A series of experiments conducted by psychologists at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that people who are socially and financially better-off are more likely to lie, cheat, and otherwise behave unethically compared to individuals who occupy lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder.
"Elevated wealth status seems to make you want even more, and that increased want leads you to bend the rules or break the rules to serve your self-interest," says Paul Piff, the lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in psychology at the university.
More unethical than who? Mother Theresa? Probably. Osama bin Laden? I doubt it.
A bit surprising...
I'd think that greed affects people regardless of economic position...that the poor are more liable to use blatant criminal means, the rich bend and twist the rules or write them themselves...which, right now, we have far too much of....and this will not change until the conservatives are out of Congress.
No vote, again, the options are too limited.
I don't agree with the OP. If one is talking about Federal income tax, then I think the rich tend to bend the rules. Most other things? Not so much. Money solves a lot of problems, and one of them is allowing people to be personally responsible for their wrong-doing without breaking the bank. I think they're much less likely to try to return something they've purchased when it doesn't concur with store policy...less likely to leave the scene of an accident...lie about how it happened...take something that doesn't belong to them...misrepresent their income...not take responsibility for damage their kids may do...that kind of thing.
The rich use the tax rules in their favor to avoid paying less just like 50% of households are using the tax rules in their favor to avoid paying any federal income tax.
Yes, that clever scam of "being really poor" to get out of paying an income tax. Genius!
Here is a list of the top 400 richest people in the US:Yes, that clever scam of "being really poor" to get out of paying an income tax. Genius!
I'm honestly shocked that this is even a question. Of COURSE the people who have the most wealth and power had to hurt other people and break rules to get it. It takes some really slimy things to get that much wealth and power in the first place. All those politicians on TV that we spend so much time complaining about. They're lying to us constantly, and we all know it. How many of us, who are not wealthy and powerful, are that okay with deceiving people? Or taking bribes in the form of campaign contributions? How many of us could do like Mitt Romney and fire thousands of people in order to make stock prices go up? How many of us would be okay with building wealth based on selling items made in terrible working conditions in the third world? How many of us are willing to pollute willy nilly in order to get rich? I would imagine that the answers to these questions are "very few of us". Serious wealth and power requires some pretty heinous actions.
Osama was a very rich man.
Osama was a very rich man.
great wealth, brings a great sense of entitlement.
its like the whole Pre-Destination thing. Rich folks are that way, because they were supposed to be that way. Such attitudes lead to feelings of being special.
Yes, that clever scam of "being really poor" to get out of paying an income tax. Genius!
I'm honestly shocked that this is even a question. Of COURSE the people who have the most wealth and power had to hurt other people and break rules to get it. It takes some really slimy things to get that much wealth and power in the first place. All those politicians on TV that we spend so much time complaining about. They're lying to us constantly, and we all know it. How many of us, who are not wealthy and powerful, are that okay with deceiving people? Or taking bribes in the form of campaign contributions? How many of us could do like Mitt Romney and fire thousands of people in order to make stock prices go up? How many of us would be okay with building wealth based on selling items made in terrible working conditions in the third world? How many of us are willing to pollute willy nilly in order to get rich? I would imagine that the answers to these questions are "very few of us". Serious wealth and power requires some pretty heinous actions.
funny though - because I've heard that exact same thing said about the poor who are on welfare.
How can the poor and reliant and rich and self sufficient both have this same view?
Is that saying that those in the middle don't ever think this way?
If a system can be played, someone will play it. It works with the rich as well as the poor. What I most often have a problem with is that too many conservatives only see it in the most poor and not in the wealthy.
I don't agree with the OP. If one is talking about Federal income tax, then I think the rich tend to bend the rules. Most other things? Not so much. Money solves a lot of problems, and one of them is allowing people to be personally responsible for their wrong-doing without breaking the bank. I think they're much less likely to try to return something they've purchased when it doesn't concur with store policy...less likely to leave the scene of an accident...lie about how it happened...take something that doesn't belong to them...misrepresent their income...not take responsibility for damage their kids may do...that kind of thing.
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