According to the Wall Street Journal, the United States had 3.1 million millionaires in 2010. In a time where people sell other people’s stock, and in a state where the last two governors were convicted of felonies, it is hard not to think that anyone with any money at all is a crook. But is that true? No. Wealth may corrupt the few, but with the majority 3.1 million millionaires being honest people and some even trying to give back, it is easy to say that the rich are good.
The idea that once someone has become rich he or she starts to give back to society has been around since the late 1800’s. Andrew Carnegie, the leader in steal manufacturing at that time, wrote an essay called “The Gospel of Wealth”, which explained that it was God’s decision to make you rich, and to pay him back, you need to try to better society. This shows that the idea of being a good person ‘just because’ has been around for hundreds of years. A good example of philanthropists in today’s society is Bill and Melinda Gates. The Gates’ put their money into their own charity, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to help to cure and get rid of Malaria and Polio. Even today it is evident that the rich are not immoral but selflessly trying to better the world. Another leader in today’s society, or perhaps a leader in society’s social aspects, is Mark Zuckerburg, who, according to Business Insider, donated $100 Million to his own charity, which supports programs that benefit the school system in Newmark, NJ. This shows that even today’s generation is practicing the art of giving back.
While there are many inventors and captions of industry that are actively participating in Carnegie’s Wealth philosophy, there are also many pop stars, TV Show hosts, and musicians who are also practicing in this rise of philanthropy. Bono is one of the most well-known and influential human rights activists. Musicians usually have this stigma to them that they are all egotistical and wont share their wealth. Bono breaks through this wall by frequently making trips to Africa and helping many charities to help stop world poverty. Ellen DeGeneres and Ben Affleck created The Small Change Campaign, which benefits Feeding America. This shows both DeGeneres and Affleck’s selflessness to society. Along with DeGeneres, another TV host has paved the way to a new type of philanthropy. Opera Winfrey, whose entire career is based around helping other people, created schools in Africa. That is the very definition of giving back to one’s society.
Many say that rich people are usually all dishonest, this is not true, the dishonest people only get more press when they are caught than the honest people do when they give millions to a charity. This is because society today has become very negative. In ‘The Great Gatsby,’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tom rushes Nick off the train. “We’re getting off. I want you to meet my girl,” he says on page 24. Fitzgerald goes onto the position that wealth does corrupt people and they do not care about other people. While this might have been an accurate description of a time of bootlegging and organized crime, but the general public can agree that the majority of people now are not evil, as Fitzgerald suggests. Take a look at Warren Buffett, who, according to a Fortune Magazine article published June of 2006, is giving away 85% of his wealth to five charities, mostly though, to the Gates’. This shows that not everyone with immense wealth is corrupt, though, yes, there are a few who ruin it for everyone.
While there are those few people who give ‘rich’ a bad name, most people are honest and good. With so many charity organizations popping up from almost every movie star and TV host, it is near impossible to say that the rich are generally evil. This shows how the few can ruin it for the masses. Similar to only taking one drop of coloring to cloud a glass of water, we must fist remember the good in people, not over emphasize on the bad.
