[logicchains]

>Perhaps you need to examine the inequities which have allowed to you amass the wealth you fear being robbed of? In short, profiting off the exploitation of others, if even indirectly, shouldn’t be viewed solely as “earning things”.

Maybe you need to examine the inequalities in effort that cause so many people to slack of at school and work and spend all their free time watching television or the like, then the inequalities in wealth wouldn't be so surprising to you.

[heavyset_go]

I went to school with the kids of business owners and executives and the biggest refrain I heard was "why do I have to do well in school when I'm just going to work at/inherit my dad's company?" as they partied their way through school and well after it. And they were right.

[whakim]

This argument belongs to a broader theory called "Culture of Poverty" (poor peoples' values rather than structural issues lead to poor choices which perpetuates a cycle of poverty). It was popularized by sociologists in the 50s and 60s, but has since been discredited and is not taken seriously by modern sociologists.

[incongruity]

The funny part there is the level of intellectual laziness in that answer itself.

It’d be nice in some ways if it were that easy, wouldn’t it? Poverty would be easily ignored because it’d be chosen. Except, as noted above, even then, when economic disparities pass a tipping point, violent revolution tends to happen. So even if that idea were correct, the rich cannot afford to ignore inequality either.