Well .......... no offnce to your sister , but I guess then it is a personality trait ? Not necessarily age/generation related ?
I live in a town in So Cal that is so wealthy (hollywood) or very poor, a lot of migrant families are here since CA was mostly Latin. Anyway, I live across the street from a Private School, the tuition for a K thru 8th grader is $35K....annually. The other day the school had a fair and a handful of families paid to have a Hot Air Balloon on the grounds for their spoiled children to ride in..... At 84 I've never ridden in a hot air balloon but these little kids have already......riding in one is the LAST thing I need or want. The poorer kids are having food issues.
It sounds like you're suggesting that someone take from the rich and give to the poor, which would sort of put a damper on the motivation to succeed. Texas tried something along those lines with its public schools. Because corporations and wealthy people were contributing money to enhance the capabilities of their local schools, some people felt that it wasn't fair to children who lived in poorer school districts, so they passed a law that would deduct the amount of private contributions from a school's public funding. As a result, private funding decreased significantly and the Hidalgo County School District, at that time the poorest in the state, sent its teachers and administrators on a junket to Hawaii. Parents spend that $35,000 per year tuition for their kids because they can afford it and want their kids to get more than what they would get from the public school system. It's their money and they should be able to spend it as they please. If it seems unfair for rich kids to get to ride in a hot air balloon, then it would be equally unfair for their parents to drive them to school in a Tesla, but that's just the way it is. Even in a socialist society, you'd have the children of the elite riding in hot air balloons. Life isn't fair and it never will be.
The poor vs. the rich, with kids and adults, will have and always have, existed. My step-parents couldn't afford to buy me a high school class ring and could barely afford to send me on a day trip to Chicago museums/aquarium with my senior classmates. But, all of the "upper class" students, got stuff from family that I never did.
No Ken I'm not suggesting taking from another etc etc....but I'd like to see less greed in our country of such rich. And too many going hungry. Today more than ever. A little kid doesn't need a hot air balloon ride ...... Those rich kids/ people are no better than the very less fortunate.....just the big bucks....
Greed is not specific to our country; it's a human trait. That said, I wanted my kids to have everything I could afford for them so I'm sure if we had been wealthy my children would have benefited from that. It's too bad that some children live in poverty, but that has been the way of the world since the human race appeared... the haves and the have nots. Also, you are making a broad assumption that the children who got balloon rides are spoiled. How do you know this? Maybe the family makes huge sacrifices so that their child can attend that school.
Beth, I guess you feel these little kids have enriched lives since they got a balloon ride at their young ages. And I didn't feel like you about giving my kid everything....Not at all. She came into the world and her father was in the tech big money world, so she got pretty messed up with what she wanted in her young years. All the kids her age dripping with gold chains etc......what's left for them.... I'm very grateful for my life and I didn't get the flashy stuff the kids get today. It's hard to be grateful when one is handed so much. Love that George Carlin take off on our Stuff.... My sister rest her soul, was choking on the stuff she over acquired.,
Rich kid gets to go up in a hot air balloon. Not because he can afford it but because his parents can. Poor kid grows up and finally gets to ride in a hot air balloon. Not because his parents can afford it but because he can. Sometimes growing up without gives one the necessary tools to aspire to greater heights on one’s own merit.
Joy, honestly I couldn't care less one way or another about privileged children and their balloon rides. I have never in my life even come close to wanting a balloon ride; I'd be terrified that the thing would blow up with me in the basket. I also don't waste a lot of time worrying about what other people do or do not have. I focus on myself and my family, and I'd do anything in my power to make sure my children and grandchildren have the things they need and want in life. I don't begrudge people their money or status; what good does that do anyone? I also don't care who dies with a lot of "stuff." It's their life; they get to do what they want and as long as it doesn't impact me or mine, what difference does it make? I learned a valuable lesson last year; that I'm not going to live forever after all. I'm more concerned with doing things I enjoy; I find that is a lot better use of my time than worrying about things I cannot control.
That’s some good preachin’ Beth. Will the congregation give the lady an Amen? And they all said..Amen!
There is that, and also the likelihood that someone in the family sacrificed a great deal of personal time and effort in pursuit of the success that brought about the ability to pay for it. I am not a stupid person and could probably have earned a good deal of money in my life, but I didn't want to sacrifice doing the things that I enjoyed. I don't regret the decisions that I made in my life but I recognize that if that had been my goal, I could be wealthier than I am now. Far too many people want to have the rewards that come with success without having to do any of the things that bring it about. By the way, I had a hot air balloon ride as a child. I think my dad paid something like $5 for it at the Upper Peninsula State Fair one year. I wasn't very old and I don't remember a lot about it.
Greed exist in animals also, my little snuggie cat is sweet but he actually falls asleep with his face in his dry food bowl so he will keep the other two from sneaking a bite thru the night. When I feed them he is constantly looking over his shoulder to see how much the other two have left. He is what the ball players call the clean up man, he will hit all the empty bowls and make sure not a morsel is left. ;0)
Beth, even though wife and I do (to much) think about things, you've made an excellent point here. I couldn't just do a "like" for your post here, I had to write this.