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[pramod]

Hollywood and western culture in general has built this notion that rich dudes are lonely, evil scrooges that neglect everything else in life besides money.

While in the east, getting rich is probably the most desirable and noble life goal.

So why is wealth looked down so much? What is wrong with success?
Even without all the side benefits of being rich(duh), why is wealth accumulation any less fulfilling than other goals? Heck, as long as it gives meaning to your life, who cares?

 

[feynoob]

"Jealous"
People envy you when you are rich.

 

[Kilau]

1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

 

[Thaedolus]

There's nothing wrong with getting rich, so long as you're not neglecting other parts of life or trampling on people in that singular pursuit. It's when you go down that path that you need to reevaluate.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

Nothing wrong with being successful. But seeking money for money's sake is an endless pursuit. Know what your goals are.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

It… really isn‘t.

It’s just easier to be unashamedly evil when you’re rich, so it’s much easier to explain villainy with being rich and above the law. Rich people have so much more potential to screw up things for a lot of people.

Fiction creators have traditionally been piss poor, so of course they’d portray rich people as villains. Plus, popular fiction became a thing in the age of industrial exploitation and colonialism, so wealth naturally became synonymous with evil. Dickens was absolutely pivotal in this, as good a writer as he was.

 

[GHG]

That's not the case in the country I live in now but was the case where I previously lived and grew up.

The reasons are jealousy and people projecting their own lack of ambition upon others.

 

[pramod]

Nothing wrong with being successful. But seeking money for money's sake is an endless pursuit. Know what your goals are.

Im just asking what is wrong with pursuing money? How is it more meaningless than reading books, travelling, chasing pussy, whatever? They are all ultimately meaningless since death is final and you dont take anything with you, not even memories.

 

[Pegasus Actual]

Getting rich isn't a valid life goal. Using that money on something that's actually fulfilling needs to be the life goal. Raising/supporting your family, employing people in good paying jobs, doing charity, whatever.

Otherwise it's just a cheap dopamine hit that will leave you feeling empty. This being a video game forum most of us should understand that cheap dopamine hits aren't the path to a fulfilling life.

 

[Celcius]

Money doesn't solve everything but I'd rather cry in a Ferrari.

 

[Rentahamster]

Hollywood and western culture in general has built this notion that rich dudes are lonely, evil scrooges that neglect everything else in life besides money.

I'm not sure what western culture you're talking about, but the one I live in very much encourages wealth generation as a goal and a strong sign of social status. It's almost impossible to live in a capitalist society and not have that be the status quo.

 

[OZ9000]

I'm striving to live comfortably but I must say the more I pursue money, the more self conscious I am that I'm stuck in a never ending rat race.

True wealth is not needing to work to live. Sadly I think I will have to work to continue to live.

I have a relatively high salary in the UK and I still feel poor as fuck. I estimate I would need to earn £150k a year to be really comfortable. Achievable only if I sacrifice all my free time. Unfortunately the tax man robs you from your hard earned work.

I am hoping investing in index funds for the next 25 years can allow me to semi retire and finally feel some semblance of freedom. Right now I don't have much of a life other than work.

 

[RiccochetJ]

Think it depends on how you do it.

For example, if you give yourself an 80 million dollar bonus as you lay off 10k workers, you're likely not going to be all that popular regardless of the reasons why you had to lay off all those people. It those kinds of optics that create the stereotypical view that you mentioned in your OP.

 

[Pagusas]

As someone who has went through this cycle and seen others go through it, the pursuit of money is an endless one that will leave you feeling empty and disillusioned with everything. Collecting more things results in caring for things less. Having more money results in you getting disconnected from the things that really matter. Having everything at your fingertips makes everything less sweet, less earned, less desirable. Its weird, and it sucks, and the moment you realize you've went to far in one direction is a rather horrible/life changing moment, and its very hard to rewind it or find your way back from a feeling of nihilism.

 

[AJUMP23]

Just think of the taxes.

I will gladly pay them if I don’t have to think about making the house payment.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

Money is a means to an end. You would have to be a deranged weirdo in order to literally only derive pleasure out of watching numbers in a bank account go up. What are you DOING with your money, WHY were you incentivized to make it? That is what defines a person.

 

[Rentahamster]

Money doesn't solve everything but I'd rather cry in a Ferrari.

True. While it doesn't necessarily make you unhappy, it can easily solve a great many things that can cause you unhappiness, pain, or stress. Hunger, injury, sickness, homelessness, etc. Once your basic needs and a minimal amount of luxuries are met, it gets hit with diminishing returns. After that, you need to use other things to improve your happiness, like a healthy outlook on life, a fun personality, a curiosity for the world, and a sense of adventure, just to name a few. As we all know, however, developing a winning personality can be, erm, challenging for some people.

 

[pramod]

Getting rich isn't a valid life goal. Using that money on something that's actually fulfilling needs to be the life goal. Raising/supporting your family, employing people in good paying jobs, doing charity, whatever.

Otherwise it's just a cheap dopamine hit that will leave you feeling empty. This being a video game forum most of us should understand that cheap dopamine hits aren't the path to a fulfilling life.

Not everyone is lucky enough or want to have a family though. So for those poor suckers i dont see why not just try to get richer if they can. And almost everything we do in life is a dopamine hit anyway.

 

[BlackTron]

Money doesn't solve everything but I'd rather cry in a Ferrari.

Money may not buy happiness, but it will buy the best sadness you can get.

 

[FullMetalx117]

Not sure - it's what has driven me my entire life, I want to be uber wealthy some day. And as others have mentioned, that money will be used for what actually matters in life - I don't want me or my family to ever worry about money again. But then you have people like my brother, who thinks it's immoral to make a certain amount of money lmao

 

[diffusionx]

The fact is, getting to certain levels of rich reveals something about your character, and it's not good things. Look at what a psychopath Bill Gates was and still is. You undoubtedly have to run roughshod over thousands, millions, maybe even billions of people on the way to just get a big pile of money, a pile of money so big you can't even use it.

 

[Pegasus Actual]

Not everyone is lucky enough or want to have a family though. So for those poor suckers i dont see why not just try to get richer if they can. And almost everything we do in life is a dopamine hit anyway.

Cocaine is an amazing dopamine hit. It's not great for your long-term fulfillment though is it? You conveniently ignored things mentioned other than 'muh family' as possibly meaningful.

If you don't have enough money for basic survival, maybe it's hard to understand, but at least there's meaning in the fight to stay afloat.

 

[AlteredForms]

Because there has to be balance in life. You spend all your time trying to make money then chances are you won't have moments to enjoy it. Wanting more and more is a slippery rabbit hole.

 

[Synless]

Crabs in a bucket, that’s why.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

It's because, as a society, we're carefully cultivated by corporations and big tech to be staunchly opposed to either extreme (as far as social Class goes, as far as politics are concerned, it widely encourages extremism) in order to keep the majority of the middle class work force...in the middle class work force. It's a tightrope dance between "Ugh, money can't buy happiness," and "Ugh, don't give that homeless man money, he's gonna shoot it straight up," Each team has it's bogeymen.

 

[pramod]

Cocaine is an amazing dopamine hit. It's not great for your long-term fulfillment though is it? You conveniently ignored things mentioned other than 'muh family' as possibly meaningful.

If you don't have enough money for basic survival, maybe it's hard to understand, but at least there's meaning in the fight to stay afloat.

Sorry I was in a rush so didn't address each of your points.
But seems like what you're saying is there's only 3 paths to a fulfilling life?
Raise a family, give people jobs, or do "charity stuff"?
But I understand your point, you're saying the only good way to live is by helping others?
How many people actually do that, though? We're all selfish bastards.
And if we're all just selfish bastards, why is accumulating wealth any worse than other selfish dumb things we waste our lives on?

 

[Batiman]

Getting rich isn't a valid life goal. Using that money on something that's actually fulfilling needs to be the life goal. Raising/supporting your family, employing people in good paying jobs, doing charity, whatever.

Otherwise it's just a cheap dopamine hit that will leave you feeling empty. This being a video game forum most of us should understand that cheap dopamine hits aren't the path to a fulfilling life.

Good post

 

[StreetsofBeige]

You never see a rich guy downplay getting rich. Even all the social media celeb loudmouths never dare say making millions is bad.

The only people who complain about rich people are jealous poor people.

It's always easier to complain about what you dont have, than putting in effort to earn what you're complaining about.

 

[Wildebeest]

I don't know, but in the west, rich people think it is vulgar to say they are rich because they got lucky in life and hit the jackpot. They have to say they deserve it because they are geniuses, they worked hard, they are just genetically better than everyone else and can't help it, and so on. It is something which is very acceptable and desirable in society, but you can't address it head on and say, "I just want to be rich from doing nothing of value for society, and then I deserve to get richer for doing nothing because I'm already rich."

 

[Mr Reasonable]

It’s just easier to be unashamedly evil when you’re rich

And vice versa

 

[Flash Junkins]

As someone who has went through this cycle and seen others go through it, the pursuit of money is an endless one that will leave you feeling empty and disillusioned with everything. Collecting more things results in caring for things less. Having more money results in you getting disconnected from the things that really matter. Having everything at your fingertips makes everything less sweet, less earned, less desirable. Its weird, and it sucks, and the moment you realize you've went to far in one direction is a rather horrible/life changing moment, and its very hard to rewind it or find your way back from a feeling of nihilism.

No it isn't. You just to have to be good at it. Not hating, just making a point.

 

[T4keD0wN]

Depends on your definition of rich. Theres levels to this stuff. I think you might be making a mistake and thinking that having 2 ferraris and a beachouse is rich. (i wouldnt even say someone with 5m usd is rich tbh, theyre extremely poor compared to those truly rich)

If you want to earn a few mils and you do it by contributing to society thats great.
If you want to get truly rich, it will come at an expense of society and that makes one a parasite on society.

To be truly rich (billionaire) you have to exploit thousands of people. Being that evil is not something that should be celebrated, it should be looked down upon and criticized. Its mental illness at that point, people like that never have enough, even if they have billions they still chase more and do damage. You cannot get that rich with paying employees fair wages, abuse, fraud, constantly breaking laws (unless you inherit it).

But its perfectly fine to want to earn just a few million dollars for example, something thats within reach without being a total scumbag and destroying other peoples lives or enviroment in contrast to those truly rich who just hoard so much theyll never use it.

The culture aspects and norms? Id ignore all of them personally. I think they rarely seem to make any sense and even if they do theyre remnants of the past that have been long outdated. IDK why they seem to persist for hundreds of years.

To be billionaire: not OK, because that success comes at a cost to many other lives.
To be millionaire: potentially OK, it doesnt have to come at an expense of others.

 

[ClanOfNone]

Mo money, mo problems.

 

[Toons]

Wanting to be rich at the expense of angering else is frivolity, and most of the rich running the world are frivolous. It also requires greed. Which is obviously frowned upon.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

The only people who complain about rich people are jealous poor people.

I'm not sure that's correct.

Depends on your definition of rich. Theres levels to this stuff.

If you want to become rich by contributing to society thats great.
If you want to get truly rich, you becoming rich has to come at an expense of society and you becoming a parasite on society.

To be truly rich you have to exploit thousands of people. Being that evil is not something that should be celebrated, it should be looked down upon and criticized. Its mental illness at that point, people like that never have enough, even if they have billions they still chase more and do damage. You cannot get that rich with paying employees fair wages, abuse, fraud, constantly breaking laws (unless you inherit it).

I agree that Bezos etc are building their empires on suffering in some way or another. You only need to look at the stories of the people pissing and shitting in their work vans because Amazon won't give them time to look after basic necessities.

I'd also say that if you consider money as a unit of work, or as potential to do something, and consider what the ultra rich choose not to do and how it would have zero impact on them if they did decide to do something, you can end up wondering if Jeff Bezos is the man who could make sure deprived children in his home town don't go hungry, that elderly people can afford their heating or that stray animals are cared for, but he chooses not to, for no real reason.

Like some kind of real life C. Montgomery Burns, he'd rather everyone suffered than give up some money that he won't spend before he dies. Because at that level of wealth - those kinds of problems could just disappear if he took a stance other than "I don't want to do that" and it would have zero impact upon him at all.

I think that's why I think the ultra rich are cunts. They could be the greatest but choose to be slightly richer instead.

 

[20cent]

For one to be rich, 100,000 have to be poorer.


It depends where the money made comes from, but it is commonly seen like this.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

"Jealous"
People envy you when you are rich.

Exactly, in fact you have to be careful in saying things.

I say this from experience.

The success that I have gives many people courage.

 

[bitbydeath]

1 Timothy 6:10

Timmy should learn to read and write before throwing quotes around.

 

[phaedrus]

They are all ultimately meaningless since death is final and you dont take anything with you, not even memories.

 

[Kilau]

Timmy should learn to read and write before throwing quotes around.

 

[I_D]

There's nothing wrong with dreaming about getting rich and/or actually working super hard and achieving that dream.


The stigma is due to complete slobs just assuming that wealth will fall into their laps, because they see all sorts of other people succeed, and then doing nothing with their lives while they wait for fate to kick in.
That's why it's looked down upon.

 

[LordOfChaos]

 

[JimmyRustler]

This being your life goal says something about your character... and it's not nice.

 

[Blade2.0]

Nothing wrong with working hard and "making" it. There's something seriously wrong with wanting others to constantly work for you and never rewarding them, making their lives harder just because you can, and then having the absolute gall to say they're the lazy ones. Nah, billionaires can suck rocks, and they didn't work super hard to get to that level, either.

Edit: and when people are like "maybe we should help the poor a little more and do something about these climate changes before the billionaires get to go to space" and people suck the billionaires dick instead. It's more than a little fucking disheartening.

 

[Lasha]

The sentiment is a coping mechanic since the majority of people won't even approach the cusp of wealth in their lifetimes. Most people have zero clue of what it means to be self-employed much less an employer. Its easier to brush off wealth generation as something bad than to focus on self improvment.

 

[Meicyn]

We're all selfish bastards.

You seem very sure for someone that needed reassurance from random internet strangers on whether getting rich is a worthwhile life pursuit.

It’s not. If you think money will give you meaning to your life, just be warned that it won’t. You need money to survive, and more money can buy more pleasures, but there are diminishing returns.

Spoiler

 

[Bragr]

To be truly rich (billionaire) you have to exploit thousands of people. Being that evil is not something that should be celebrated, it should be looked down upon and criticized.

What are they supposed to do? sell their companies when it becomes a billionaire business so they stay non-billionaires?

 

[Bragr]

The reason why you wanna be rich is that it gives you power. You can stand on your own and aren't owned by the government and the institutions that hold you down and in check. You become free. Can make your own chances.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Everybody wants to be rich. It’s just a tacky thing to talk about with people IMO because it brings everyone’s financial status into question that you’re talking to. Nobody wants to hear how a millionaire wants to be a billionaire and so on.

 

[Blade2.0]

What are they supposed to do? sell their companies when it becomes a billionaire business so they stay non-billionaires?

Maybe not buying politicians so that they'll never lose any money at all and constantly getting more shoveled their way. It could be a small start.