Raw Power
It's odd, but the phrase nouveau riche hasn't been bandied about much in recent years. And yet the phenomenon is as common as carrots these days, what with income inequality exploding into editorial proportions. Richard Conniff, author of The Natural History of the Rich - a book that I haven't seen, much less read - writes about the nouveaux riches in an Op-Ed piece this morning: "The Rich Are More Oblivious Than You and Me." Although he doesn't distinguish between new-rich and old-rich, his remarks brilliantly lampoon the former while saying nothing about the latter.
The researchers went on to theorize that getting power causes people to focus so keenly on the potential rewards, like money, sex, public acclaim or an extra chocolate-chip cookie - not necessarily in that order, or frankly, any order at all at once - that they become oblivious to the people around them.
Indeed the people around them may abet this process, since they are often subordinates intent on keeping the boss happy. So for the boss, it starts to look like a world in which the traffic lights are always green.
The key words in this extract are "getting" and "starts."
Being born to wealth and privilege presents a different set of problems, among which obliviousness of other people figures only very rarely.
Comments
I wish you'd make this distinction in your own letter to the editor. It needs to be made. I wonder if the author breaks that out in his book? Does knowing that matter before you send in a letter?
Posted by: Nom de plume | April 4, 2007 02:33 PM
Sounds like nothing more than narcissism to me. Narcissists come in all flavors rich, poor, bright and dull. The bright and rich are the most damaging to everyone including themselves. Oblivious is also impolite something that the old rich seldom are at least in my experience. Concern for others even when tempered with concepts of class and place is still the mark of a refined person and a trait that makes society function smoothly. Contemporary society seems to lack refinement more and more everyday in my experience where the casual tone of the sixties has given way to the narcissism of the oughts where every twenty something truly expects a moment of fame. The nouveau riche would seem to be no less refined than the rest of the herd they are simply more obvious in today's media intense, instant news world. But what of the good example of some of the nouveau riche, say, Gates or Buffet for example, little is heard of them except for the occassional news piece about charitable work. Perhaps as has been said
Where are the old rich and the nouveau riche who promote civility, refinement and concern for their fellows? Perhaps you could enlighten us. Certainly, some good public examples would do us all good. Perhaps we could start with the politicians, I hear there is an election coming up.Posted by: George | April 4, 2007 10:34 PM