![Billionaires Are Not Our Heroes [Opinion]](https://FHNtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Billionaires-e1738206368216.png)
In the eyes of many, the incredibly wealthy have a sort of mythical status. They’re seen as the embodiments of the American dream: people that start from humble origins, work hard and rise to the upper echelons of society as a reward for all of their hard work. It’s a fantasy that compels us to work our hardest, but that’s all it is: a fantasy. Our perception of the wealthy is warped. They are not like us, they are not our friends and they are most certainly not role models we should idealize.
Even a cursory glance at the stories of some of the wealthiest men in the world makes it evident that there is a disparity between the plucky, bootstrap-y tales we so often attribute to them and reality. Jeffrey Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk all received thousands of dollars from their parents to start their businesses, with Elon’s money literally coming from emerald mines of apartheid-era South Africa, one of the most prominent examples of wealth inequality in history.
While it would perhaps be a generalization to say that no millionaires and billionaires earned their wealth without using the wealth and privileges of their birth, one thing is certain: the rich will get richer. This only becomes more clear as the rich opt to pass their wealth onto their children creating a generation that have become billionaires without working a day in their lives. This undermines the very idea of financial success coming from hard work.
Some may argue that one’s worthiness of wealth depends not on how they acquired their money, but how they use it. After all, with more money than most would see in a dozen lifetimes, one has the potential to do some incredible good. Alas, most wealthy people opt to spend their wealth either on accumulating even more money or on obscene luxuries. Perhaps the most infamous symbols of luxury are private jets which are widely criticised for their frequent use and carbon emissions, which contribute to environmental decline. While the rich can spend their money as they please, spending it in a way that actively makes the world a worse place for the people whose work is responsible for their wealth is a slap in the face to the working class.
More telling than what the wealthy do spend their money on is what they do not. It seems that philanthropy is not in the nature of the wealthy. According to Forbes’ 2024 Philanthropy Score, the 400 wealthiest people in America have donated just 5% of their wealth, a disappointing figure in the face of the many causes that desperately need financial support. Furthermore, the wealthy have shown time and time again that they do not care for the working class. Be it through subpar pay, horrid working conditions or mass layoffs in the face of financial struggle, their utter disregard for the lives of the people enabling their luxurious lifestyles becomes apparent.
It is a stretch to call all millionaires and billionaires “evil.” Many wealthy individuals have committed to philanthropy and done excellent work to improve the world for everyone. However, it is important that we create a distinction between success and goodness. While many have come to idolize the rich and aspire to be like them, this is a misguided and irresponsible perspective. In a world where the rich hold more power than ever before, it is of the utmost importance that we learn to distinguish between wealth and strength of character.