Does money turn people into morons?

[Ironhorse]

I don't know about turning people into morons, but giving someone a shinguardload of money very quickly reveals that person's true character...

Then there was that dude in Saskatchewan who won the lottery twice and still ended up broke without even a house to live in!

[Cowboy]

Well I don't agree...


I think many people with money are idiots, but I don't think it is because they have money, I think it is merely because they are idiots to begin with.

I have a friend who has an unbelievably rich father, He was an IB student, scholarships paid for most of his undergrad, he paid the rest, and now because he did so well he got a grant to help him pay for his Doctorate, he pays the rest since the school gives him less than my company gives the file person at our office.

He is not the only example I can give you...


I think it is the person, not the money.

[FlamesAddiction]

Having money often gives people the freedom to mess around a little and screw up. They can take chances that less wealthy people cannot. If they get out of control, then they can look like morons, but I think it is more human nature than anything. It's just that they have the ability to display it easier.

[JD]

Definitely depends on the person.

I like to think that in my present position, I don't worry about money that much anyway. If I suddenly came up on a lot more of it, I doubt I would change much. I would just live in a nicer condo and drive a better car.

The owner of the company I work for is a good example of a good guy with ridiculous amounts of money. The guy's gotta be worth tens or hundreds of millions, yet he's a modest guy living in a pretty modest home in the burbs of Calgary. You can sit down and have a beer with the guy and talk about the same things the rest of us deal with day to day. It probably helps that he's earned every cent he's got. He didn't get rich overnight.

[Eddie Bronze]

I believe there are certain instances where money does turn people into idiots. The most obvious being anyone who is spoon-fed money from a very early age (spoiled beyond belief). They tend not to know how to manage the money they do have and at the same time, don't tend to be the most motivated in going out and making it for themselves. These are the people in the world who honestly believe that money grows on trees and could never be convinced otherwise.

[CaptainCrunch]

Its kinda funny when you think about the generalization of the statement of this post. You hear about people abusing money, so you say does it turn people into morons? Yet for every Mike Tyson or tragic lottery winner there are 10 people doing good things or being conservative with there money.

That statement would be equal to me saying that people that are poor are dirtbag drains on society, evn though thats not really true, but there are examples of poor people who abuse the system, but it gives a bad name to the poor people who are trying to better themselves and thier situations, but you don't hear about them.

[Phanuthier]

It's simple really... Money vs. Power. Many seem to confuse power with stupidity. Simply put, when you have or get alot of money, your ego has something else to fill. Be it more fame and glamour of hockey players, hollywood attension in Paris Hilton, or people who want more then they should even have (lotto winners) a person's ego blows up tenfold when they have alot of money, and they simply think they should/will have more power.

[Cube Inmate]

I think you've mistaken the problem here. The fact is that virtually EVERYONE is an idiot, and you only notice the rich ones more.

[habernac]

I think it's true that coming into a lot of money in a short period of time would turn some into idiots. I often wonder what would happen to me. I'd like to think I'd spend it wisely. I have a 2nd cousin in Manitoba who won 6.5 million in the 6/49 a few years back. He had to disappear for awhile as every person he'd ever met in his life suddenly showed up asking him for money. He's done well, bought a new house, his only real extravagance was one of those convertible BMW roadsters. So not everyone turns into an idiot with an entourage.

[Cowperson]

Originally posted by CaptainCrunch@Jun 9 2005, 05:24 AM
Its kinda funny when you think about the generalization of the statement of this post. You hear about people abusing money, so you say does it turn people into morons? Yet for every Mike Tyson or tragic lottery winner there are 10 people doing good things or being conservative with there money.

That statement would be equal to me saying that people that are poor are dirtbag drains on society, evn though thats not really true, but there are examples of poor people who abuse the system, but it gives a bad name to the poor people who are trying to better themselves and thier situations, but you don't hear about them.

Captain Crunch is exactly right.

If people were morons with money then they were likely morons without it as well.

There are many, many people out there with significant wealth who live in quiet houses on quiet streets, go to church, give to charity and live their lives without attention being drawn to them.

Cowperson

[Five-hole]

Sign me up for the "some people are idiots, and some of them have money" camp.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally posted by Five-hole@Jun 9 2005, 04:00 PM
Sign me up for the "some people are idiots, and some of them have money" camp.

Ditto

[Incinerator]

Originally posted by Flames Draft Watcher+Jun 9 2005, 04:11 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Flames Draft Watcher @ Jun 9 2005, 04:11 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Five-hole@Jun 9 2005, 04:00 PM
Sign me up for the "some people are idiots, and some of them have money" camp.

Ditto [/b][/quote]
And some of them are both.

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Originally posted by Cowperson+Jun 9 2005, 03:46 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Cowperson @ Jun 9 2005, 03:46 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-CaptainCrunch@Jun 9 2005, 05:24 AM
Its kinda funny when you think about the generalization of the statement of this post.# You hear about people abusing money, so you say does it turn people into morons?# Yet for every Mike Tyson or tragic lottery winner there are 10 people doing good things or being conservative with there money.

That statement would be equal to me saying that people that are poor are dirtbag drains on society, evn though thats not really true, but there are examples of poor people who abuse the system, but it gives a bad name to the poor people who are trying to better themselves and thier situations, but you don't hear about them.

Captain Crunch is exactly right.

If people were morons with money then they were likely morons without it as well.

There are many, many people out there with significant wealth who live in quiet houses on quiet streets, go to church, give to charity and live their lives without attention being drawn to them.

Cowperson [/b][/quote]
This is true. My uncle is worth 7 digits, and he lives in a very modest townhouse in england. He does not buy the best of everything, only things that will get him by. However, he is generous with family. I was treated to the best when I was staying at his place.