A bias against wealth?

[Graeme Decarie]

It gets evil when the provider becomes more interested in making money than in dealing with human need. That can start even at a low level. And it runs wild in the ranks of the super-wealthy. In the U.S., they are destroying the public schools to create 'charter' schools that they own, schools most children can't afford to attend. (And the charter schools have also done very badly in evaluations.) They do it when they hide their tax money. They do it when they demand wars to be fought, mostly by young men and by the unemployed, in order to make the rich richer. The do it when they break unions, and when they set up free deals that make corporations free operate outside the law.....

 

[Kimmio Laughterlove]

No. @Pinga I guess I am asking those who have power - putting the thought out there - not to take it for granted and not look down on those who have less than. I think there's more of that going on than a 'bias against wealth'.

 

[Graeme Decarie]

Very true.

 

[Kimmio Laughterlove]

It gets evil when the provider becomes more interested in making money than in dealing with human need. That can start even at a low level. And it runs wild in the ranks of the super-wealthy. In the U.S., they are destroying the public schools to create 'charter' schools that they own, schools most children can't afford to attend. (And the charter schools have also done very badly in evaluations.) They do it when they hide their tax money. They do it when they demand wars to be fought, mostly by young men and by the unemployed, in order to make the rich richer. The do it when they break unions, and when they set up free deals that make corporations free operate outside the law.....

I agree. I think that has happened with the privatization and contracting out of public services more than people realize.

 

[Pinga]

No. @Pinga I guess I am asking those who have power - putting the thought out there - not to take it for granted and not look down on those who have less than. I think there's more of that going on than a 'bias against wealth'.

So, you presume that those who work in a position which is more moeny or more power or authority is more likely to look down on those who have less power?
Wow, that seems like a bias.

 

[Graeme Decarie]

Why on earth should that be a bias. Is it bias to say people who never wash smell bad? Is it a bias to say drunk drivers are dangerous?
Bias means an opinion without evidence. But there's lots of evidence of those who have money looking down on those who don't. I've seen it reflected in the sneering class at universities. I've seen in discussion of club memberships. It comes into play in all sorts of situations. I've seen it among those wealthy people I have known. Ever notice that the very rich don't build their mansions in a poor section of town?
Pinga - I think the one suffering a bias is you.

 

[Pinga]

You may have seen it, but, I have also seen the other.
I have seen nurses who are more caring to the frail then they are to the powerful.
I have seen managers who have more care for those who work for them then those who they work for
I have seen more children take care of those in teh younger grades, then those who bully the younger ones.
I have witnessed people who recognize the response people have to their appearance or their uniform and do their best to be more approachable and listening.

So, maybe it depends on what you are looking for?

 

[Graeme Decarie]

No. It depends on how much you're noticing. And how much you prefer to ignore. Except for casual and even sparse incidents, you have no evidence whatever. That means you're speaking out of a bias.
I see the local chamber of commerce have dinners to honour billionaires. I have never seen them to so to honour any working class person. And the history of managers who pay more attention to their employees than to their superiors must be a very short one, indeed.

I taught elementary school and high school for six years. I never saw or heard of significant numbers of children taking care of the younger ones.

 

[Mrs.Anteater]

Having worked in the health system for many years, I found that the saying" the squeaky wheel gets the grease" tends to be very true. Not always is the squeaky wheel rich or middle upper class- but very often. Especially if the squeaky wheel is a lawyer or has enough money to pay one.
The less a service provider can relate to the class / culture the client is coming from, the more likely people get labeled " non compliant". In general, health providers are too busy to go " the extra mile" in understanding where the other is coming from. Not thatit doesn't happen, but often there is no time or staff to do so.

 

[BetteTheRed]

You may have seen it, but, I have also seen the other.
I have seen nurses who are more caring to the frail then they are to the powerful.
I have seen managers who have more care for those who work for them then those who they work for
I have seen more children take care of those in teh younger grades, then those who bully the younger ones.
I have witnessed people who recognize the response people have to their appearance or their uniform and do their best to be more approachable and listening.

So, maybe it depends on what you are looking for?

Or that, in your own positive fashion, you prefer to focus on the positive and ignore the negative. It's a legit strategy - I use it with dogs and kids all the time.

However, as a strategy, I might note that it isn't working on my boss...she gets very irritable about the ignoring bit...

 

[Ritafee]

I am wondering @Pinga if you have ever experienced 'financial hardship'.

 

[Pinga]

Yes, I have, Monk.

 

[Pinga]

Or that, in your own positive fashion, you prefer to focus on the positive and ignore the negative. It's a legit strategy - I use it with dogs and kids all the time.

However, as a strategy, I might note that it isn't working on my boss...she gets very irritable about the ignoring bit...

I ignored bosses regularly. Found it helped me meet my objectives at times.

 

[Graeme Decarie]

Don't be vague. Give us some idea of the numbers or ratios. otherwise, you have no evidence at all. And to have a conclusion without evidence is ---bias.

 

[Pinga]

great, then, let's go back to the threads about attitudes of those who are middle class and behaviours of same, and do the same, ok?

 

[Pinga]

Also, let's not apply those statistics to the individuals.
If we are applying them, then we shall start making presumptions about everyone on this and every thtrea, taking them fromt he individuals that they are to the stereotype you want to make of them.

Sounds like a perfect solution to your challenge, Graeme.

 

[Graeme Decarie]

Of course, you can find such undesirable behaviour in the middle class, usually directed at the poor. And I can't help notice that you are middle class who praises the virtues of the class above him - but it critical of a perceived bias coming up from the lower and some of the middle class.
And I have not used the example of individuals except as examples. If, however, you have comprehensive statistics on this as a national behaviour pattern, I should be delighted to see it.
So, let's see - if we give real life examples, we are creating stereotypes. But if we have only vague example, then that is evidence. Well, that's a whole, new concept.
The history of the last century or so has been a history of class struggle. Obviously, some class is mistreating another class.
Could you tell us how the working class is mistreating the upper class?

 

[Carolla]

Bias exists. In many forms. It's part of being in our usual imperfect human state. What's being argued here on this thread now? Which bias is better, justified, okay or not okay, valid or not valid? I'm puzzled. Is the focus on the bias of others, or better understanding our own? That after all is the only bias we have any chance of changing ... if we wish. Just my two cents.

 

[Kimmio Laughterlove]

So, you presume that those who work in a position which is more moeny or more power or authority is more likely to look down on those who have less power?
Wow, that seems like a bias.

I don't think it's a presumption. I think it's been true for nearly all of human history.

Your comment almost sounds like satire.

 

[Kimmio Laughterlove]

I don't think everybody who has wealth is bad or evil or blatantly uncaring... But I do think the more people have the more we have a tendency to take it for granted.