> and who are genuinely ashamed of how much money they make.
Are you sure that isn't an act? People pretend socially acceptable emotions all the time.
If they donated the excess to the IRS (the IRS accepts donations!), I'd be a bit less skeptical.
Are you sure that isn't an act? People pretend socially acceptable emotions all the time.
If they donated the excess to the IRS (the IRS accepts donations!), I'd be a bit less skeptical.
It isn't. I'm from a economically below-average country in Europe, have lived in a couple others and I've settled down in the north. Almost none of my friends (particularly back home but here too) know how much I make because it's genuinely embarrassing. It's something of a "why do I make so much more when I'm no better than anyone else here?" feeling.
Also I know it's not just me, I see it around me from other people in both countries; the only people I've ever talked about it with was with other friends I know earn similarly to due to similar circumstances at the time.
edit: now that I think about it, while talking about earning a lot is generally shameful, discussing buying expensive things doesn't elicit the same feeling, despite being effectively the same.
Anyway - it's interesting to think of this mentality as part of "European culture".
It's an interesting phenomenon and I've begun studying it more after moving out of Silicon Valley and suddenly realizing how very privileged I really am. A specific point is that generally you can't discharge the guilt just by doing good things. Donations and volunteer work don't seem to help because there's nothing to atone for.