Some rich people are arrogant and never help charity

Malaysia
December 27, 2008 10:03am CST
Let's face it, there are a lot of rich people in this world. Some of my friends are very rich but they are not that arrogant. I also know some rich people who are very arrogant. I still remember back in my hometown, there is this guy who is a property developer. He is one of the richest people in my hometown but not many people like him due to his arrogance. Most importantly, when people try to ask him for donation to the charity, he rejects them all the time. In the end, as far as I know, he has never donated any money to the charity. My sister's school (which is also his only daughter's school) approached him before to request for donation. It is up to him to remain anonymous or not since the donation drive allowed to do so. However, he rejected it. To be honest, I don't respect such people at all. Donating a little bit of money for charity such as orphanages, old folks' home and schools will not do much harm to his fortune. It's funny how some people just do not want to contribute back to the society, not even a little bit.
1 person likes this
20 responses
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
28 Dec 08
Nobody is under any obligation to donate any of their money to anyone, charity or otherwise. Despite what people might think most of those people who are deemed to be rich have earned their money through hard work. They pay their taxes just like everyone else does and in fact they pay higher taxes and receive no government benefits. Those who are less well off often receive some from of benefit or aid from the government - either their own or a foreign government. You give as an example a property developer who was aske d for a donation to his daughter's school. We do not know what his committments are and if in fact he actually has any CASH money as distinct from assets. Also you have said that he could remain anonymous if he chose, so how do you know he did not make an anonymous donation? The fact is that you do not know he didn't give money to the school and if you are 100% certain that he did not, then I don't blame him for not giving any money. Someone has broken their word to this man that he and his contribution could be anonymous. Also people who are deemed rich by others are not necessarily CASH RICH. They might have a lot of assets but at the same time they often have large debts as well which means their NET worth is a lot less than people think. Gong back to the property developer who no doubt employs a lot of people and he pays those people for the work they do. By operating his business and therefore employing staff he IS contributing to society. Finally the other thing to consider that what means great wealth to one person deos not necessarily have the same connotation to another. For example my partner and I have a smallish sized organic fruit and vegetable farm which we operate. We have several sheds for storage, machinery as well as our packaging shed and another one where the cool room is. We also have 2 tractors and all sorts of farm equiment to work our farm, together with a green house, seed rearing shelter, drip irrigation systems and other tools essentia for our style of farming. We have 2 cars, on of which is only 2 years old and for personal use plus 2 utilities. One of those is used to bring the bins of fruit and/or vegetables to the packing shed and the other is to take our produce to the depot ready for delivery to the market. Now by the standards of some people we could be considered rich but let me assure you, we are not. We have debts which we have to pay each and every month, and that is whether or not we receive any income from the farm on any particular month. A person should not be judged on what they give or do not give to charity. I mean, you do not judge those people who receive charity do you? Is there any difference between the two lots of people? If, as you say, a rich person who does not give to charity is not contributing back to society, what does it say about the person who takes from a charity? Maybe you can tell me how those people are contributing to society?
@oldboy46 (2129)
• Australia
28 Dec 08
I suspect that what has "upset" many members is the words that you used "Donating a little bit of money for charity such as orphanages, old folks' home and schools will not do much harm to his fortune. It's funny how some people just do not want to contribute back to the society, not even a little bit." This statement implies that anyone who is rich has an obligation to donate to charity. That is not correct and nor does anyone have the right to expect a donation of any sort from anyone else. I was/am not flaming you but wanted to put things into perspective. If you start a discussion like this one then of course you will get responses from members who have a different opinion. You say that your father and sister were involved in the donation drive for the school. They told this man that he could makle an anonymous donation and yet you say that he did not make a donation at all. They have not kept their word to him and no doubt he knows that, so why would he make a donation? I know that I wouldn't under those circumstances. You are right in that we are not rich and yes we are doing fine but that is only because we work darned hard. My partner and I have a small organic farmlet where we grow fruit and vegetables but in order to pay our mortgage and get established so that one day we can be self-sufficient, I have a job off the farm. I am an interstate truck driver and have been doing that job for many years now and I do it solely for the money. There are often times when I am away from home for the 6 days of the week and if I do manage to get home then it would be for 4-6 hours before heading off to make another delivery. When I am away, my partner has to work our farm and that is pretty darned hard for a woman but she does an excellent job on it. A couple of years ago she too took on a part time job which was offered to her because our chidren were starting to get married. We wanted to contribute to the costs and that was the only way we could afford it was if my partner could work as well. So the only reason that my partner and I have what we do because of our own efforts and hard work. As for the countries giving the right help to those in need, that is up to the citizens of the country. Considering the amount of money my country gives in foreign aid every year I would darn well hope that it is being spent wisely. Yes I do know that there are many tax deductions available to those in business and that is really the way it should be. If the money was not expended for business purposes then there would not be as much, if any income, on which to pay taxes. When it comes to caring for orphans, that is the responsibility of the government and with the elderly it should be a joint responsiblity of the family and the government. At least that is the way that it should be.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
Isn't it true that anyone who is rich should try to contribute back to the society in any ways? What is wrong about that kind of thinking? One should not be selfish and keep everything to himself. Of course, this is not a definite DO IT OR DIE rule. This is more like a hope and also my personal opinion, and my frustration. Even if I do hope and expect the rich to help out, if they don't, there is nothing I can do but to seek help from others who are more willing to help out. Because at the end of the day, nobody has the obligation to help. Nobody should be forced to help out. They must do it willingly. Whether people expect them to help or not, it is a totally different issue and having expectation means NOTHING if the person himself does not want to help out. You get what I mean? In the case of the school donation drive, my father was involved and my sister was merely one of the students (classmate to the rich guy's daughter). My father did not tell the guy that he can donate anonymously because every donation drives on Earth allows you to remain anonymous. I have yet to see any donation drive which does not allow you to do so. It is pure common sense. And my father knows the guy did not donate because they've received a lot of donations from other people and there is no a single anonymous person. Oh, and without him even donating the money, anonymous or not, how can he knows that my father will not keep to his words? I don't really get what you mean. And in terms of the country, not every country is ruled by good governments. Different countries have different problems. Furthermore, how much can the governments really help? There are just so many people who need help out there, way more than the amount the government can help. If everyone thinks like you, then nobody will be willing to help these needy people. Nobody will go to orphanages during Christmas to celebrate with them. Nobody will go to the old folks home to help clean the area for them. Why? Because as you said, the government is supposed to do that. Sorry mate, this is not how the world works. And I'm sorry to say if everyone thinks this way, there will be nobody left to help those people in need. And by saying help, it does not mean financial help. Time is also something very useful to them. It's the heart that counts. Anyway, I'm still glad to know that you're actually not flaming me. Haha. But based on our conversation here, I really believe there is nothing left to discuss since our views and opinions are too different. It'll be another never ending argument. :) Thanks for spending so much time in typing and well, I'm quite a stubborn person. Not many people can change my mind. Haha. Happy mylotting and have a happy new year. ;)
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
The school donation drive is pretty obvious since my sister and my father were part of the donation drive. They got turned down pretty harshly every year. The rest of the donation drives received similar responses but I do not know the details. Furthermore, the daughter was my sister's former classmate and everyone in the class knows her attitude. True, nobody in this world is obliged to donate. It's called a charity for a purpose. But if he is willing to put up tonnes of fireworks to please his guests at home and his daughter, that does mean he is cash rich. And mind you, he is not the typical small scale property developer. I've seen some of those and I know it is not easy for them. They need to work very hard in order to survive and sometimes, their profit is just OKAY. I know what is the difference between rich and not rich. For your case, I wouldn't say you are rich but just doing fine and maybe better than some people. But if you are willing to own a palace-like house with only 3 family members, drive a luxury car in a small city, sending your daughter to UK to study in law (it's not a scholarship since her result is not that good)...that does explain you are indeed rich. And without being cash rice, do you expect him to be able to do all those things? I doubt the fireworks can be purchased via credit cards since fireworks are regarded as illegal in my country. :) I'm not sure what have I said in this post that seems to make some of you guys angry and flamed me back. For many people who I've approached for donation drive (even blood donation which costs nothing), I am okay if they turn me down. I just cannot stand some people who want to see others less fortunate ones to suffer while they enjoy the luxuries of life. The less fortunate people I mean here are those orphans and old people who have no other means to earn money, not those who can still earn a living if they work hard enough. And are you sure all the countries in the world are giving the right help to those people in need? How sure are you? And how sure are you that those big bosses are paying more taxes than us normal people? Do you know that there are a lot of ways you can minimize your corporate and personal taxes? And again, your country's tax system is not the same with other countries' tax systems. So don't jump to conclusion without knowing the details.
• United States
28 Dec 08
If the donations are anonymous then you will never know if he donates to any charities. Try not to judge people so much.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
As I said in the above example, the school charity is organized by few people I know and there's only 1 or 2 anonymous persons who those friends of mine know. After all, they are the one who received the money from those people. Anyway, I'm not judging that person alone, I'm talking about rich people in general. True, there are some who are very nice but there are also those who do not want to contribute at all.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
As I said in the above example, the school charity is organized by few people I know and there's only 1 or 2 anonymous persons who those friends of mine know. After all, they are the one who received the money from those people. Anyway, I'm not judging that person alone, I'm talking about rich people in general. True, there are some who are very nice but there are also those who do not want to contribute at all.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
argh, another redundant post. Sorry!
@balasri (26537)
• India
30 Dec 08
Some people are made that way.They never change.I just pity and avoid them.There sure is a pleasure in sharing.These guys miss a lot of amallsweet pleasures in life.
@balasri (26537)
• India
8 Jan 09
Yes.I do agree with you 100%.
• Malaysia
8 Jan 09
That's why I really respect those rich people who always invite others together for a meal or two, or even contribute to the community. :) Those are great examples.
@dio123 (1788)
• India
27 Dec 08
Yes some peoples become arrogant as they grow rich and some are arrogant by nature whether they are rich or not. It is actually nature. But the peoples who are arrogant must understand why they behave like this and they should make some change in your behavior and if a person is rich then he should never say no to charity it is his duty to donate a little for the welfare of the society as the money he earned is from the society only
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
There are some rich folks who get the money from the society and some from Earth. In my country, there are a lot of filthy rich guys who are timber tycoon. They get the timbers from the natives and some do it illegally but there was this time which happened few months ago, the natives were suffering from flood and requested help from these timber tycoons. You know what they gave? Salt. One packet of salt for one family.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
There are some rich folks who get the money from the society and some from Earth. In my country, there are a lot of filthy rich guys who are timber tycoon. They get the timbers from the natives and some do it illegally but there was this time which happened few months ago, the natives were suffering from flood and requested help from these timber tycoons. You know what they gave? Salt. One packet of salt for one family.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
There are some rich folks who get the money from the society and some from Earth. In my country, there are a lot of filthy rich guys who are timber tycoon. They get the timbers from the natives and some do it illegally but there was this time which happened few months ago, the natives were suffering from flood and requested help from these timber tycoons. You know what they gave? Salt. One packet of salt for one family.
@thaMARKER (2503)
• Philippines
1 Jan 09
There really are people who are just that – people who never experience poverty in their life since birth. They would think they’ll die or they’ll lower their status if they set foot on a scavenge place. But of course there are people who would donate almost half of their fortune to poor people. I love to know them. I appreciate those people who build their own foundation to support kids, elders and other people. I would love to have on my own one day. Soon if I’ll have the money of course. Hehehe..
• Malaysia
8 Jan 09
Those who have come from poverty and poor families will know the feeling. Those are the type who will try to help others in need. Respect those people. We need more of those in this world.
@celticeagle (159058)
• Boise, Idaho
27 Dec 08
I agree that some rich people are arrogant. And the ugly clothes they wear is comical to me. Do you ever notice that? Are these name brands? Anyway. I guess they can do what they want with their money. And I believe in Karma so people like the one you spoke about will pay in the end. It is sad that these type people exist. But, it takes all kinds to make a world!
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
Haha, you're correct that it does take all kinds of people to make a nice and interesting world.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
You are right. It takes all kinds of people to make this world an interesting one. Anyway, I believe that nothing lasts forever in this world. Their fortune and fame will be gone sooner or later. Maybe not in his lifetime but 50 or 100 years later.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
You are right. It takes all kinds of people to make this world an interesting one. Anyway, I believe that nothing lasts forever in this world. Their fortune and fame will be gone sooner or later. Maybe not in his lifetime but 50 or 100 years later.
@lovesummer (1162)
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
I do know such people too. They are just too stingy and have one kind of attitude. Oh well, being rich is not forever so just let them be. Cheers
• Malaysia
30 Dec 08
There are a lot of different people in this world and while we can't change them, we can only hope for the best.
@irishidid (8688)
• United States
27 Dec 08
It is a person's choice to give or not give to a charity. I've seen churches that overlook the needy in their own congregation to help people outside of the church. Perhaps that's arrogance too.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
Maybe those outside the church needs the help more?
@Bebs08 (10681)
• United States
30 Dec 08
Well, there are people who are like that. They are selfish and greedy. They only only think of their own good. They never have a heart to help others. Well, someday they will realize that when God take back the blessings afforded to them. We should remember that all the blessings that we have are entrusted by God to us. This does not belong to us but from God and we should share it to others who are in need.
• Malaysia
8 Jan 09
Some people are like that but fortunately, there are also some people who really care and are willing to help.
@mimico (3617)
• Philippines
28 Dec 08
Yeah I can see where you're coming from. I'm not stingy when it comes to charities but I'm not a big philanthropist either. I just give a little to certain charities that I like and that's it. Maybe the rich and arrogant man in your community had a difficult childhood which led him to believe that society isn't worth giving back to. I don't know.. some people have their own reasons.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
Some people do have their reasons for not giving but some are just selfish and arrogant. :) I don't know. If I cannot donate, then just help out as much as I can. After all, I am still part of the society.
@Masmasika (1921)
• Philippines
28 Dec 08
Nowadays, even charities could not be trusted. I myself do not trust some charities asking for donations. There are some people who put up a foundation, ask for donations then give only a small portion to those who really need it, the rest of the money they use it for their personal use. This is the reason why I don't give donations to charities. I prefer to give my donation directly to the person who needs it, like the beggars on the street or our neighbor who needs it. Although not all foundations work that way, there really are some people who want to fool other people that they are helping a lot but the truth is they are using charities to make themselves rich. I'm sorry but at my age I have experienced too many things and I know what is happening in this world of ours. Maybe that rich person in your town thinks the same but sometimes too, people must give donations and share what they have. In my understanding your town mate is a mean person. He doesn't like to help the poor. I hate people who have money but keep their money to themselves and refuse to give. I do know some people too who are like that. Well, that's life and we have to face the realities in life because we cannot make all people do what we want. Cheers and happy mylotting!!!!
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
I normally only donate money to schools. For orphanages and other charity organizations, I will just donate food or items instead of cash. Some orphanages I know prefer those things actually while there are few which prefer cash. One of the local orphanages' owner wears Rolex and drives a BMW but the orphanage itself is in a very bad condition.
@jzqt27 (541)
• Canada
28 Dec 08
well... here's the thing. not all rich people are arrogant, but most of them are very arrogant. see... when i was little, i went to my dad's compnay and ash his boss to buy some chocolate and donate some money to my school (so we can build a soccer field). at first, i was talking to his assistant and ask him the exact question. he said yes, but later he didn't even give me any money instead the boss bought 5 chocolate bars and donated $25.00 to help out.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
At least there's something. :D
@shaie78 (141)
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
I agree with you some of rich people are arrogant. Some of them are not arrogant. I have friends are very rich but he not arrogant.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
I think it mostly depends on the background (family and education) of the person.
• United States
28 Dec 08
yea i know..rich people are ignorant
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
Not all of them actually.
@freak369 (5113)
• United States
27 Dec 08
No one is obligated to donate money to charity but it does help out a lot. Even if you only have a couple extra dollars, you have to stop and think that no matter how bad your situation is, there is always someone else that is in deeper than you. One thing that really irks me is celebrities that do commercials asking people to donate money to foreign causes. Feed and adopt the kids in the United States first then help everyone else. Sorry if that irks anyone but that's my take on it. Great post!
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
It's not a must for people to donate money but it'll be good if they can contribute one way or another to help those in needs or help save the planet. But most people just don't care. I respect those people who are not rich, yet they are willing to take some of their time to help others, not in terms of financial aid though. Anyway, maybe the foreign things is in a worse condition that in US and they need to have those commercials in order to inform people about it? And incidents such as the Tsunami, those are really catastrophic events and the whole world should help out as much as possible.
@healer (1779)
• India
27 Dec 08
There are people who don't care for the society no matter how rich they are and which is not right. There are some who are born rich and most of these born rich never cares about others because they don't know what it is like to be poor. If we look at their background we can make it out but it does not mean that all the born rich are arrogant. People who struggled and faced problems usually have a kind heart because they have the experience of being poor. I really hate those people who are not ready to help children and don't care about women, as in my society these exists.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
I also find that those rich people who started from zero tend to be nice and not arrogant at all. Some don't even look like rich guys. My dad who used to work in a bank knows a lot of such people in my hometown. They will donate a lot to the charity but prefer to remain anonymous and they dress in normal clothes (not branded) and are very humble. These are the type of rich people that I want to learn from and I respect them the most.
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
27 Dec 08
I do wonder sometimes why some people are like that. Most people who are successful have many people who have helped them to get to that point, even indirectly. While donations are DONATIONS - given out of desire to help by anybody, not something someone is obligated to do because they have the means - it does particularly seem strange to me that he refuses to help his daughter's school. The schools are having a rough time with the economy and budget cuts, nobody has any money. I do want to bring up a point you may not have considered - when people find out ANYBODY has money, the weasels come out of the woodwork. People start asking for a cut. This could be long lost relatives the person doesn't even know, friends who aren't really friends, know what I mean? If I suddenly had a fortune, I would be damn careful about who found out. I'm not saying this is why this rich guy is rude and disagreeable, I'm just trying to step in his shoes as far as the situation. There are places I would donate to, surely. March of Dimes would be one. I would not donate to everybody who asked me though, I don't do that now. Do you know that he's not contributing back to society in another way? It's obvious he does not seem like a nice person, he probably is not happy despite being successful or being rich. That is the truly sad part in the whole mess - when you are successful and have been blessed with a lot either through circumstances or your own hard work or both, you should enjoy it and be happy and bless others. There's no point in having a good comfortable life if you're grumpy and don't enjoy it.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
He has a very famous reputation for being stingy and not donating to any charity organizations in my hometown. My hometown is not that big and everyone knows his name. And everyone knows he is rich due to the size of his house. The only contribution he made to the society was contributing fireworks during festive seasons. Every year during important festive seasons, he will have fireworks fired from his home's compound. It's for his daughter. Well, at least the surrounding area can enjoy it too. Oh, and it's not those cheap fireworks. It's those massive fireworks we normally see at shopping complexes.
@kerriannc (4279)
• Jamaica
27 Dec 08
Why should a person be upset if someone does not contribute to charity. Do we know how he/she receive their money. There are rituals in this world that allow one to get rich if you go through that method. Do you know if he went through this method and the advice to him it was not to give away his money because he will become poor once more. My friend it is not everybody charity you should gladly take. The ones that give wholeheartedly blessed them and move on. Charity is not a must as for me I gave away things between Jan-Nov and when it comes to Dec I stop because this month is for phony love and I don't associate with it. Happy New Year
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
I must admit that I am disappointed with such rich people who are not willing to part with a small percentage of his money which will enable him to help a lot of other needy people. Nobody expects him to give away a large amount and taking away 1% of his annual pay does not seem like asking a lot.
@stinge (810)
• United States
27 Dec 08
I have talked with my friends about how it would feel to have alot of money. We all agreed that it's easy for people to become very cocky and arrogant, and concieded wen they are very wealthy. You look at it from a wealthy persons point of view. When you are well off and money is not a problem, many people don't tend to care what anyone thinks of them. It's like a celebrity going and doing as they please. It doesn't matter how much of a jerk a rich person acts because they have money and most of them don't care how they treat or act towards others. But you take that money away from them and I bet their attitude would be totaly different. It is sad that the guy can't even donate a little money to his own daughters school. He needs to appreciate the fact that he has gotten to were he is today. With the way the economy is going, it could all be gone in a second.
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
Actually there are rich people who are willing to donate. Some prefer to remain anonymous while others prefer to put their company name or their own name on the dailies for donating money. Still, they do donate and help out a little.
• India
27 Dec 08
"CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME".This is a famous proverb which means that a person donates some money or help a beggar only when he/she is fully satisfied. This is the basic thinking of this society. They are absolutely selfish people and I have a great hatred over them . They visualise only their family needs and dont even spend some time in taking care to develop this society and bring it to a good position .There is nothing going to happen in blaming the rich person and we shouldnt even think of them. Y not we contribute the small amount of money that we get in MYLOT. Lets start from today. STOP BLAMING START DONATING
• Malaysia
28 Dec 08
I've already donated some of my hard earned review money via PayPal to someone I know who is in need of the money more than I do. The money is enough for me to have lunch for 2 weeks :D