2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Do you know a really rich person? [View all]davidthegnome
(2,983 posts)I worked for him for about a year. He was a man who owns two hotels in the local area, several apartment buildings (more like slums, really) and frequently enjoys vacations to exotic areas. The vast majority of his employees earn anywhere from 7.50 an hour to a whopping 8.50.
A couple of the people working for him... have been doing so for over ten years... and still earn minimum wage.
Definitely the snobby, elitist type. Our hotel had a restaurant - and we had just hired a new waitress, a week ago. Big boss came up from his fancy apartment down south and went to dinner at his restaurant. Unfortunately, the new waitress brought him a regular fork, instead of a dessert fork, when he wanted to enjoy his dessert. So, after he and the manager yelled at the poor woman, they made her count every single fork in the dining room and kitchen. Pretty sure I'd have taken that fork and shoved it up his ass - I should have.
No, he definitely had no comprehension of what a normal person has to struggle with every day. Net worth in the millions, owner of several apartment complexes, houses, a couple hotels, a couple vacation homes... yet he used to whine about having to share time with the impoverished folks in Northern Maine when he came up to visit. Oh, how many times I listened to that man bitch that everyone had their hands out, that no one was willing to work for anything anymore. Telling this to me, his exhausted, full time, very liberal employee who was working for eight bucks an hour without benefits.
Absolutely agree with you based on my experience - which, admittedly, isn't much. The guy was like High King Emperor of Dipshitism. Will never forget what it was like to work for a man who held the poor (myself included) deeply in contempt, while enjoying his inherited millions. He used to say that he was earning poverty level income, I would have to struggle not to laugh, a struggle I often failed.
Honor and integrity mean a lot to me - but I don't care if it's a rich person, poor person, or middle of the road person who holds it. I don't think we can determine anything about individuals based on their wealth alone. However... there are a great many specific individuals, groups, corporations, etc. that we can very accurately say very nasty (very true) things about.