Trust Fund Baby Face

I actually saw the "Born Rich" series many years ago and didn't think they were horrible. They are certainly boring, to say the least, but I personally enjoy seeing other people's points of view, so I found some value in the interviews.

What I find rather interesting is how these people sometimes see themselves. They know they are wealthy, mostly likely to the extent that no one on this board has ever experienced or likely ever will experience, and they know that they enjoy a great life but it appears that their lives are always wonderful. The reoccurring theme for them is that they are trying to find a place in life and a way to make something of themselves. Unfortunately, when your parents possess billions of dollars, it probably seems like an unachievable task and they are always living in the shadow of their parents/grandparents/great grandparents. While I don't think there are too many people here that wouldn't change places with them in a heartbeat I think their "problems" are often over looked. They are still people, really just kids, who struggle with the same situations (and a few different ones) that everyone in the world struggles with...and that was interesting to see. This sort of brings light to the "Money can't buy you happiness" theory but reinforces the "...but it sure can buy you comfort/security/options/etc." Of course their lives aren't "hard" in the sense we may know it, but I think that they struggle with with their own demons. I couldn't imagine not showing up to class but maybe for a total of 10 times in a semester and getting a letter from the Dean basically saying that you shouldn't being doing this but because they see potential in you they won't expel you for violating these academic regulations of the school. Or only being able to hangout with and date those people inside a predetermined circle of wealthy families, (1) for fear of condemnation and (2) for fear of embarrassment when your ill adjusted parents ask a question that only applies to the mega wealthy. Just interesting in my opinion.

What I didn't care for was the whole intent of the series and that of the similar series "One Percent" also created by the same Johnson family member. I find it funny that someone who has grown up with wealth and privilege, who still takes part in all of it's trappings has the audacity to make a film of such disapproval, despite still being a (partial) heir to a $181 Billion fortune.

The fact remains that the while the gap between the rich and the poor continue to rise that the level of wealth and comfort enjoyed by the "poor" has risen dramatically. Only in America could a family that has a house (mortgaged), two cars, cell phones, computers, internet access and tvs in multiple rooms be labeled "poor".

People like Jamie Johnson are what is wrong with this country. They think because they made a documentary (subsidized by the family fortune) and went to downtrodden areas and drove around with poor folks that they know what the "other side" of the tracks is like. If you listen to these interviews he does with these poor folks its glaringly obvious why they are poor and haven't achieved any measurably higher level of success than the generation before them. One guy being interviewed said he lived in the same area (the projects) for the last 28 years. I'm sorry, at no point did you have the opportunity to save some money and move out, buy a house, rent an apartment someplace else...or are you too lazy to do it? Another guy was asked if he felt like his children had a shot at being rich and his response was "No, my kid won't ever be a rapper".

Society doesn't hold these people back, these people hold themselves back. And I don't base that solely off some 80 minute documentary, I based that on real life experiences I have personally seen and dealt with, at times with my only family.

I have 2 younger brothers who have decided they don't care to be a functional part of society, although one seems to be making some changes. My brother, now 21, is a felon, has lived in homeless shelters, on the street, been in and out of jail for probation violations and currently lives in a trailer with his girl friend and my younger brother. They are 2 months behind on rent, 2 months behind on their electricity, don't own a car, don't have high school educations, don't have GEDs and each have job histories limited to a single job, which they walked out on because one didn't want to have to walk to work and the other because he wanted to get high with his friend(s). If that wasn't bad enough, do you think the oldest one is trying to get a job to get back on his feet? Hell no, but he has devised a plan to let his girlfriend strip at a club that will require her to walk a substantial distance, at about 3 in the morning, just to get to a bus stop which is located in one of THE worst area of town. This is not an isolated incident, this is so prevalent in our society it is disturbing.

Both my brothers have been given chance after chance after chance but have pissed them all away, mostly because they weren't convenient and would require effort...like getting out of bed by noon and not being hung over. My mom has sympathy for my brothers (as any mother would) but my father has grown callus to the situation. My dad isn't a hardass but has worked as both a detention deputy in the county jail for a number of years and most recently as a bailiff at the country courthouse, mostly in the Dependency court (4 years) but recently switched to Felony court. He sees the types of people that come in because they beat their children, or wife when their children are home, and he see the mentality these people have as they are often repeat customers. Sadly, he sees the say mentality in my brothers and he has gotten to the point where he can't actively care about them anymore. They are both adults and have had countless opportunities to make the right decisions and never have.

Like many people "stuck" in poverty, they are there because it is comfortable for them. Before my father worked at a Deputy Sheriff, he worked in middle management for one of the state's top newspapers and for a while he was in charge of home delivery for a couple of the local counties and would often help out if they were short drivers and/or dock personnel. I often would go with him to pitch in and I remember seeing these people show up with their mini-vans with 2 kids sleeping in the back seat. They would load up their newspapers and run the routes with their kids sleeping in the back. Come to find out that they were single parents or were small business owners who were struggling to keep their heads above water...so they held a full time job during the day, then would get out of bed at 2 in the morning, put their kids in the car and deliver newspapers until 5 or 6 am, then go home, get the kids ready for school and then go to their real job, just so they can make ends meet.

Then you have people like my brother, who my father deals with in the court on a daily basis and who he passes everyday down town pulling leftovers out of trash cans so they can piece together a meal. America gives more to those in need than many countries combined. There are programs out of the wazoo that help people out, but there are often constraints. Constraints like, must be up early looking for a job, must not be intoxicated or high, etc, etc and many of these people choose not to participate in the programs because the weight of the sacrifices they would have to make far outweigh that of being homeless and hungry.

These people are the folks that "need" your help and are often the justification of social programs and tax hikes...that makes me sick to my stomach.

Anyways, on a lighter note, Milton Friedman booted this idiot out of his office after basically calling him a socialist during an interview. That is worth seeing in my opinion.

Regards