Emeritus Prof Christopher May
Some dangerous but frequently expressed myths spotted in the media:
Wealth trickles down from the rich.... (it doesn't);
The state is like a household & must therefore 'balance the books'.... (it isn't & doesn't);
The poor have only themselves to blame...(no, poverty is often due to external factors);
The rich got there through hard work.... (no, mostly the rich have either benefitted form inheritance or have, unacknowledged, good luck)....
Just sayin'
Rich Felker
@SteveClough @Colman @ChrisMayLA6 I take exception to the idea that it's mostly luck in the sense above for a different reason:
It's mostly about evil.
Specifically, willingness and glee at harming others to advance their own status.
Being extremely rich comes at the intersection of luck, inherited wealth (also luck in a different form), and evil (usually also "inherited" - taught by parents, private schooling, etc.).
Schroedinger
@Colman @ChrisMayLA6 I take a different view - that most of the rich have inherited money, or family wealth or at least security. Meaning they can mess up a few times and it is not a big deal.
That is the "luck" they normally have - the ability to have lost a million on unsuccessful deals, and still be able to carry on.
I think the US and the UK are remarkably similar in this.
Colman Reilly
@ChrisMayLA6 one issue with that: the rich have *always* had (almost always un acknowledged) good luck.
Rich Felker
@SteveClough @Colman @ChrisMayLA6 You might reach the single or low to mid double digit millions just by birth lottery combined with luck of having an honest business plan & execution that works really well in the right place at the right time.
You don't go above that without being deeply evil.
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