Why do the rich look down on the poor?

It’s just the way it is – and has always been.

I think the general idea is that poor people are lazy, stupid, or have some other quality that they have chosen that has put them in that situation.

But, I think the poor look down on the rich sometimes, too. Rich people are often thought to be greedy, blood thirsty, heartless, people who will sell their souls for their fortunes.

Their judgment likely is not purely about money. Rather it is probably more about the stigmas that are associated with not having it. To put it simply no money may = less opportunity, greater probability for drug abuse, falling into the wrong crowd, etc. I just read the book Freakonomics which made a case for genetics being the largest contributing factor to a child’s success, over environment, parenting, and other external factors. Perhaps your parents associate money with intelligence and think that being with someone that is poor will dilute your family gene pool.

Because with their houses on the hills, they’ve got nothing else to look at.

Otherwise, though, @ubersiren is right. I think it’s changing, though, with the current economic situation. The poor and middle class are not nearly as looked down upon as in past years, maybe because of political action, or just because of changing views.

It’s because rich people are obviously raised different from poor people, they are less considerate of things they have while poor people are just like omg i found a dollar xD and rich people think poor ppl are trashy and uneducated, when in reality…..it’s almost true. some want to make use of themselves by goin to school and getting their life straight but most dont. they live off of rich peoples taxes with their food stamps, wic, shit like that. and i dont blame the wealthy people for getting mad at them. I personally think stealing from the rich and giving to the poor is, not wrong, but taken advantage of.

@dverhey : But don’t you think that the middle class will eventually be a thing of the past?

@ubersiren : Agreed. Coming from a poor family, and now in middle class, I feel sometimes like I no longer fit in w/ either.

@babygirlbubbles : If I had a nickel for every way rich people are legally allowed to exploit the poor, I’d be rich.

Because I’m only 5 foot 6.

Some people identify what they have with what they are. The only worth they understand is expressible in dollars.

If you have managed to grow up among people who think this way and yet not adopt this attitude yourself, I commend you. You will have a much more enjoyable and satisfying life because you will be open to all kinds of valuable treasures and experiences that they will overlook. Perhaps the boy you like is one of them.

mocking what you fear always comes to mind

@lilikoi I’m not sure. I think that that all depends on what happens politically within the next 5 to 10 years. If healthcare reform doesn’t happen, or the spending continues for a few more years, that’s a possibility. A middle class does require 2 other classes, and I suppose there’s also the possibility that one class forms and the “rich” and “poor” divide just turns into one big class.

Put it simply, I don’t know.

rich people think they have something that poor people want. By being able to get it they are better (perceived to be)

They don’t always you know…

“all that we are is a result of what we have thought”
-Buddha
does that thought proccess attract you?

Great question. First, let’s note that it’s a generalization, and as such isn;t going to be true of all rich people. The two richest people in the USA, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, work together throught the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to relieve poverty and ensure children in impoverished lands have access to good education. They help supply irrigation to areas devastated by drought and teach poor farmers techniques to farm arrid lands. In the USA they are doing incredible work to get kids out of gang violence and into higher level educator. And they are by no means the only wealthy people devoting themselves to helping those less fortunate than themselves.,

Still, there are more than enough wealthy Scrooges out there to make your question a very sensible one. I suspect that many wealthy people adopt the negative view of the poor as salve to soother the pain of guilt they feel from getting more than their fair share of the good thinkgs in life. “I deserve this because those poor folks are neer-do-wells who are too lazy to work and fritter away waht little money they do get on drugs and whisky.”

Also, we all tend to fear those we don;t understand.

@bitter_sweet_rose When your parents don’t approve of someone you want to date, sometimes it’s easier to think they did it out of prejudice. If you think your parents are being blind and unjust, it means you don’t have to question your own opinions or the guy’s merits. Thinking this way about your parents lets you nurse an injured sense of self-righteousness.

I noticed in your question that the only thing your parents said was that you can’t date this boy and that his mother is a nice, hardworking woman. If they looked down on poor people, they’d probably look down on both the boy and his mother. Instead, it’s more likely that they just have a problem with you dating him. If he’s not doing well in school and he got into a fight, most parents would probably think he’s a bad influence. Even though he didn’t start the fight, the fact that he was in a fight in the first place makes it seem like he has a hot temper.

Teenagers almost always think they’re right and their parents are wrong- I know I did when I was a teenager- but sometimes it really helps to stop and think about things from their perspective. Thinking you’re right about everything and dating a bad boy could cause you to make some bad decisions. Most parents would rather see their daughter date someone who was poor but did well in school than vice versa. It’s not the fact that he’s poor; it’s his behavior.

if they didn’t have anything but utter contempt for the poor they wouldn’t be able to exploit them, in good conscience.

Generally speaking, deep insecurities and because they think they can afford to. Unfortunately money doesn’t buy class,

I know poor people who look down on other poor people just because of the way they dress!? It’s called one up man ship, people with money often are under the elusion they are superior to poor people because of the nice possessions they have, house, clothes, cars etc but this just leads to them being materialistic & vain.
The fear of it all being taken away too often keeps them aloof to the real world & what is really important in life, this is another reason they fear strangers, if they’re rich strangers then a pretentious competition of material wealth often ensues but if the stranger is poor then the fear often stems from the thought that the poor stranger is only there to sponge off them or steal what they have like a parasite would to a host! :-/

It takes three generations to raise a family up by hard work from lower income status, but only one generation to fall. Perhaps it’s a way of tightening the grip on the toehold of perceived social status.

I’m amazed at the number of people I meet who still feel that all adult Americans can get good paying jobs with insurance if they work hard enough at it. Totally amazed.

@PandoraBoxx That amazes me as well.

We don’t.

@wonderingwhy
I agree.
This is the behavior of the superficial family my Brother Law married into. He is successful.
They all Graduate from Harvard. They all went to private schools. One or two are actually intelligent and successful. Some of them live off of my Brother In Law’s.
LOL if they actually had to work; I can not image it.

In this country, not having is viewed as part of a range of characterological flaws usually related back to being somehow amoral and thus deserving of being less well heeled. The thinking comes out of Religious beliefs and has been perpetuated throughout history in America. It is heavily discussed in textbooks about early social work and missionaries as well as in the presumed “civilization” of Native Americans again by missionaries. Misionaries always had a hand in it because again….the plight of the poor and the underprivileged was and still is thought to be a matter of amorality. And of course the morality and value system you must hold is that of the White, Affluent, Christian, Male, otherwise there is something characterologically wrong with you.

Well dont listen to your parents because they dont know his heart,love comes from the heart not from your pocket.Money Cannot buy you love.Dont let your parents change how you feel about this guy,if you love him and he loves you thats better than money.Maybe your parents married for money and not love,thats why their looking down upon this boy that u love.Because they dont know love.Love only comes once,so when u get it dont let it go no matter if your parents like him or not.Because they arnt the one thats gonna marry him you will be.And you wanna be happily married .And money doesnt buy love thats the truth!!!!