It's funny how the world works, how history affects our culture and values. This becomes very clear when observing how money and status are dealt with. In Europe, especially Britain, it's all about old money and pedigree. You may be dirt-broke but with a Lord before your name, you're everything. You won't be respected for driving a Hummer but rather a Jaguar, Rover (or whatever the Queen rolls in, sorry, I don't know cars at all!). The bourgoisie will never let anyone in based on how much money they've made, only based on their noble background.
In Sweden, because of a very recent background of being (relatively poor) farmers and labourers, being rich and showing it off is still considered offensive. "Det sticker i ögonen", (loosely "it pains the eyes") to see someone driving around in a huge ML in the city, or wearing too much bling.
America, has and will once again be considered the land of opportunity. Even though it's been centuries since it developed, America will always be the land of the noveaux riches, where you will always be applauded for coming from nothing and showing off how far you've come by flaunting your assets.
It seems in Ghana we are struggling to decide which of these cultures we will align ourselves with. You have the posh families of Accra seeming to follow their colonial roots, meaning it's all about who your mother and father are, not what you've achieved or how much money you're earning. Meanwhile this battles with the Naija/Ashanti/America mentality of 'flaunt what you've got', which leads to some rather painful decorations in homes of gold, gold, gold, clearly indicating "look at me, I'm rich!". And then of course, there's the Ghanaian jealousy, which to me resembles the Swedish jealousy, although the Ghanaian one is slightly more resentful. Either way it means one must be careful to show just how well one is doing to avoid making too many enemies.
I'm not sure where I stand. Naturally being raised in Europe, I'm not quite used to the whole flaunting and bragging mentality, but sometimes find it very refreshing and entertaing. Still, it seems until something is done about the bitter jealousy in this society it's safer not too stand out too much!
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Friday, 14 November 2008
Thursday, 17 April 2008
All that money
This morning I read about Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, whose will revealed that she left nothing of her £51 million fortune to her two daughters.
Wow! I don't even know how to react. Naturally I respect her for sticking to her promise of not leaving anything to them and giving all the money to charity instead, but imagine the determination it would take to make such a decision.
E and i discussed it in the office. So many people who started out poor, or well, not rich, work their way up but are adamant that their children should work as hard to get to their level in life. I completely agree that it's good to make sure children don't grow up spoilt, but isn't the whole point of making it rich to be able to afford a certain lifestyle for yourself, your partner and children? I see a clear difference between teaching children the value of hard work and wanting them to suffer the same way one may have suffered to make it.
In Anita Roddick's case, of course that wasn't issue, she resented the idea of leaving huge sums of money to children and family and all the fuss that was made about money.
It is fantastic that she could give all that money away to charity and her daughters supported her in that decision, but somehow it also feels a little reckless. I can't help feeling she could have left just £1 million for them, say for a rainy day? To have worked all those years, building the Body Shop for thirty years only to give all the money away. It says so much about her character, what a strong personality and what a desire to denounce the value of money for other things. As much as i admire her, I am almost certain I could not have made the same decision.
Would you be able to give away all your money for a good cause?
Meanwhile, whilst writing this post, a fascinating weather drama has played out outside my window as a curtain of grey clouds closed on the pale blue sky and the beautiful Atlantic Ocean that I looked out over fifteen minutes ago has vanished into the midst of grey that tells no tale of where the sky ends and the sea begins.
Wow! I don't even know how to react. Naturally I respect her for sticking to her promise of not leaving anything to them and giving all the money to charity instead, but imagine the determination it would take to make such a decision.
E and i discussed it in the office. So many people who started out poor, or well, not rich, work their way up but are adamant that their children should work as hard to get to their level in life. I completely agree that it's good to make sure children don't grow up spoilt, but isn't the whole point of making it rich to be able to afford a certain lifestyle for yourself, your partner and children? I see a clear difference between teaching children the value of hard work and wanting them to suffer the same way one may have suffered to make it.
In Anita Roddick's case, of course that wasn't issue, she resented the idea of leaving huge sums of money to children and family and all the fuss that was made about money.
It is fantastic that she could give all that money away to charity and her daughters supported her in that decision, but somehow it also feels a little reckless. I can't help feeling she could have left just £1 million for them, say for a rainy day? To have worked all those years, building the Body Shop for thirty years only to give all the money away. It says so much about her character, what a strong personality and what a desire to denounce the value of money for other things. As much as i admire her, I am almost certain I could not have made the same decision.
Would you be able to give away all your money for a good cause?
Meanwhile, whilst writing this post, a fascinating weather drama has played out outside my window as a curtain of grey clouds closed on the pale blue sky and the beautiful Atlantic Ocean that I looked out over fifteen minutes ago has vanished into the midst of grey that tells no tale of where the sky ends and the sea begins.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
