Saturday, October 15, 2005

Fun with words

All this talk about bankruptcy got me thinking about the growing gap between the rich and poor in this country, or even the rich and the rest of us. And I realized how much that gap is reflected in our language. Different words are often used to describe the same thing, depending on how much money is involved, with the rich often described in more forgiving, less concrete terms. I came up with a few examples:

If you're not rich, you're "crazy."
If you're rich, you're "eccentric."

If you're not rich, you're "generous."
If you're rich, you're "philanthropic."

If you're not rich, you're a "donor," or a "contributor."
If you're rich, you're a "patron," or a "benefactor."

If you're not rich, you're "stubborn."
If you're rich, you're "independent."

If you're not rich, you're a "daydreamer."
If you're rich, you're a "visionary."

If you're not rich, you're a "recipient."
If you're rich, you're an "heir."

If you're not rich, you're a "bum."
If you're rich, you're a "gentleman of leisure."

If you're not rich, you're a "gambler."
If you're rich, you "enjoy games of chance."

If you're not rich, you're a "junkie."
If you're rich, you're "struggling with addiction."

If you're not rich, you're a "radical."
If you're rich, you're a "maverick."

If you're not rich, you're a "loan shark."
If you're rich, you're a "lender."

Can you think of more?

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