Page 25 - Psychology of Money - Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness-Harriman House Limited (2020)

No one should expect them to respond to financial information the same
way. No one should assume they are influenced by the same incentives.
COBACOBA

No one should expect them to trust the same sources of advice.

No one should expect them to agree on what matters, what’s worth it, what’s
likely to happen next, and what the best path forward is.

Their view of money was formed in different worlds. And when that’s the
case, a view about money that one group of people thinks is outrageous can

make perfect sense to another.

A few years ago, The New York Times did a story on the working conditions
of Foxconn, the massive Taiwanese electronics manufacturer. The conditions
are often atrocious. Readers were rightly upset. But a fascinating response to
the story came from the nephew of a Chinese worker, who wrote in the
comment section:

My aunt worked several years in what Americans call “sweat shops.” It was
hard work. Long hours, “small” wage, “poor” working conditions. Do you
know what my aunt did before she worked in one of these factories? She was
a prostitute.

The idea of working in a “sweat shop” compared to that old lifestyle is an
improvement, in my opinion. I know that my aunt would rather be
“exploited” by an evil capitalist boss for a couple of dollars than have her
body be exploited by several men for pennies.

That is why I am upset by many Americans’ thinking. We do not have the

same opportunities as the West. Our governmental infrastructure is different.
The country is different. Yes, factory is hard labor. Could it be better? Yes,
but only when you compare such to American jobs.

I don’t know what to make of this. Part of me wants to argue, fiercely. Part
of me wants to understand. But mostly it’s an example of how different