Post
Topic
Board Economics
Re: Warped perception of the economy
by
Fortify
on 16/07/2025, 06:12:30 UTC
Poor people and rich people view the economy differently. Some rich people may think that Oh, our country's economy isn't bad. We are living very comfortably. But then a question started nagging at me.

Is it possible that the rich don't realize how bad their country's economy is? If you want to understand the economy, you have to look at the bigger picture. But if the rich are only looking at themselves and the other rich people around them, it is easy to live in a bubble and not see how most of the citizens in their country are poor. I actually found an article from a few days ago discussing about "Money dysmorphia" by the New York Times. Basically, what was written was that due to how social media is used nowadays.... People may feel poorer than they actually are. In short, they do not realize how rich they are because they think there is always someone richer than them.

The article tackled more about societal pressure and this being the cause of anxiety and depression among youngsters but for me, I think it still applies even with middle aged people. Sometimes you will meet a man, well along his 30s or 40s, and will say something so dense and out of touch. Can you really discuss economy with someone who is extremely rich? Will their perception of the economy be objective or twisted?

Here's the article if anyone wants to read.

Yes, rich people are likely to have few problems in life so may have a different take on how the economy is doing. Then again if we are talking about the mega rich, they are often stateless and can move countries to suit their needs - even in a recession they can relocate to a country that is weathering the storm a bit better. So their perception can be valid from the environment they engineer for themselves. Similar can be said for people with little money, but they might blame external forces instead of questioning why need to spend $30 on a takeaway every night. We all construct a story about our position in the world but if you want to improve that position you need to be constantly assessing and reinventing yourself.