Does Money Change a Person or Does It Reveal the True Character of Someone?

[PlayStation 2]

Did someone say "stupid philosophical questions from nobody's favorite resident game console/forum user?" Although, this is one that's been rushing through my mind for the past year: do you feel that when someone gets a lot of money, does it change them or does it show their true colors?

I'm more in the camp of the latter: everyone has a true personality, it's just a matter of if someone shows it. Some people are very good at hiding their true personalities for various reasons and others... well, they're too honest to hide their true selves, for better or for worse. Money is a toxin when given in very large quantities to someone who can't control themselves.

I guess this'll come off a bit narcissistic, but I'll use myself as an example: if I had more money than what I already had, I'd just buy... the same crap I already do, just more expensive crap. Like what Tyler Hoover does, basically! 

 

What about you? Where do you stand here? Do you feel that money changes someone or do you think that it only reveals how someone actually is?

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

8 minutes ago, PlayStation 2 said:

Did someone say "stupid philosophical questions from nobody's favorite resident game console/forum user?" Although, this is one that's been rushing through my mind for the past year: do you feel that when someone gets a lot of money, does it change them or does it show their true colors?

I'm more in the camp of the latter: everyone has a true personality, it's just a matter of if someone shows it. Some people are very good at hiding their true personalities for various reasons and others... well, they're too honest to hide their true selves, for better or for worse. Money is a toxin when given in very large quantities to someone who can't control themselves.

I guess this'll come off a bit narcissistic, but I'll use myself as an example: if I had more money than what I already had, I'd just buy... the same crap I already do, just more expensive crap. Like what Tyler Hoover does, basically! 

 

What about you? Where do you stand here? Do you feel that money changes someone or do you think that it only reveals how someone actually is?

I guess it depends on the rate of change when they get said money. Like if I had a friend who started swapping out their entire wardrobe with Lululemon gear (that stuff is expensive af) when their first paycheck hits the bank, then I would say it's just showing their true colours. Money was simply enabling the lifestyle they were eyeing for. 

 

But if they gradually started acquiring expensive tastes over a span of a few years for instance, then maybe I would say money in a sense is "changing them". Especially if they slowly started distancing themselves from their old crew and towards one with wealthier folks. 

[Skiiwee29]

I believe it reveals the true character of a person. 

[lewdicrous]

It can, in a sense, but also how they handle said money can tell you a bit about the person.

[piratemonkey]

It can reveal both or neither. When we're talking big money, who knows

[whm1974]

IMHO it is both. Money in of itself doesn't do anything to people, especially if it is Earned by Working and being Fugal about spending it.

 

If won by Gambling or by Major Stock Market Gains, then it has Corrupting Influence on Folks.

[WhitetailAni]

If I suddenly got 2 million dollars, the first thing that would happen is I would get maybe $10000 of it because my parents would put most of it towards our college funds.

And then I'd spend the rest on some things I've always wanted to get, upgrade my computer, and then save the rest.

[Zodiark1593]

Given the gender dysphoria combined with autism bit, I have no idea what the heck to do with a sudden mass windfall of money. Maybe get some proper home internet I guess. 
 

I’m pretty averse to sudden life changes, and lean toward relative stability. While I’ll probably spend a bit more on niceties and hobbies (stepping above Instant Ramen grade foods, for example), I’ve little desire to make significant changes such as new car, big houses, fancy clothes, etc. I don’t even like going to restaurants. Money can’t buy me the things I actually want in life. 

 

I’d probably just stick the majority into some stable stocks or ETFs, and pull what I need if necessary. 

[JZStudios]

13 minutes ago, Zodiark1593 said:

Given the gender dysphoria combined with autism bit, I have no idea what the heck to do with a sudden mass windfall of money. Maybe get some proper home internet I guess.

What does that possibly have to do with anything? As a straight white male I'd pay off the house and buy a car without wiring issues.

My buddy as a neurotic penny pincher with a wife and kid would do the same.

[PlayStation 2]

8 minutes ago, JZStudios said:

What does that possibly have to do with anything? As a straight white male I'd pay off the house and buy a car without wiring issues.

My buddy as a neurotic penny pincher with a wife and kid would do the same.

It can give a bit of context as to how someone would handle this situation specifically. Usually it's not relevant, but in their specific description case, I get where they're coming from. 

I never brought up anything about my sexuality or mental state because, in my case, they aren't relevant. More than anything else, my weird interests would dictate how I would handle tons of money.

[JZStudios]

Just now, PlayStation 2 said:

It can give a bit of context as to how someone would handle this situation specifically. Usually it's not relevant, but in their specific description case, I get where they're coming from. 

I never brought up anything about my sexuality or mental state because, in my case, they aren't relevant. More than anything else, my weird interests would dictate how I would handle tons of money.

What context is that exactly? They stated it, and then mentioned nothing having to do with it.

[PlayStation 2]

1 minute ago, JZStudios said:

What context is that exactly? They stated it, and then mentioned nothing having to do with it.

 

28 minutes ago, Zodiark1593 said:

I’m pretty averse to sudden life changes, and lean toward relative stability.

This part specifically. Coming from someone with autism, I understand why they mention about having autism, as it explains why they'd be rather unknowing in what they'd spend lots of money on.

[Guest]

I'm of the belief that it's more a power thing that corrupts people when they come into money. If you don't have the discipline to handle power, you get taken over by it, think you can do anything, then before you know it, it's taken everything. It's a super simplified explanation, but should be enough to grasp what I mean.

[Tristerin]

I believe that money allows true moral character to show.  The thing about problems is, its not a problem if money can solve it and you have that money - then its just an expense.  So people start to view "problems" differently, as there is far less trouble for...anything...if you have enough money.

 

If someone is truly moral (I dont go by societies definition, its fickle, but by my own honorable, admirable definition) and becoming rich, for lack of a better term, allows them to shine - thats rare, but then again truly moral people are.

[Zodiark1593]

21 minutes ago, JZStudios said:

What does that possibly have to do with anything? As a straight white male I'd pay off the house and buy a car without wiring issues.

My buddy as a neurotic penny pincher with a wife and kid would do the same.

I rent. And my car is already paid for and in good working order. I’ve no debts to pay off as well. Suppose I can use the opportunity to get out of California, though

[straight_stewie]

14 hours ago, PlayStation 2 said:

What about you? Where do you stand here? Do you feel that money changes someone or do you think that it only reveals how someone actually is?

People will slowly reveal their true selves to you anyway if you spend enough time with them. Being very good at lying, subversion, and hiding is very difficult and most people don't have the time or the capacity to actually do it well (think about all the training and continuing education that, i.e. CIA case agents go through to learn "field operations").

As for your actual question, so much of it depends on the person, and on the amount of money. By and large, most people who receive a huge windfall, such as winning a big powerball jackpot, will end up doing what they did when they didn't have enough to get by: That is, they will go out and by things on loans, spending almost the entire windfall on the down payments and then being unable to actually pay off the loans. This is the most common result of receiving a huge windfall.

As for me, well, I have multiple ideas that I keep iterating over regarding what I would do with various sizes of windfalls. Most of it involves setting myself up to never have to work for someone else again. That doesn't mean I won't have to work, and it doesn't mean that the plan would make me rich. It just means that I wouldn't have to work for someone else ever again. The plans range in size from $100,000 windfall to super large 100 million dollar plus lottery jackpots (which I don't play anyway except for the case where I will buy one ticket per drawing when the jackpot exceeds 1 billion dollars).

TL;DR: I don't know what anyone else would do, but I know about myself: I'd just hang out with my current friends. I have a very small group of very good friends, and no amount of anything will make me give them up. It's generally very hard for me to make friends, and that's something that money simply can't replace.

[Tog Driver]

I know this isn’t very helpful, but it depends. If I got a lot of money there are several things that I would do. that’s not the money changing me, that’d be the money giving me the living room to do what I already wanted. But, once I had the money it would give me access to things I can’t access now, and the new influences (such as access to expensive vehicles/foods) could change me.

[JZStudios]

6 hours ago, PlayStation 2 said:

This part specifically. Coming from someone with autism, I understand why they mention about having autism, as it explains why they'd be rather unknowing in what they'd spend lots of money on.

I know people on the spectrum and I would probably be too, but... If it's a high functioning autism it's not like you freak out if anything at all is changed. Paying off a car or the house isn't an autism thing, it's a financially responsible thing.

 

6 hours ago, Zodiark1593 said:

I rent. And my car is already paid for and in good working order. I’ve no debts to pay off as well. Suppose I can use the opportunity to get out of California, though

All I'm saying is that has nothing to do with what was stated. If my buddy had his house paid he'd retire. The rest of it he'd invest or put in savings. But he's already doing that anyway.

As to moving out of Cali, if you're renting, you can probably do that already. Almost everywhere else is cheaper.

[Mutoh]

The only difference for me is my timepieces are a bit fancier, my clothes are a little finer and my neighbors are a lot nicer to my face.

[PlayStation 2]

1 hour ago, JZStudios said:

I know people on the spectrum and I would probably be too, but... If it's a high functioning autism it's not like you freak out if anything at all is changed. Paying off a car or the house isn't an autism thing, it's a financially responsible thing.

But no one said that paying shit off was an autism thing. I was referring to blowing money on crazy shit.

[Rybo]

I don't think money changes people.  The way people react to you when you have money changes you.  You see it a lot with movie/music stars.  Early in their careers they seem like decent people, but after a decade of everybody fawning over them and kissing their asses, they just get...arrogant.  But even then, it's not every movie star.  

 

So I guess my thought is that 1) money doesn't change you, people do, and 2) they only change you if you let yourself be changed by them.  

 

[kpluck]

On 2/2/2021 at 8:02 PM, PlayStation 2 said:

does it change them or does it show their true colors?

The latter is a subset of the former.

 

-kp

[Sauron]

I think you can't have more than a certain amount of money without being varying degrees of a dick. Not because you can't make a lot of money without being a dick, but rather because if you weren't a dick you wouldn't just hoard it.

[NineEyeRon]

I’ve seen both. It depends on the person.

 

Sometimes it’s made them able to be the person they should have been/want to be and sometimes it’s made no difference at all.

[Intergalacticbits]

I laugh so hard when I think about all the stuff I'd do if I was suddenly rich. 

I'd have so much fun if I was obscenely rich over night lol.