One of the claims made in the documentary, Queen of Versailles, was that rich people are greedy. Although I agree that David Siegel and Jackie, specifically David, fit those characteristics, I do not believe that being greedy accurately describes all people of wealth because there are many rich people who are not exceedingly ostentatious but are exceedingly altruistic.
One such person who is unpretentious and extremely charitable is Bill Gates. Worth at one point in 1999 more than $101 billion, Gates is overwhelmingly wealthy. In fact, he is currently the richest man in the world, and yet, he does not portray himself to be nearly as greedy as David Siegel. Although Gates owns a 66,000 square foot house, Xanadu 2.0, that is one of the only ways in which he portrays opulence. He has worked hard for his money and should be allowed to buy a nice house if he wants to, as did David Siegel. However, Gates was not as ostentatious as Siegel in other ways. For example, even with all of his money, Gates did not buy a private jet until 1997. Before that, not only did he fly on public airplanes, but he flew coach instead of first class. A person full of greed would never have flown commercially on a flight full of people, therefore proving that not all wealthy people are greedy.
Bill gates is also not greedy because of his philanthropy. Through the years, Bill Gates has donated billions of dollars to numerous foundations that help out people of lower social classes as well as many other causes. In 2000, Bill and his wife, Melinda, formed the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation in order to help others. Not only does Gates make charitable arrangements within his family but also with his peers. On December 9, 2010, he, Warren Buffett, and Mark Zuckerberg signed the Gates-Buffett Giving Pledge. It is an agreement between the three of them to donate at least half of their money to charities during their lifetimes. Gates tried to fulfill that pledge by also donating to universities. Gates’ bountiful acts of altruism prove that not all wealthy people are greedy.
Bill Gates
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates
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