Study shows: rich people are jerks

[zeos3]

In a series of startling studies, psychologists at the University of California at Berkeley have found that "upper-class individuals behave more unethically than lower-class individuals." Ongoing research is trying to find out what it is about wealth — or lack of it — that makes people behave they way they do. Paul Solman reports as part of his Making Sen$e series.

[Curmudgeoness]

1. Wow. I always knew that rich people were jerks

much more often than poor people, but to see actual proof of it is fascinating. And I always love the way people come up with experiments to gauge things.

I guess this means that I am a liar when I say that I would not change if I won the lottery, huh?

[shenmue]

2. Do they still have the Twit of the Year competition?

Sarah Palin could wrap that up in a hurry.

[rwsanders]

3. Is there an comedy show here that would have the guts to make fun of the wealthy like this?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

15. Michael Moore in the 90s...

[midnight]

20. Thanks for sharing Michael Moores game show beat the rich.. I never saw this before...

[Spitfire of ATJ]

24. We are ripe for another show like this....

The media is offering shows like "Shark Tank" where you go and suck up to a panel of rich bastards with your ideas and they tell you that your idea is stupid.

[handmade34]

22. priceless...

[dembotoz]

23. i really miss that show--wish it would come back

[dtom67]

4. the answer seems pretty clear to me.....

an "upper-class individual' will ( sooner or later ) have to come to grips with the question of whether or not the work that they do ( if they do ANY at all ) justifies their Wealth. This ( for most of us ) usually results in the development of some theory of "entitlement ". The justification for this sense of entitlement can range from University Education to Aristocratic status. In this World we are told that our Value comes from financial status.
So , an upper-class jerk's behavior stems from a sense of entitlement , that he probably knows ( deep down ) is false. Jerk behavior can also be defensive, in nature.

For the most part, though, I hate generalizations.


Reminds me of the " mad as Hell " scene from the movie " Network ".

Regardless of wealth or all the other things that are used to divide us,

we are Human Beings, God damn it! AND OUR LIVES HAVE VALUE.

( Wish I could post the clip, but I am hopelessly inept at this stuff )

[BillyRibs]

9. How is this.

[dtom67]

10. Thanks....

I really must pull myself outta the dark ages....

[dtom67]

14. that line gets me every time ....

[rwsanders]

28. I only recently discovered the concept of "cognitive dissonance"...

I think it was in context of the "supporters" of the war in Iraq. They had to make the sacrifice of a loved one mean something, even if "something" disagreed with reality.
The wealthy are the same way, they build all kinds of insulation to help them justify their wealth because you are right, they know they are not worth it. That is why they love the book "atlas shrugged".
It even affects how companies and government is run. The higher ups always inflate their worth and believe that they are what "makes things go" and get rid of workers. I think our entire system is going to collapse because of it. They need so much control, many of the "workers" are actually too busy generating reports to do any actual work. And if you watch who gets promoted, it is often those who kiss up and help maintain this view of the upper management being in control.

[carolinayellowdog]

5. having a house on the market confirmed this for me

I've owned eight houses, all of which were very low priced-- $15000-$40000, and recently put my current house on the market. Unlike any of those previous experiences, this time I had to deal with rich potential buyers trying to snatch up bargains. Will be glad when the listing expires because this has given me a very bad taste of the real estate market. High-handed, arrogant, insulting behavior-- none of these things fit my past experiences of trying to sell a house to fellow poor people, but now that poor people's houses are being bought by the rich, I'm learning just how obnoxious they are, and WON'T SELL.

[fascisthunter]

6. good!

I think most are sick of the mentality of the overpriviledged.

[Doc_Technical]

7. I suppose the next bit of shocking information we will be told

is that wealthy people's fecal matter emits a foul odor.

[BillyRibs]

11. Or

One leg at a time in their Pants!

[tclambert]

8. Yet many of them believe their wealth proves their moral superiority.

Why else would a just God bless them with such riches?

What? Faustian deal with the Devil, you say? Never heard of it. Great wealth must be God's reward for living a more virtuous life than those smelly, disgusting poor people.

[BillyRibs]

12. Born On third

Think they hit a triple!

[decrepittex]

18. Wealthy lady here actually said

"God knows who to give the money to."

Was a study on this subject really necessary?

[Epiphany4z]

13. what if

your just at the top in your neighborhood. You live in lower middle class area and are edging toward upper middle. Is this just for the very rich or ...just anyone doing a bit better than those directly around them?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. Isn't that kinda like when they found 25% of the people think they part of the top 1%?

[MrScorpio]

17. This has confirmed my own observations about rich people

Thanks!

[Notafraidtoo]

19. I always thought it was ape like behavior.

The human Ape is corrupted easily when given power, having the confidence to press ones advantage when they observe themselves to be in a position to threaten almost anyone, like a Alpha male or a Alpha female. Since money is power the temptation is great to aggressively show all the other human apes who's boss.

This is why good open regulation is important,sunlight is the best disinfectant but in every shadow a human ape is going to press their advantages.

[silverweb]

21. Confirms my experience over the years.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]While there are always exceptions, my overall experience has been that rich people are arrogant, self-centered jerks.

[snagglepuss]

25. to view later

[unblock]

26. at least a big chunk of the causation goes the other way -- jerkness causes wealth.

wealth is the personal accumulation of stuff.

unethical behavior (think greedy, selfish) can certainly lead to greater personal accumulation of stuff.
meanwhile, an ethical attitude can certainly lead to more sharing and less personal accumulation of stuff.

many jobs that don't pay well attract people with warm hearts and consideration for others -- teaching, rescue workers, etc.;
meanwhile, high-paying jobs like management attract and reward people who are social but willing and eager to self-promote and to stab others in the back when it serves them.


i won't dismiss the concept that having a lot of stuff can cause a rich person to become selfish after years of trying to guard and build the stash. but greedy and unethical behavior certainly might have had something to do with getting that stash in the first place.

[Quantess]

27. Interesting video!