Why do I have to feel guilty for being born into a wealthy family?

Question

Ok I'm almost 16 years old, I went to a boarding school in Manhattan and i'll be attending the UN international school this fall. My parents are in the top 1% in the nation and all my siblings have went on to attend ivy league universities (typical "elitist" routes)

Now the thing is, why do I have to feel guilty for being "not" poor?

Listen, the top 1% pays 40% of the U.S taxes but the bottom 10% receives 75% of all benefits. Technically my parents are indirectly paying for hundreds of thousands of poor people to live on welfare and medicaid. Sure, I might have it easier..but I have no reason to feel guilty or sad because i'm part of the "elist" minority. I'm soo tired of poor people complaining about how rich should give them money.. OMGOSH we already do..who the heck do you think pays for your foodstamps? who the heck do you think builds your roads and funds your schools/hospitals?

We live in a free country..there is no law that says that poor people can not climb the ranks or attend ivy leagues....we were presented with the same opportunities and thankfully my grandfather took advantage of those opportunities. I'm far from being spoiled, I know the value of hard work, I know where it has gotten my family and I'm sure as heck going to instill those values to my children... poor people need to re acces what "hardwork" really means.

Answer 1

Really do you feel better now. If You Are you planning on working and paying your own way through college with out the help of your family's money. If You Are you planning on raising your kids on the money you and your spouse earn not your family's. then I'd say you will be instilling the meaning of hard work and the value of a dollar to your children..  Otherwise all you're doing is bragging and blowing off steam.  Also not all be people on Medicaid are capable of working due to illness or accidents.  So saying they are just lazy and don't want to work, Is bigoted of you.  I feel you still have a lot of growing up to do.  You don't know as much being raised in a boarding school as those in the public school system.  You have been sheltered all your life.  Best of Luck in Life you have some hard falls coming with your attitude,  Mary Queen Of Flirts

Answer 2

For somebody who went to an expensive boarding school and who will be going to the UN International boarding school, your spelling, grammar, and punctuation are lousy.  Clearly your parents aren't getting their money's worth.

Secondly, nobody says you HAVE to feel guilty about anything.  But if you do feel that way, then you evidently think on some level that you DO have something to feel guilty about.

You do seem to have a very black and white view of the world, that there are rich people like your family (the top 1% according to you),  and the poor, with nothing in between.  Most people in the U.S. are actually middle-class.  We middle-class folks pay a disproportionate burden of income taxes -- you ask "who the heck do you think builds your roads and funds your schools/hospitals?"  -- well, WE do -- and we don't collect welfare or food stamps or Medicaid.  

Its true that the U.S. is technically a "free country", and there is no law that actually forbids "poor people" (I wonder how you define "poor people", BTW) from climbing the ranks or attending Ivy League universities -- but I think you have no clue what obstacles -- financial, educational, social, and family -- actually stand in the way of poor people actually accomplishing these things.  This may come as a surprise to you, but NOT everyone has access to the same opportunities you and your family have.

Take the silver spoon out of your mouth, get out of your exclusive private boarding school in Manhattan once in awhile, visit some of the less affluent neighborhoods in New York occasionally, and see for yourself what the real world is like.  Maybe you'll learn something.

Answer 3

No offense...but you sound stuck-up. You're only 16, so you really have no idea how the world works. Rich people like Donald Trump don't have to pay taxes and barely have to pay for anything-- he just claims "bankruptcy" every ten or so years and gets away with it! Many rich people (not all) get around without paying much in the way of taxes at all...while the rest of us are struggling with the economy the way it is.

The world isn't fair, you just happened to be born into a rich family. Maybe you shouldn't feel bad, but maybe you should use your money to help the starving kids instead of acting like we should all owe you something. When was the last time you gave to charity? Went down to Mexico to build a home, using your own money, for a homeless family? Gave even five bucks to a homeless guy on the street?

And hard work can get you somewhere...until rich corporations take the business away from your family-owned company and end up destroying your livelihood. My family and I take care of ourselves, we don't need your money and certainly don't live off it.

It takes money to make money, hon.

Answer 4

i thought u felt guilty for being born into a wealthy family and i dont think u really know the meaning of "hard work" so u need to stop complaining. also the next time u have something to say include a question

Answer 5

Whoa - you need to come back down to earth Paris. I also pay for people to be on welfare and medicaid - your family is not the only one paying for this. Who is making you feel guilty? How do you know the value of hard work? And you are not far from being spoiled - you are far from reality.

Answer 6

***** shut up.No one wants your "money" or is begging for your money.Not all people who arent rich are poor.Some of us can actually take care of ourselves without the help of people like you.And you should feel guilty there are people all around the world starving and all you have to worry about is if the new fendi bags are coming out next week.Stop being a selfish snob.