This is every person who is richer than you
In the never-ending lamentation over wealth inequality or income gap, more and more studies revealing what political liberals already believe are being conducted. What gets me is why people spend any time on this at all — I mean, I know why some people spend their time it. But if those most concerned with the financial outcome of individuals were as concerned with the lack of effort of those who fall short, the “problem” might actually get fixed (See: Equal Outcome Or Equal Opportunity). A recent Huffington Post article opens, “Rich men just don’t care that much about you.” and leaves me asking myself: ‘Why the hell should I care what rich men think about me?’
Why is it that so many on the left are so concerned with the wealthy, and how you should feel about them? What if 10 in 10 rich men think wealth inequality is a problem? So what? Has anyone noticed the glaring lack of demand for effort equality when discussing income and wealth inequality? Liberals love demanding everyone receive equality in every facet of life (unless you’re in utero). But I never hear them demanding everyone put in equal effort. They seem intent on demanding a more equal level of income across the board without demanding people put in equal amounts of training, experience, education, or effort to justify a more equal income. They just seem to want it to happen. How nice.
Do you care what rich men think of you? If so, then I suggest you are far too fragile. Since the Huffington Post thinks you should be emotionally distraught or enraged by this, it would seem they believe you should be shocked that someone somewhere doesn’t care about you. Oh. The. Horror.
Sifting Reality 
“put in equal amounts of training, experience, education, or effort to justify a more equal income.”
The opposite is that the rich get rich through favorable birth, personal attributes (genius and physical health), a bit of luck, and sometimes by exploiting workers and/or consumers. Both are true in the margins, and neither statement can be honestly made without the other.
To suggest that Bill Gates or any of the most wealthy work *harder* than a single mom with three kids and a job or a migrant worker in the fields for 12 hours with barely a comfortable chair waiting at home is just ludicrous.
To say that hard work could have gotten them out of their circumstances is spurious at best. Some people simply aren’t that smart. Some people make bad decisions or get themselves into trouble especially when they are young, impressionable, and surrounded by bad decisions.
I’m ready to point out the lazy and indigent if we can also point out 1) most are hard-working poor not lazy and 2) many of the rich are that way because they started rich or at least intelligent enough to be rich. It’s also relevant to note that diamonds, fast cars, and luxury condos are inherently less valuable than curing polio, mitigating hunger, or educating young people. When some ‘job creators’ learn to respect their workers and use their position to raise people up rather than to suck them dry, physically and financially, then we can work through this.
I’ll recognize the heartfelt and hard-working rich when the rich can extend a hand to the hard-working and earnest poor.
So the intellectual work Bill Gates put in doesn’t count as hard? Riiiight.
You’re only counting physical labor, yet have the audacity to consider John’s statement ludicrous.
Shame.
The hypocrisy is how many liberals – especially politicians such as Obamanation – are stinking rich themselves!
Glenn
Yeah, for some reason wealth isn’t a worthy subject when Ted Kennedy and john Kerry wanted to be president. Wonder what their tax rates were.
The question is about wealth inequality, isn’t it, and how the rich perceive the issue.
But, not being lazy or working hard enough isn’t all that is necessary to achieve. This much from Jason is true. If one wishes to knock down a brick wall, one can work really, really hard at pushing it over, and thus cannot be accused of not working hard enough. Of course, his methods are stupid. Working hard isn’t as important as working smart, especially if “working hard” refers only to physical effort.
Intelligence is not as key as Jason might believe, especially considering how often wealthy people state that they are not the brightest bulbs of the chandelier. The only smarts one needs is to ask sincerely what it would take to elevate one’s own position and then demonstrate the resolve to engage in the behavior dictated by the answer.
Jason speaking of people making bad decisions. Most of the really wealthy will attest to having done the same thing. Most of the really wealth made their first million and then lost it, completely, before re-building with the oath to not make the same mistake again. Most poor continue to engage in the very behaviors that keep them from advancing. It’s not bad decisions as much as continuing to make the same bad decisions over and over again.
All this and more suggest that the difference between wealth and poverty is not a matter of money and birth, but what one does with the money they have and the how they deal with the consequences of their birth. There are too many success stories in this country to deny this.