philanthropy

[skirtedbrit]

In the 50's, 60's, and 70's we always saw America as being more civilised with better cars, homes etc and part of that was philanthropy where the rich would give generously for the common good. Is this still the case?

[STEVIE]

Sadly, I have a bad feeling about the answers which you will receive SB.
Steve.

[moonshadow]

There are many wealthy people who give to good causes.

It just doesn't make headlines because that kind of news doesn't sell.

People want to see death, carnage, drama, culture wars, meanness, ugliness, bigotry, etc when they turn on the news.

And the news always delivers.

There is plenty of good here, you just have to know how to find it.

[STEVIE]

There are many wealthy people who give to good causes.
It just doesn't make headlines because that kind of news doesn't sell.
People want to see death, carnage, drama, culture wars, meanness, ugliness, bigotry, etc when they turn on the news.
And the news always delivers.
There is plenty of good here, you just have to know how to find it.

Frankly, that is a more positive answer than I expected.
Steve,

[crfriend]

Frankly, that is a more positive answer than I expected.

Moon is right -- for an absolutely minuscule portion of the population. That portion amounts to possibly about 2,000 to 3,000 individuals who still have some excess wealth that hasn't been bled off by the oligarchs.

The rest of it is an abject mess. The place is a world now of .001% of the population holding about 90% of the wealth, and the rest are living off whatever savings they have because the employment economy has gone to close to zero. The US is in a death-spiral unless the situation can be reversed, and thanks to the political system, it cannot be.

There remains much good here; however, the evil is going to win in the end.

[ScotL]

In the 50's, 60's, and 70's we always saw America as being more civilised with better cars, homes etc and part of that was philanthropy where the rich would give generously for the common good. Is this still the case?

I’ve always wondered about these questions. America is a big country and within you’ll find so many different kinds of people driving all manner of cars, with all manner of wealth and philanthropy. Some do it for tax write offs and some are altruistic. If you want to make a point about the US, you can find Americans to make any point you want. Good or bad. It’s pretty impossible to make a broad generalization that fits “America”.

Which I find in every place I have visited. I’m just most familiar with the US but have been somewhat imbedded in Germany and China. Same thing there as I see in the US. In my opinion, there are some generalities but even within them there are major exceptions.

For instance, the Germans are known to be quite punctual. A German I worked with was always late.

[Sinned]

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are two among a group of billionaires who have committed to giving away a substantial part, if not all, of their fortunes. They have been headlined setting up foundations and supporting research into various fields.