Noblesse Oblige

Every morning I open my drawbridge for a yacht that is worth over three million dollars. It costs $15,000 every time he fills the gas tank. I could probably sell one of its teak doors for more than I earn in a week. And yet the guy never even says thank you when I get him safely through the bridge.

One time I accidentally received someone else’s bank statement stuck to the back of my own. I looked him up and called him to let him know. He asked me to mail it to him. Didn’t even offer to pay for the stamp. His bank balance was over $350,000.

As I wrote in a recent blog, rich people are far more likely to utter the phrase, “I’ll have your job!” when they’re dissatisfied with their customer service.

A friend of mine who is a waitress once told me that she hates to wait on people who are dressed expensively, because they invariably are lousy tippers.

Americans with earnings in the top 20% tend to donate 1.3% of their income to charity, whereas people in the bottom 20% tend to donate 3.2% of their income. Why? Because we know what it’s like to be in desperate need.

If I were given just one day’s interest from the savings account of the average yacht owner, it would change my life, and yet they often can’t even be bothered to nod to me when they pass me on the street. That’s okay, because I’m probably too distracted, trying to figure out how I can afford a sleeping bag so I can cut down on the heating bills this winter.

This “let them eat cake” mentality, this “let’s shut down the government until we get what we want” mentality, is what causes revolutions. It’s why this planet has become such an angry place. And it would take so very little effort for the one percenters to turn the tide. But they’re too busy sunbathing to notice the tsunami on the horizon. 

[Image credit: pandodaily.com]

Author: The View from a Drawbridge

I have been a bridgetender since 2001, and gives me plenty of time to think and observe the world. View all posts by The View from a Drawbridge