Postal Letter - Why do blue collar workers hate the wealthy?

Why do blue collar workers hate the wealthy?

Why do blue collar people tend to think that anyone who is wealthy is a Paris Hilton type. Someone who has never worked a day in their life, inherited all their money from daddy and looks down on the working class? I have an Aunt who used to run a multi-billion dollar division for a Fortune 500 company. She had multiple degrees including a Masters in electrical engineering from Columbia. She busted her butt for 40 years to get to that position and would work in excess of 80 hours a week doing highly skilled labor that generated billions (literally) of dollars in revenue for the company. She was never able to have kids because of her career and she had to sacrifice a lot in life in order to obtain her wealth. She certainly wasn't stuck up and if you hung out with her you would never know she was wealthy. So this misconception particularly annoys me because I feel like working class people always complain about CEO types without realizing the amount of work and sacrifice that goes into their job and the amount of education and skill that is required. I've always been of the philosophy that if you live in America you have the opportunity to do whatever the heck you want and make as much money as you want if you work hard enough -- you chose your own fate. It just bugs me whenever I hear a teacher, mailman, construction worker, cop etc complains that it's unfair that so-and-so makes so much money. I mean, if you don't like it then do something else. You chose whatever line of work you're doing. I have a teacher friend who used to always complain "Alex Rodriguez makes like 25 million dollars a year and yet teachers only make 50k a year it's just not fair." Do blue collared workers think that there's some government agency that assigns salaries to professions or something? There's no salary czar saying "Well, professional athletes deserve millions and firemen deserve 35K." It's called supply and demand -- their skills (while less important to society) are rarer than yours. Hence they get paid more. It's that simple. Sorry for the rant, it just annoys me whenever I'm on Yahoo reading the comments about a Goldman Sachs article or something and I see people complaining about bonuses. I went to college with friends who work for Goldman Sachs and I can assure you that they typically only hire like the top 5% of students from the top 5% of the Nation's top universities. The people I know who work for them work in excess of 80 hours a week -- sometimes literally sleep at their desks -- and when they're not working they're typically on call and if their work phone goes off they have to drop what they're doing and attend to it instantly. Doesn't exactly sound like Paris Hilton to me yet for some reason it seems like the entire blue collar population thinks these people were given everything in life when in reality the majority just busted their butts in school and in work. FYI, I don't work for these people and nor am I wealthy, just drawing on personal experiences from what I've witnessed. Asheal: Nobody told your dad to have 8 kids that he obviously couldn't afford. I think you perfectly personify what I was talking about. I don't think it's fair that wealthy people who have busted their butt their entire life and made responsible choices (like not having 8 kids on a working class salary) have to support you just because "they can." Guess what? Your dad could have gone to college, studied hard, went to work for a top company and became wealthy, but he didn't. Dean: I'll agree that there is luck associated with it and my Aunt has told me that many times before. There's always qualified people who get left out in the route she chose (working up the corporate ladder). But, opportunity is nothing without ability. Granted she may not have been a multimillionaire without some luck but she certainly would be making in excess of $150,000 per year given her education and profession (not a bad amount of money). With clever savings and investing you could easily be a millionaire once you're in your 50's on an engineer's salary and maybe a promotion or two. So, I don't agree that rich people are there by pure luck. The mega rich I'll agree are there from a mix of luck and skill, but anyone can have a million+ in their account with time and purely skill and hard work. I also grew up poor, and I never really had that same experience as you have where I was looked down on. I'm sure some rich people's children might take on that attitude (but they're not Powwow, you're an absolute moron. Based on your inability to use basic grammar, I would say you didn't try very hard in school and hence the reason that you're not successful. You epitomize that blue collar I'm the victim mentality. I'm not disrespecting or prejudiced against blue collar people (seeing as I technically am one). It bothers me that blue collared people tend to think of all rich people as the cast of the Jersey Shore or something when in reality they simply worked hard for their money. And yes, anyone who wants to can become rich. If you work hard your entire life waiting tables then no that's not going to happen. But, if you are waiting tables then you obviously didn't work very hard when you were in school. Everyone gets an education -- through financial aid, scholarships and loans, anyone can go to college. Anyone can get the education that is needed to make $100,000+ a year. That isn't some privilege for the rich. If you're in that situation then no you didn't work ha Dean again: Despite how it sounds, I actually came from a really crappy home myself. My mom was a waitress who spent a 3rd of her money on cigarettes and my dad was a virtual deadbeat. I was lucky that I was able to get ambition through seeing my Aunt's career take off but I took those experiences and was of the mentality "there's no way I want to keep living like that." It was a form of reverse motivation I suppose. I agree people's parents are an impediment, but even if you realize that by 23 or so there's still no reason that you can't go back to college and earn a degree that will get you the career you desire in order to make the money you want. You say that you work really hard? What do you do? Where did you go to school? What was your GPA? Innocence Faded: I know my Aunt very well and I guess you guys will have to take me at face value when I say that she truly isn't like that. I've also worked with her and know most of her coworkers. I've seen her mailing Christmas cards and birthday cards and stuff to secretaries and low level employees at her company. She also donates a lot of money to some great charities. I'm sure she's had to be an a$$ at work sometimes as that's pretty much called for in a CEO position on occasion, but that's no different than saying that a cop is being an a$$ for writing a ticket to a speeder -- it's their job. Dean 3: Answer those questions I wrote in my 2nd edit to you. What do you do? Where do you go to school? What's your GPA? What are you studying? What state do you live in? If you're going to some joke of a college studying communications then no you're probably not going to make much money in life. I like my Aunt am an Engineer. I'm getting my Masters and when I get out this summer will probably start at a salary of 70k/year at the age of 24. Saving 3 grand per month and making 5% return on investments would make me a millionaire by 45. I didn't have to pay for college since my mom was making below the poverty line (financial aid covered it). I worked my butt off and had a 3.5+GPA got into a top Grad School and now don't have to pay for school because I'm on a funded research project (and I take out some loans for spending which I can easily pay off in a few months upon graduation). Engineering school is f'ing hard but anyone can do it. Go for it. Dean 4: I didn't get an email on my Yahoo. Try again: it's tomv043@yahoo.com 1. I don't buy that you're not smart enough to do engineering. I'm of the philosophy that anyone is capable of anything so long as they work hard enough. If you studied your butt off you would pass. I've seen some really really dumb kids pass through shear determination. 2. I have a hotmail that I never use you can email me there and from there I'll give you an email that I actually check, just let me know on here once you have sent something to my hotmail: bravesfan222@hotmail.com 3. Getting a job with a psychology major from a small liberal arts school will probably be tough. At least you have the GPA though. You can get your Grad School paid for if you work for a funded project (which is hard in a liberal art's degree). Chemistry on the other hand is a solid degree (and if you can do chemistry you can do engineering). Why not chemical engineering? I wouldn't get it at a liberal art's school, but surely there's some state school in your state that you can afford? How old are you? Dean it's cutting me off as I think I've reached a limit. Email me at that bravesfan222@hotmail.com address.

Public Comments

My dad has busted his ass for years trying to get enough money to support 8 people and we almost lost our house. It's not fair for some people to never have to worry about money when others barely have enough money for food. The wealthy take it for granted.
*************** i sent email first to the first yahoo addy you gave me and then to the hotmail... Open your email, im not about to post where ilive on the public board I cant email you because you dont accept ya emails..... (just saw your edit with addy, ill email you there) im at a small liberal arts college, its the most i can afford and pretty good psych major, my brain isnt smart enough to do the enginering stuff, nor do i have any interest in it. the plan is masters and phd. have considered a second bachelors in chemistry. but..... im not going to be able to continue school full time anymore after this semester, because i am having to go back to work full time this summer. after working 80 hours a week to make ends meet, im not gonna have time or energy to study, which is why i ended up dropping the first time - i had to support myself because i had no one else to do it for me. I literally couldnt do it all. So which do i chose? living on the streets for a few more years in school, back to work barely making ends meet? sure ive made mistakes, fine. but i have a whole life ahead of me, and it looks so dismal EDIT.... with clever savings and investments...... well then, put your mouth where your money is. You come to where I am, you work with me, figure out how to over come my lot in life, how to get me somewhere else, how to pull up out of poverty, and I will willing sign contracts upfront giving you 50% of everything I do for life. If you honestly think it can be done, come take a chance for some easy profit, as I will be doing all the work, you just figuring out what i need to do. I have dreams and have my entire life. I WANT to do things go places. I am studying my butt off in school, im making plans for my own business.. but none of it matters without the money. Cant make money without spending money. I have none to spend. Im serious... you think it can be done, show me how, and you own half of everything I do for life. I have one year left on a ba, 3.7 out of 4.0 but based on 4 hour classes instead of 3. I dont hate the wealthy, but i would like to make a few comments.... 1. Just because your aunt was nice around you and the people you know, doesnt mean she was nice 100% of the time. I have known many wealthier people whose family and church and close friends would call them the nicest people they have ever met, give the shirt off their back type. But at school, at work, in other situations... they are just as rude and mean to everyone as the next person. I became particularly frustrated with things like that in high school. We lived in a rural area, I was in poverty, but most of the people in my church were middle to upper middle class. The teens were all nice at church, but at school, wouldnt even wave or smile back if I said hi. My parents never believed me, assumed I was just lying, they couldnt be like that, they are such nice people!! I KNOW it takes hard work. I never said it didnt. But what you miss, is its a luck lotto to even be in a position to have the opportunity to try to do the hard work. Your aunt won the luck lotto, by even having the chance to do the hard work to make it to where she is. In reference to your edit.... Its not fair kids get a bum deal because of the decisions their parents made, either. All the things I wish I could change in my life date back to when I wasnt the one making the decisions for my life. Its amazing how much your childhood and what your parents do effect the opportunities and chances the child has. You know, I own my own choices, and without kids, I am the only one who owns my choices. But I also own my parents choices. And her parents choices. And the choices of those who effected my mom. I wouldnt even be here if not for the choices of people other than my mom, because she was raped. But, its all my fault, I dont deserve anything else if I cant figure out how to over come the lot I was dealt, and I guess im just supposed to be thanking my lucky stars I am alive instead of dead. I dont kill myself, so to a point I am thankful for my life. But it sucks watching the opportunities I dream of going to other people even though I AM working for it, and trying very hard.
You asking why do people of blue collar prejudice people of riches when your prejudicing people of blue collar. The real question is why does anyone deserve such riches while billions of people suffer? Answer me that. And you say if people work there asses of they too will accomplish such riches? What if you put your blood sweat and tears everyday all day all life come home hungry as f*ck sleep in the f*cking cold on a slab of rock neighbors are shooting themselves going bat sh*t crazy your at f*cling rock bottom all life. Parents r in jail or institutionalize why the f*ck would I want to go to Columbia. We work for those billionaires if it wasn't for us they wouldn't be shit. Remember not everyone can be millionaires stupid
As was already said, just because your aunt was nice to you, family and friends, it does not mean that she was always nice to everyone, especially those that worked for her. And many of the rich refuse to recognize that without the help of their staff, they would not have the business that they have. That was proven when a friend of mine and all the other co-workers she worked with walked off the job after the woman they worked for got too nasty one too many times. She said when she went to pick up her check that Friday (nobody returned other than to get their checks) the woman was ranting how she 'was out of business because of them" since she could not take orders, fill the orders, get the orders shipped, handle all the problem calls, and do everything her staff did to keep her business running.