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Everybody loves to hate on rich people -- and they've certainly gotten their share of the blame for the still-ongoing financial crisis. But now, researchers find that upper-class people may indeed be more likely to lie and cheat, LiveScience reports.



"We're not saying that if you're rich, you're necessarily unethical, and that if you're poor, you're necessarily ethical -- there are lots of instances of increased ethical conduct among upper-class individuals, such as the tremendous philanthropy of Warren Buffett or Bill Gates," said researcher Paul Piff, a social psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, according to LiveScience.

The researchers studied how likely it would be for drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area to cut in front of other vehicles at a four-way intersection and cut off pedestrians at a crosswalk, basing their ********** of social class on type of vehicle, age and appearance. The result? Drivers who appeared to be upper class engaged in these behaviors more often.

Meanwhile, additional tests found that those who considered themselves upper class were more likely to make unethical decisions. We don't know about you, but we're scratching our heads over these findings. Perhaps rich people are just more used to getting what they want... so they're more willing to do whatever it takes to get it?

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40 Answers

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The study shows that urbanites and elitist snobs will more likely lie, cheat and cut people off -- doesn't mean all rich people. I think it says more about elitists than rich people.
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Communism has been demonstrated already to be as corrupt at capitalism. I propose a different approach. Take a look at democratic socialism i.e. rep. Bernie Sanders of VT.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Greg P.
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Money corrupts you in a way that is really **** to explain... Needless to say, if you have money, you will do anything to keep it and/or make more of it.
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Kind of like the whiny liberals always after other people's money instead of simply working for it like everyone else?
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Most will cheat i think
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Wow big surprise
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I think there's something to be said about a capitalistic economic structure that rewards lying and cheating. It makes sense that people with these types of values are more likely to be rich. So it's not that being rich makes them more proficient liars and cheaters, it's that being proficient liars and cheaters makes them rich.

Greg P.
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Indeed... Capitalism is basically natural selection. It's every man for himself, and if you can cut the throat of the guy next to you, it means you're in the game a little longer. I'd make a suggestion about Communism, but eventually the liars and cheats find a way to screw that up even more severely than they do Capitalism...
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The study was conducted in the San Francisco Bay area. I think the issue is more the hypocritical democrat elitists. They do not give a **** about anyone. This is clear by how they statistically give far less to charity and make themselves feel bitter by demanding others pay for the programs while they lecture them while never cutting a check themselves not to mention likely not even paying the taxes they should be as democrats are known for.
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No, more people in prisons from lying cheating aren't the rich.
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The study was conducted in the San Francisco Bay area. I think the issue is more the hypocritical democrat elitists. They do not give a **** about anyone. This is clear by how they statistically give far less to charity and make themselves feel bitter by demanding others pay for the programs while they lecture them while never cutting a check themselves not to mention likely not even paying the taxes they should be as democrats are known for.
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"They do not give a **** about anyone. This is clear by how they statistically give far less to charity... " The second sentence isn't supported by the first, but whatever.

I'm a liberal and it's true I don't give much to charity. I also don't complain about paying my taxes (which are about 30%). It's an interesting difference between liberal and conservative thinking. I suspect, like me, liberals would rather leave helping out those who need it to an institution that IMO exists for making sure the least among us have the most basic social safety net and so we willingly pay our taxes to support this. Conservatives, I'm guessing, don't believe in supporting a universal safety net and would rather pick and choose who gets their money (mostly churches). I'm not necessarily knocking the conservative approach, I just don't think it's the most efficient way to help those in need - bu they.. any help is better than no help.

Greg P.
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Come on now. Even the democrat leaders know democrats only care for themselves and their hand outs. Look how the democrats cried about even paying for their own social security a month ago, and how almost their entire platform is tax someone else am give me everything down to personal choices like birth control pills. Really, who whines so much about $9 per month for something you choose to do? Look at all the government waste. I prefer to hand pick my charities that I support for personal reasons. Far better than flushing billions down the toilet for corrupt politicians that only care about buying votes and donations even if it bankrupts us.
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"I prefer to hand pick my charities that I support for personal reasons." -which is exactly what I said and I won't knock that. The rest of that mess you posted, well, for the sake of not hijacking this thread, I'll just leave it alone.

Greg P.
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Don't worry, their **** will forgive them. After all, it's their pre-destined rights we are talking about as rich people to make the rules.
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No, it's the content of one's character not the number of coins they carry that determines whether a person lies or cheats.
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NO. NO.
(im not rich)
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I haz question ..... how do you determine how many are lying when people who lie will lie about lying?
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We have a social structure that rewards unethical actions, whether those actions are in the corporate world as they are with corporate raiders or the political realm where lying is a mandatory trait.

When integrity becomes a strategy for success we'll see more integrity, until then we'll continue to be a nation of floating ***** wondering why the place stinks.
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Most times it is how they acquired most of their wealth : )
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I suspect that most of the rich have lied, cheated, or stole their way to the wealth that they accumulated ...

I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people's efforts than 100% of my own efforts.
John D. Rockefeller

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/qu...
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In my experience both rich and poor are equally likely to lie. What may be different is the kind of things they lie about.
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They got Big Bucks to cover their lies!!!!
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I don't believe being rich has anything to do with it. I've seen middle-class do it, I've seen lower-middle do it and I've seen the lower-classes do it. ****, the low-income welfare people do it every month when they collect their checks. (those that don't try to find work and love to have too many kids so they'll get more money. ****, they eat better than I do.) I also don't care for what Paul Piff of Live Science reports says about the philanthropy of the rich. Bullchit.. Buffett is as crooked and evil as they come.. He's using his money to buy oblamer. Buffett likes to give money away to write off on his taxes.
Increased ethical conduct, my eye, try unethical you idiot..
You will find all classes of life trying to cheat, cheat on taxes, cheat on their wives, cheat by staying on unemployement and welfare. Cheats everywhere.
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This is not surprising and exactly why I did not marry the millionaire that my mother wanted me to...I'd rather be dirt broke and have an honest relationship than be wealthy and deal with all the drama of lying, cheating and ego issues!
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From knowing a lot of people in Boca Raton yes there are so many lying crooked people there with big bucks that know all the angles..
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Most likely how they got to be wealthy....
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cmon people, poor people can as equally be lying-cheating-arrogant ********..
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how do you think they got where they are?
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I think so. But I could be wrong on this. I have never studied up on it.
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Not at all! They're just that much better at it.....
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makes no difference if youre rich or poor or in between. theres liars and cheaters everywhere. some of my coworkers are major liars i worked with one for years until she finally got another job. good riddens. couldnt trust her at all. she was a royal pain in the ****.
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No I think not, rich or poor people are people, don't matter how much you have or not,good and bad on both sides of the fence.
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Yugi: Wait a minute, did you just summon a bunch of monsters in one turn?

Kaiba: Yeah, so?

Yugi: That's against the rules, isn't it?

Kaiba: Screw the rules, I have money!
— Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series
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If their name is Soros, or that of some other liberal moneybag!
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Anybody rich man, poor man, begger man, thief. There all sinners and all equally likely to lie or cheat. Life goes on.
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Rich liberal ***-***** are your lying cheating thieves,such as the black panther in the white-house, and all his liberal-con cohorts.
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if money, raised them that ways sure, if not i guess mommy did all that damage
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Some lying/back-stabbing is needed to get ahead, I believe.
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