any citations for the contrary? Excessive envy is in the DSM IV (even though psychiatry is false and designed as a tool to control).

Many psychiatric professionals dissuade people from envy.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 25

TimmonaPortella

Original post by Eboracum

Many of the rich haven't earned their money. It's passed down to silver spoon brats. If somebody like David Cameron had a working class council estate background instead of a silver spoon background, I wonder how he'd do?

Well he wouldn't be David Cameron, or "somebody like him", so the hypothetical doesn't really make sense.

Certainly it's true that people have been high up politicians from lower backgrounds...

I'll accept that not all criticism of the fact that rich people exist is based in jealousy. I think that a lot of it is, but I don't think it is necessarily. But hatred of the rich as a group is almost invariably based in jealousy. They are hated on the basis only that they have a lot of money; that is, they're resented on the basis that they have things that others don't -- jealousy defined. At least, if it's not based in jealousy, it's based on irrational generalisations about the behaviour of rich people (which itself on some level is usually based in jealousy).

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 26

oh yeah

Well, if i had the money, i'll be able to go to my dream school! It costs £30,000 a year, something only the rich could afford! Things would be easier for my parents since the UK is not very friendly with Bursaries and Scholarships. This is just a view from a high achieving student who only wants more money for education.

Reply 27

Amy-Leanne

I personally am not jealous of the rich, I'm not rich and I'm not living in poverty but I live in a small flat which hardly any money. I am not jealous of the rich because a lot of people with loads, and loads of money seem to be not as happy as those with not as much money and a loving family, although saying that some rich people have the loving family aswell, but if I had to choose between one, being poor with a loving family or rich with no loving family, I would choose to be poor with a loving family no doubt about it.
People may be jealous of the poor because they cannot afford things, I know my family can no way near afford a roast dinner every sunday never mind a trip to the theme park whenever, and some people who can't afford the same as my family can't may be jealous because they are really really desperate to have those things.

Reply 28

Integral

Original post by sanson

Any citations for the contrary? Excessive envy is in the DSM IV (even though psychiatry is false and designed as a tool to control).

Many psychiatric professionals dissuade people from envy.

Debates don't work like that. The burden of proof is on you.

Reply 29

LeoLeoLeo

Original post by The Polymath

Most people are only jealous, as in actual dislike, of the rich who didn't deserve it (born into a wealthy family).

Of course everyone is jealous of all rich people, but in the case of those who earned it, I don't think many will be hating on them.

They may not have earned that money, but the argument that they don't deserve it is stupid, personally. Who else should the money go to? should rich parents not allow their children (whom they love) to share their wealth?

Also, do we in the UK deserve to be richer and have a higher quality of life than in third world countries? The world isn't fair. We've got to get over the fact that some people are going to be born into different circumstances than others.

Reply 30

Doglamlico

Original post by LeoLeoLeo

Yes, you're asking good questions. All I said was that that's how people behave :yes:

Reply 31

LeoLeoLeo

Original post by The Polymath

Yes, you're asking good questions. All I said was that that's how people behave :yes:

Ahh, haha, yes that is true. I apologise then. However my questions weren't an attack but your nod is belittling me!

Reply 32

TurboCretin

Besides the obvious, you mean?

Reply 33

Doglamlico

Original post by LeoLeoLeo

Ahh, haha, yes that is true. I apologise then. However my questions weren't an attack but your nod is belittling me!

Sorry, the nod wasn't meant to belittle! Here, have something more friendly: :cute:

Reply 34

LeoLeoLeo

Original post by The Polymath

Sorry, the nod wasn't meant to belittle! Here, have something more friendly: :cute:

haha, wicked!

Reply 35

Nataliekang

It’s sickening to be jealous of rich people to the point you hate them . THEY DID NOT DO ANYTHING WRONG SO WHY HATE ON THEM AND CAUSE THEM HURT ? THEY WORKED FOR THE MONEY . DID U? ALSO IF U R SO JEALOUS THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT? IF YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT KIDS WHO INHERIT FROM THEIR PARENTS , THINK ONCE MORE ! THEIR PARENTS PUT IN THE EFFORT ! DID YOUR PARENTS DO THE SAME ? ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE , U DECIDE WHETHER YOU WANT TO BE RICH OR POOR . RICH PEOPLE DID NOT DO ANYTHING WRONG . THEY WORKED FOR IT ! THEY IMPROVED THE ENVIRONMENT OR PROVIDE SERVICES THAT U GUYS ENJOY AND THEY ALSO PAY MORE TAXES THEN U , WHAT HAVE U GOT TO SAY ! Stop hating with your BLACK heart do something and stop your black hearted sinful acts .

Reply 36

username1799249

Original post by jackturpon

Surely that is just poor reasoning? A minority of bank workers didn't do their job properly. But someone earning a lot in another industry would probably have had nothing to do with the financial crisis, and yet they are lumped in the same boat, with poor people calling for their taxes to rise. Is that really fair?

You are correct in deducing that the crisis was caused by a few. But those few were not impacted or held accountable for the mistakes they made. And where as most people (and especially public sector workers) have seen a real-terms pay cut over the last 10 years, the rich have gone on to get even richer.

Such simple but brutal injustices wind people up the wrong way.

Reply 37

Hirsty97

Because they know they don't have the capacity to compete so have to go for the state to steal money from the competent and conscientious through taxation.

Reply 38

username1148663

Original post by Hirsty97

Because they know they don't have the capacity to compete so have to go for the state to steal money from the competent and conscientious through taxation.

This lacks the understanding that not everyone’s main motivation is money.

Reply 39

mrtastyduck

I think the dislike of the wealthy here is less to do with material envy as much as it is to do with social elitism. England has always been very bound up in issues of class and a large proportion of rich society here come from long backgrounds of wealth either having had families as part of the ruling classes (a minority) or old land owning gentry. These are the kind of people who make up a lot of the political class as well.

I highly doubt people hate guys like Alan Sugar who came from nothing and built their wealth since no one can claim that's anything other than deserved but it's disingenuous to make out like people just hate those who are better off.

Imagine living in an impoverished area in a council estate, going to a poorly funded state school and working your arse off to go to any uni that you can to maybe advance yourself all the while knowing that there is a group of the super wealthy whose kids grow up with opportunities and resources you couldn't even dream of and are set up to inherit big estates from their parents or enter elite social/political circles and that's just a given from birth.

This is also without even mentioning the ways the government panders to the already super rich with tax breaks (all while they exploit loopholes to keep more money) and (in the case of the banks) massive bailouts instead of letting them face consequences for failure.