Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires. - Mark Twain
The way I see it is that a lot of people say they want to be rich -- like a billionaire -- but what they really want, but haven't accepted, is that a solid jump in income, like 90K a year, will make their life 90% more enjoyable.
Millions of Americans are so poor that they forget how much better life is after making like 75k a year.
In other words, when I hear poor people, like me, say that they wish they were a millionaire or billionaire, I interpret that as "man, wouldn't it be great to have an income that would allow me enjoy my life and not worry if I'll make rent this month or not."
Once I see it this way, I empathize a lot more -- deep inside, we really don't want to be a billionaire, we just want life to feel fair and that your worth is valued. It doesn't take a billion dollars -- a solid increase in income can have a dramatic effect on your life.
hellhathsomefury on November 4th, 2019 at 18:27 UTC »
No one becomes a billionaire ethically.
The billionaires appreciate all the poor people sticking up for them in the replies.
People mentioning Zuckerberg and Bezos, LOL.
BigBadassBeard on November 4th, 2019 at 19:52 UTC »
Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires. - Mark Twain
SorcerousFaun on November 4th, 2019 at 20:06 UTC »
It's an odd phenomenon to describe, but I'll try.
The way I see it is that a lot of people say they want to be rich -- like a billionaire -- but what they really want, but haven't accepted, is that a solid jump in income, like 90K a year, will make their life 90% more enjoyable.
Millions of Americans are so poor that they forget how much better life is after making like 75k a year.
In other words, when I hear poor people, like me, say that they wish they were a millionaire or billionaire, I interpret that as "man, wouldn't it be great to have an income that would allow me enjoy my life and not worry if I'll make rent this month or not."
Once I see it this way, I empathize a lot more -- deep inside, we really don't want to be a billionaire, we just want life to feel fair and that your worth is valued. It doesn't take a billion dollars -- a solid increase in income can have a dramatic effect on your life.
Edit: a word (affect to effect)