More than half in S'pore's lower class think the rich are looking down on them, says a recent survey. Do the less well-off hanker for being seen as high class?
THE rich man was asked to donate $10 to charity.
But he was willing to fork out only $2.
But when a poorer man was asked to donate, he gave the $10 without hesitation.
Mr Roslan Idros saw this happen.
And it was, in the 28-year-old storeman's opinion, a perfect example of an upper-class person exhibiting low-class behaviour.
Mr Roslan, who earns $1,100 a month and lives with his grandfather in a one-room flat, belongs to society's lower-income group.
According to the Census 2000 report, the median income among working people is $2,234, while the median household income from work is $3,607.
For the less well off, being upper-class means having it all - at least materially.
Mr Teng Poh Kong, who is unemployed, said: 'The rich can buy anything they want. They live in big houses, drive big cars and have lots of cash.
'For me, I even have problems with three meals a day.'
The 52-year-old said he cannot work as he has heart problems.
He lives in a one-room flat with his mother, who collects cans and cardboard boxes and does odd jobs for a living. Often, mother and son have to get by on less than $100 a month.
Mr Roslan agreed: 'For people like me, we must always budget. To buy a new handphone, I have to save for two months.'
Do the less well-off feel the rich and successful look down on them?
Mr Roslan seems to think so, even though he admits he has never been mistreated by the anyone from the upper class and he does not know of any upper-class people.
In my opinion the just rich people are stingy and I seen many of these people. They can spent few thousand on improving the in-car entertainment or modifications but not willing to spend a few hundred $ for a oil, brake on engine check. They may stay in big houses drive Mercedes but when ordering a plate of char keow tiao that costs $4 they complain expensive.
Shamless Acts of the rich
1) Rich parents driving Mercedes picking up their children at CDAC after tuition. The CDAC is setup to help poor and lower income families. Yet this rich are exploiting the cheap tuition fees.
2) Rich families fight with lower income people to collect free second hand books. These events are organised to help poor or lower income families to save $$ buying new book as they can use second hands. The Rich with so much $$ still had to and fight with the needy over books they could afford easily.
Some of my friends whose families financial status who are similar or better than me, we always treated each other though not an expensive meal. However those FUCKED UP RICH friends would go for an expensive meal with you and ask you to foot the bill first and PROMISED TO PAY BACK LATER BUT NEVER HAPPENED.
So what if you are rich when you are heartless and self-centered.
However we cannot sterotype them as the stingy lot are a minor percentage. It could also due to their parents upbringings.
Wherelse the very or super rich are very generous and charitable as few thousands meant nothing to them.
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