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

[ZippyMintCat]

I keep seeing wealthy people make grand statements about philanthropy, “giving back”, and wanting to help but when it comes down to it, most of them don’t actually seem to care. They live in their own bubble, completely disconnected from the struggles of ordinary people.

They might donate to charity for tax breaks, post about “awareness” on social media or make vague comments about how “hard work pays off” but they rarely do anything that actually makes a difference. Meanwhile, the cost of living keeps rising, people are struggling to afford basics, and the ultra-rich just keep hoarding wealth.

Of course there are exceptions but in general, AIBU to think that rich people don’t really give a shit? Or am I just being cynical?

Wow. Well I don't like the poor people who make sweeping generalisations but here we are

Sorry, but you just sound a bit bitter and jealous.

What do you consider rich?

As long as the poor people pay their rent and still turn up to their low paid jobs, I don't think they care much above that tbh.

Do you mean the super rich like Jeff Bezos or people who earn 150k a year and have very comfortable lifestyle?

I'm sure lots of rich people do care and I doubt most of them are evil monsters. Most people are most concerned with themselves and their families that is just human nature. Plenty give back where they can but they can't help everyone. Sure there are some selfish horrible rich people but what do you want them all to do? They should be made to pay their fair share of taxes I agree but that is a problem with the system.

Some care and some don’t. They are only human after all.

Define rich? Mega rich multimillionaires and billionaires, I agree. Regular rich, I disagree. It's possible to care without thinking all problems are your responsibility to solve.

I’m thinking people with serious wealth, not just comfortable but the kind of rich where you have multiple properties, don’t think twice about major purchases and can afford to live entirely off investments. I’m not talking about people earning a decent salary, I mean those who are truly insulated from financial pressure. It’s less about the number and more about the detachment that often seems to come with that level of wealth.

I do desperately. Feel very guilty but I can’t change the family was I born in to and all I can do is help people when I can.

I don't think most people (whether they are rich or not) spend a lot of time thinking about those less fortunate than themselves. Most people are just getting on with their own lives.

You cant generalise. And there is a certain demographic who are rich BECAUSE they are nasty, rather than the other way around - they are never going to suddenly change. But some rich people are actually caring and empathetic too, and very proactive

Some do, some don't.
JK Rowling definitely does, for example.
I don't think you can generalise.

@ZippyMintCat You are rich beyond the wildest dreams of many. I know, cos you are on the internet on a work day, so leisure time and electricity seem to be a given. I would hazard a guess you also have access to drinking water, sanitation, are wearing matching fitting shoes, and had somewhere to sleep last night?

What are you doing for destitute children starving in Sudan, or syrian refugees in Turkish refugee camps? or families with no water, or the schools in the world with no doors or windows, no pens and three children to every chair? or are you "living in your own bubble completely disconnected from the struggles of normal people"?

Exactly. And some people are poor because they're nasty. It's a personality trait, not a bank balance.

I agree really OP. I think that’s always been that way. I’m alright Jack attitude is in ever aspect of life. Most people say they’re concerned but the reality is, most people are in their own little bubble with their lives and their families and that’s it. They aren’t actively thinking of people who are less fortunate. I include myself in that.

I agree.
To the wealthy the rest of us are just cogs in the machine, the machine that churns out money so that the wealthy can become even more wealthy.

My experience of rich people is that they ‘care’ in a ‘poverty is terrible but I’ll live somewhere where it isn’t ever in my face and I’ll educate my children so they’ll never have to brush up against povvo riff raff’ kind of way.

The Chair of my employers is worth about £150m - he's late 60's. His family were lawyers; his dad was a celebrity lawyer way back. He was educated at public school, and started a property development firm with an inheritance. He does not have the slightest idea how "normal" people live, let alone people under the poverty line. And if he doesn't know, then how can he care?

I’m aware that by global standards I’m fortunate but my post was about the extreme wealth held by the ultra-rich, and the power they have to make systemic change on a scale ordinary people can’t. I do my bit where I can but I’m not in a position to shift policy, fund infrastructure, or redistribute billions. It’s not about pretending I’m not privileged, it’s about questioning why those with vastly more aren’t doing far more.

You need to decide who you're talking about first. Are you talking about people with a few properties and investments to live off of or billionaires with power? There's very few of the latter and of course they're all horrible. You don't get that rich by being nice. Nobody else has the power or resources to do any of that.

Exactly, that’s the kind of thing I mean. When someone’s been insulated by wealth and privilege their whole life, they often have no real understanding of what life is like for most people. And without that understanding, it’s hard to believe they can genuinely care in any meaningful, actionable way, even if they think they do.

I know a woman worth absolute millions, she owns several houses in several countries across the world.
She’s in her late 60s
She spends half her year working in India building schools running a charity for the schools, building backup communities and sending girls to university (a lot of which she pays for)

The rest of the year she runs the charity does fundraisers and also gives to other charities, she doesn’t just give money she gave her a lot of time. She doesn’t have to do this but she does because she was an educator before she became a millionaire.
I don’t think it’s fair to tar people with a brush just because they have money.
A lot of celebrities are philanthropist they just don’t go talking about it all the time.
I work for a multi million dollar industry, we donate to hell a of a lot of money to our local community alone.
It’s going on around you all the time just because you don’t see it and hear it doesn’t mean it’s not happening…

I’m talking about the top tier: people with extreme wealth and influence, not just those who are comfortable or even well-off. I agree there are few fewer of them but the scale of their resources means they do have the power to make structural changes, and yet most don’t. That’s where my frustration lies, not with every person who happens to have a healthy bank balance.

That’s the big question!

I think you'll need to put a number on it. Otherwise we're all just hypocrites pointing fingers at those with slightly more than us.
Because there's an abundance of people in the world who will think you should do more and that you are wasting your power and influence and that you are out of touch with their reality.
In reality I think most of us could do more if we really wanted to. Rich people may do less proportionally, but likely far more in absolute terms.