May 13, 2008
What Matters to Americans?
I think this is a nice change of pace from Pew Research:
Kind of surprising result even when you consider people being ashamed of their greed and lying about their top priority.
http://race42008.com/2008/05/13/what-matters-to-americans/trackback/
May 13th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I am someone who is keenly interested in amassing wealth, but my primary purpose for doing so is to buy myself freedom from an office (”Having enough free time to do the things you want to do”) and to take on more challening, more ambitious business projects (”Being successful in a career”). So the top two items and the bottom item are really the same thing in my mind, and the top two are more fundamental.
May 13th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
And by the way, Doug, those are they kinds of things you are really attacking when you go around incessantly accusing people of being greedy.
May 13th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I was just going to point out, but I see that Metro beat me to it, that you can’t really achieve the supposed top goal of Americans in modern life without making a lot of money. At some point, the rent still has to be paid, and the less money one makes, the more time they spend working towards paying said rent instead of doing what they want to do, which itself will probably cost something, and possibly something substantial.
One of the lessons that my grandfather, the son of poor Italian immigrants, taught me is that money makes the world go ’round. When I was younger, I was skeptical. But with each passing year, I become more and more convinced that he was right. That doesn’t necessarily translate into any specific policies or political world view. But it does suggest, at least to me, that the idea present in many religions of the virtue of poverty just doesn’t translate into the real world.
May 13th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I would disagree slightly with Metro. For me, creating wealth for myself is simply a way to enjoy family, free time, whatever it is that floats my boat. My priority however is to maximize the scarce free time that I get in this life. But for some, wealth is the end rather than the means. That is why it deserves its own line in the survey. 13% may be about right, I have no idea.
May 13th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
DaveG,
“I was just going to point out, but I see that Metro beat me to it, that you can’t really achieve the supposed top goal of Americans in modern life without making a lot of money.”
Well, it depends on what you want to do with your free time.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
DaveG,
That was very well said man.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
money money money what a bunch of sad people. ‘course it’s about family and freedom, and you don’t have to be loaded to enjoy both. At least in this country you don’t have to be, yet. Wait ’til after one of these three libs running gets in office and see what happens to freedom and family.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
I’m not wealthy and I enjoy all but two things on the list.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
I wonder why drug use and suicide rates are so much higher in wealthy countries.
If wealth and leasure is where it is really at, Beverly Hills ought to be the happiest place on Earth…..
May 13th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
DOUG,
I was actually thinking of writing something on this subject because of a really good article that a buddy of mine sent me yesterday on just this topic.
Here’s the link.
http://www.american.com/archive/2008/may-june-magazine-contents/can-money-buy-happiness
It is an unorthodox, but very interesting, defense of capitalism - the author’s thesis is basically that capitalism is the system that best ensures happiness since it provides the greatest motive and opportunity for success. I was planning on sending it to you anyway, given your educational discipline.
I don’t want to write a post of my own on it and distract from this one, but you may want to consider adding some thoughts on it to your front page item - the author does a really good job of explaining why money doesn’t make people happy in and of itself, and explains how success (however one defines it) correllates very strongly with happiness.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
At the risk of brandishing my “theocrat” label here, I will defer to St. Augustine:
“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.”
May 13th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
John Derbyshire linked to that American article today when a discussion broke out after he posted on the joys of tinkering: Tinker, Tailor, Bureaucrat, Diversity Consultant.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
On #3. Money makes the world go round to an extent. But do people really need the big houses, fancy cars, etc. I would suggest they don’t. But whatever..to each his own.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Michael I’m very familiar with this issue. I’d actually suggest Richard Layard (also an economist) and his book “Happiness”.
Richard Easterlin is also a must read if you wonder about how money influences well-being.
BTW, Michael feel free to write your own post about this topic if you like.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Oops on 12: The Derbyshire discussion dredged up this article on, erm, the path less traveled, I guess you could say: Shop Class as Soulcraft in the New Atlantis.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I have to agree with Metro with regards to greed. While greed to the extreme is not good, it is used as a label too much these days.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Wasn’t there also a recent set of polls that found Americans are very satisfied with their own lives, which stands in bold contrast with the high numbers for the idea of America going in the wrong direction.
It seems to me that people are happy, healthy, and wealthy enough in the West that they’re looking for other people’s lives to improve. In other words, they’re worried about imperceptible things like global warming, or intent on regulating smoking, dietary fats, carbs, the welfare of farm animals, etc.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
The glass is always half full, I’m satisfied with my life.
May 14th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
From my experience, I would say I have more than I have ever had before, I make more money than i ever have before (I am not wealthy though), but I have about the same amount of time as before (very little) and I am as happy as I have been before (I am happy with my life). Money and things have not changed my life, but added different angles to live it. Money opens up different doors like travel and better made ice cream. It has only replaced what I do with my spare time and not created more of it.