To think that most rich people don’t actually care about those struggling?

To be honest I don't think many people really and truly care. Yes, most of us feel sad and empathy when we see people suffering and donate to charity but how many of us actually give up the holiday, the take away, the night out, the new dress that we don't really need to help those who are suffering. Most of us are 'wealthy' when compared to starving people in third world countries (I'm obviously not including people surviving pay check to pay check on the bare necessities or families struggling on benefits). I often feel guilty because I know I could do without material things and contribute more (I'm a teacher). I'd say most of us are guilty of putting our own happiness first. There are people risking their lives to help others, doing without etc. I think we need to look at ourselves and what we are doing and could we do more.

What would you like them to do?

People like Jeff Bezos could save millions of lives every year and wouldn't even notice the dent in their bank balance. But they chooses not to do that. Which is manslaughter in my opinion but this is mumsnet so I'll just be laughed at and called jealous. Most of us can't afford to help much without sacrifice, so as much as we are complicit in other people's suffering with most of the products we buy, it isn't quite the same.

I think that the super rich are confused with the very wealthy. The poor and the very wealthy are in conflict while the super rich are taking all the money out of th economy.

Lots and lots of wealthy individuals give to charity and help out in ways the working class cannot. They just don't publicise it. Lots of celebrities give to the less fortunate, you just only ever hear about the ones who openly speak about it. You can't tie all wealthy people with the same brush. There always will be class divisions no matter how much money someone could give.

I think most people don't care that much about people who are struggling, not to the point of taking direct action. Or at least they care about their nearest and dearest first.

Plus if they are mega rich, they have at some point prioritised acquiring or hanging on to their cash. That means that they are disproportionately less likely to give it away.

I’m guilty of being envious of people with money, but this has made me rethink. Thank you @Lemniscate8

Tend to your corner of the world and let others tend to theirs. You will be happier.

I’m not convinced those struggling give much a shit about others who are struggling either.

You’re going to be very unhappy if you keep thinking like this. No one has any obligation to be responsible for strangers just because they’re rich. They’re entitled to live their life however they like, just the same as you, they don’t have to take on extra responsibility just because they’re rich have more money than you. I actually think it’s people like you that sound entitled.

I think you will find that many very wealthy people have their own funds or foundations that you will likely have never heard of which distribute money or make grants to causes of their interest.

I don’t need a billionaire to care whether I’m rich or not 🤷♀️ if they care they care if they don’t they don’t! I don’t need their understanding

I think the very rich jet round the world mixing with other wealthy people in the first class lounge. Have no clue about the rest. Never mix with them.
Politicians are a bit like this -zooming about to meetings, being busy, private car ….

I think most people considered "rich" are feeling the pinch and sick to death of paying over half their income in tax, only to be lambasted over and over.

The truly wealthy - who knows. Some do, JK Rowling for example has poured millions into her charitable causes without looking for applause, and some don't.

The OP on this thread is as meaningless a generalisation as “AIBU to think that most people claiming benefits are cheating the system?”

Sweeping generalisations are meaningless and have no basis in reality.

If these absurdly wealthy people pay every penny of tax due I don’t think they have any obligation to worry about how someone on the minimum wage is getting by though, do they?

You are right, OP. Those disagreeing with you are either bootlickers who aspire to being wealthy some day - so they think supporting people who exploit workers and the poor will help them - or they're people with some wealth themselves and an interest in keeping the status quo.

Complaining about how far removed most rich people are from the lives of ordinary, struggling people is not jealousy. It's reality.

Why don't the government do something about it then ?

All they ever do is hit on PAYE because they can't escape.

@ZippyMintCat , you are talking about me then.
My husband and I come from very working class backgrounds, we both left school at 16 and worked tirelessly until about 60 ( he’s a bit older than me). We didn’t inherit our wealth but made many sacrifices and took horrible risks along the way. We worked when we were ill, both with physical and mental illness, when recovering from operations, when grieving and in my case directly after giving birth, no maternity leave for me.
We are enjoying our retirement now but years of hard graft have left their physical mark.
I do care about others but I’m more about a hand up rather than a hand out, of course some people do need a hand out and I have no issue with that.
I despair of our education system which does not in my opinion seem to help young people to understand how to get on in life, this cannot entirely be left to parents who themselves may not have a clue. Don’t get me started on our once illustrious universities who seem more interested in indoctrination than education these days.
I feel extremely frustrated that increasingly what we are at liberty to safely say is being curtailed so that no one is discussing some things which really do need addressing.
I would like a society where everyone has a decent chance and where political correctness doesn’t get in the way of that. Where hard work and entrepreneurship is encouraged. I’d love to see taxation which encouraged businesses and therefore provided decent jobs. There are a whole host of issues I do care deeply about and I vote accordingly.
I will not apologise however for the ‘good fortune’ my husband and I sacrificed the best years of our lives to attain because we didn’t want in our old age to be a burden on either the state or our children.
Judge me as you will.

I think the definition of ‘poor people’ is as important as the definition of ‘rich people’ here.

What you've seen and read doesn't make you an expert. Much more might be being done than you could possibly imagine.

This sums it up nicely. As long as the dividends pay out and the government subsidise their business.

OP, you’ll be massively rich compared to millions of people in the world. How much time an energy do you put into helping them out? How do you feel about buying cheap food and products made abroad? Do you agonise over the pay and conditions those workers have or do you get on with your life?