Let them eat cake

[Avatard]

The Rich Are Different: More Money, Less Empathy

http://healthland.time.com/2010/11/2...-less-empathy/

[Particle Man]

They don't need empathy normally - they can buy some when the need arises.

[Mikey]

Empathy, by definition, is impossible if one cannot identify with the individual or individuals one is supposed to be empathetic toward.

The majority of the super-rich, particularly the ones born into it (the likes of Paris Hilton, for example), cannot identify with the poor or the middle-class because they themselves have not shared the same experiences. That doesn't make them bad people, it just means they lack understanding.

I don't know what it's like to be a celebrity and be harassed by paparazzi. That doesn't make me an asshole, it just means I lack the experience.

[Avatard]

Originally Posted by Particle Man

They don't need empathy normally - they can buy some when the need arises.

Actually, yes. Money buys friends. Well-kept friends can feign empathy surprisingly and remarkably convincingly.

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by Mikey

Empathy, by definition, is impossible if one cannot identify with the individual or individuals one is supposed to be empathetic toward.

The majority of the super-rich, particularly the ones born into it (the likes of Paris Hilton, for example), cannot identify with the poor or the middle-class because they themselves have not shared the same experiences. That doesn't make them bad people, it just means they lack understanding.

I don't know what it's like to be a celebrity and be harassed by paparazzi. That doesn't make me an asshole, it just means I lack the experience.

There's also the possibility that they are simply sociopaths.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

There's also the possibility that they are simply sociopaths.

plenty enough of those in the lower classes. we usually end up in the army

[Mikey]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

There's also the possibility that they are simply sociopaths.

You know, you may be on to something. As it turns out, sociopaths are far more common than once thought. Being a sociopath would also better-equip someone to be successful in our society, making the rich more likely to be sociopaths than the poor.

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by Mikey

You know, you may be on to something. As it turns out, sociopaths are far more common than once thought. Being a sociopath would also better-equip someone to be successful in our society, making the rich more likely to be sociopaths than the poor.

Intelligent sociopaths definitely have a leg-up on everyone else.

[CasterTroy]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

Intelligent sociopaths definitely have a leg-up on everyone else.

Yep

Note: Everyone ELSE is the wood

[MILK]

I read 'The Sociopath Next Door' while trying to figure out what was wrong with my ex. There are way more walking around than we'd like to think. Many are not violent and exploit others in more insidious ways.