21 Non-Rich Folks Told Us The Out-Of-Touch Things They Hate Hearing From The Wealthy, And This Proves That Rich People Live In A Completely Different World
Income inequality has grown to astronomical levels, with rich people becoming truly out of touch with the struggles of everyday people.
So, we recently asked the BuzzFeed Community, "Non-rich folks, what are you tired of hearing from the wealthy?"
Here's what our readers had to say:
1."'Money doesn't buy happiness.'"
"Money can help someone and their children afford a better neighborhood with good schools and safe parks. Money can help someone afford the therapy they need. Money can help with not only affording healthcare but also dental and vision."
"Money may not buy the happiness itself, but it’s definitely easier to be happy when you’re financially secure and not worried about bills and your next meal."
2."If they're a billionaire, anything along the lines of 'earning their fortune themselves.'"
"Millionaires, I can see, but it's not possible for billionaires to work that much harder or be that much smarter than everyone else. It's always a mix of unearned privilege, systemic advantages, and sheer luck. Implying that you earned billions implies that other people can, too, if they try hard enough, and that's not the case."
3."'Make a budget, and you’ll be able to save money.'"
"I can make all the budgets in the world, but unless there’s more income, there’s only so much cutting down of expenses you can do without eliminating basic necessities. It doesn’t work for everyone."
"I am a master at making a budget. That's not the problem. Lack of money TO budget is the problem."
4."Stop with the 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps' nonsense."
"People whose parents or grandparents paid for their college, cars, etc., stop telling the rest of us how hard you worked. My family was not poor but definitely not rich enough to pay my tuition or buy me a car. I could not do unpaid internships because I had to work two jobs while doing full-time classes while driving a POS car, in which I always kept a spare quart of oil and a bottle of engine coolant."
5."That people on public assistance programs like food stamps or Medicaid should just work for their money."
"I'm disabled, and I rely on programs like Medicaid to literally pay someone to help me get out of bed. Working puts that in jeopardy."
6."All that nonsense about The Poors spending money on flat-screen TVs, smartphones, and the internet."
"You can't get any other kind of TV now, a smartphone contract is more manageable on a tight budget than a lump sum for a computer, and the internet is necessary for doing things like claiming benefits and applying for jobs. Rich people love to say poor people have terrible priorities, but all I hear when they talk like this is 'I don't understand what reality is like.'"
7."Stop telling me to invest in stocks."
"I have $50 to last me the rest of the month. I’m going to buy food with it instead. Investments are risky, especially when you don’t have any money to fall back on."
"There are so many things I have to think about first. I still don't have more than two months' expenses saved. What if I get a bad hospital bill? What if my car gets totaled? Then, making extra payments on student loans and medical bills so I'm not in debt forever. There's a long list of things that any extra money has to go to before I can even think about fiddling with the stock market."
8."'Don't make excuses. You just have to make the right choices.'"
"If I hear any rich person say this classist nonsense around me ever again, I'm going to lose my mind! Not everyone has access to the same resources; most people make the best choices available to THEM and THEIR circumstances. It's really not that hard to understand."
9."'People who can’t afford to buy a home should just move to a cheaper area!'"
*Gestures at my country, where housing prices are now astronomical EVERYWHERE*
10."'If you hate your job, why don’t you just quit?'"
"I’m sorry, but did my BILLS and CHILD who needs to be cared for disappear?? STOP GIVING THAT DUMBASS ADVICE!"
11."'I worked hard for this money!'"
"Let’s all stop pretending that hard work is directly related to wealth."
12."'Servers don't deserve $15/hour just to bring me my food.' Or some other formulation of 'low-wage workers don't deserve a livable wage.'"
"If you truly believe that, then do without their services."
"The pandemic rolled around, and suddenly we were 'essential workers.' Now, rich people are wondering why we don't want to work at these essential jobs for barely more than minimum wage? My community treats service workers like we're garbage but doesn't understand why stores are short-staffed."
13."'People who are homeless choose to be.'"
"No. Just no. This just reeks of something wealthy/privileged people tell themselves so they can do nothing to help the less fortunate and still sleep at night."
"That comment fills me with rage. I worked at a family homeless shelter for quite a long time, and no one lived there because it was on their bucket list. They were there for all sorts of reasons. Some were poor life choices made at a super-young age when you don't realize that it actually is a poor life choice. Some were absolutely a victim of circumstance."
14."'Money is not that important. It's not everything in life. It doesn't solve all your problems.'"
"It pisses me off so much. People who have money always say that money doesn't help them every step of the way. Of course, their lives have problems that money can't solve, but money does help in making those problems a little bit easier. Saying that money is not important is horrible. Just accept your privilege, dammit."
15."'You’ve never been abroad?'"
"Like it’s easy to just get two paid weeks off and then afford flights and a hotel. I have to save up for those things."
16."'It’s never too late to start over!'"
"Rich people think that you can just quit your job and go back to an expensive school whenever you want. Rent/mortgage, car payments, health insurance, etc. be damned. Sorry people, that’s not how it works. Those of us in the real world can’t just leave a job we hate and spend years trying to find a new one."
17."Calling non-rich people lazy."
"They're busting their asses and not getting paid enough."
18."'Cook your own meals, make your own coffee, and mend your clothes.'"
"All of those are implying that the money you save doing these things is worth more than the time you save when buying convenience items. Working full time, parenting, and managing my household take ALL MY TIME, so I'm not sacrificing an hour a day to make things from scratch."
19."'I'm not rich — my parents are. I'm broke.'"
"Yeah, well, your two-bedroom apartment that you have to yourself at 19 and your new car say otherwise."
20."When you complain about the cost of rent and are told that it's 'cheaper to buy a house.'"
"Even with down payment assistance, you still have to pay closing costs, which can vary. I was given amounts ranging from $7K to $15K. If I had that in the bank, I wouldn't be complaining about the cost of rent!"
21.And finally, "I loathe the term 'self-made.' No one on this damn planet is 'self-made.'"
"It is literally impossible to get anywhere without help and support. Everyone relies on something or someone. You can't start a business unless you already have money or someone helps you get money (even if it's via getting a loan, which not everyone is able to get).
"I hate how they think they are self-made. No. If they inherited their parents' wealth, they were probably able to pay for college and a car. If they started a business, it was done with their parents' money. Or they just got a cushy job working at their parents' company. They don't understand you can't simply borrow money or expect it to always be there."
What are you sick of hearing from rich people? Let us know in the comments below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.