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Can a rich person be a good person? (kbin.social)

submitted 1 year ago by minnieo@kbin.social to c/AskKbin@kbin.social

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I don't mean doctor-making-150k-a-year rich, I mean properly rich with millions to billions of dollars.

I think many will say yes, they can be, though it may be rare. I was tempted to. I thought more about it and I wondered, are you really a good person if you're hoarding enough money you and your family couldn't spend in 10 lifetimes?

I thought, if you're a good person, you wouldn't be rich. And if you're properly rich you're probably not a good person.

I don't know if it's fair or naive to say, but that's what I thought. Whether it's what I believe requires more thought.

There are a handful of ex-millionaires who are no longer millionaires because they cared for others in a way they couldn't care for themselves. Only a handful of course, I would say they are good people.

And in order to stay rich, you have to play your role and participate in a society that oppresses the poor which in turn maintains your wealth. Are you really still capable of being a good person?

Very curious about people's thoughts on this.

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[–] Kbin_space_program@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Precisely two, who meet the standard of "not completely evil".

The guy behind Costco, who pays his employees well with a respectable benefits package and allegedly keeps the concession prices cheap.

Bill Gates. Not just the whole Gates Foundation and the work it does to fight malaria and pandemics. But also that he has at least admitted that he's cutthroat and ruthless. He doesn't pretend to be nice.

[–] thanksforalltheennui@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago

Ah yes, words that go so well together... cutthroat, ruthless, and good.

Based on the very consistent behavior of the ultra wealthy, I feel forced to assume that Gates main motivation is to shift the public conscious from hate to respect, so has been diligently working on PR since the early 00's. I find myself being extremely wary of charities that are so well known. Makes me think of Susan G. Komen, and their shitty behavior. I'm not saying that fighting malaria is not a good cause, just that it seems there are ulterior motives.

In the case of Gates, as others have pointed out, donating millions (also worth noting the nature of tax breaks), when you have hundreds of billions, sounds amazing but means almost nothing.