Rich/ Poor a perspective

The New Vintage: "The Affluent and Their Bubble



Thomas Sowell has a very interesting piece up about why those that are born with a silver spoon in their mouth are more likely to complain about income distribution and less likely to be grateful about their fortunes.



Here's the dead on quote:



Once you have ever had to go hungry, it is hard to get worked up over the fact that some people can only afford pizza while others can afford caviar. Once you have ever had to walk to work from Harlem to a factory south of the Brooklyn Bridge, the difference between driving a Honda and driving a Lexus seems kind of petty as well.



Would a poverty-stricken peasant in Bangladesh find the difference between the average American's standard of living and that of a millionaire to be something to get excited about? If he had a choice between a certainty of getting the first and one chance in two of getting the second, would he take the risk to go for a million bucks? I doubt it.



When you grow up rich (I imagine), you see other 'less priveleged' people driving a Toyota and feel bad for them. But the person driving the Toyota is most likely saying to themselves, 'Thank goodness I can drive a Toyota and not have to walk five miles to the train station'. Those with less money are perhaps more aware of how life could be much worse, and therefore don't take things for granted.



Sowell goes on to talk about how those that are more affluent tend to take a greater interest in the environment. Another money quote:





Environmentalism is another of the playgrounds of the affluent and the wealthy. 'Nature' is wonderful when you can look out on it from your luxury cabin in the woods or from your upscale digs at the shore.



Roughing it in the wild is great when you know that, if something goes wrong, a helicopter can come in and lift you to safety or to a hospital, as the case may be. This is what might be called artificial nature or the illusion of nature.



Again, it's that basic survival instinct. It's easy to worry about the environment and then reprimand other people for not caring enough, when you have your basic needs, plus, let's say, two hundred dollar opera tickets. But, when you need that money for gas and your kids' education, you're just not going to sweat about having enough trees in our forests.



Read the whole thing. Trust moi.

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