Greed - leftists, what is excessive?

[Tkinter1]

What is the leftist definition of a greedy person? What is too much?

[Ymir]

Greedy: adj
Excessively concerned with acquiring wealth or goods, esp. in large quantities that are usually unnesscessary for the individual person desiring them.

[Xvall]

A good example is gluttony. Gluttony is a prime example of greed. Quite simply, taking more than you know you need. A great example is how these movie stars have roughly seven cars. They do not need seven cars. It's not convinient either. It's just excessive.

[Tkinter1]

"Quite simply, taking more than you know you need."

So do you think people should have exactly what the need and nothing more?

[Ghost Writer]

Greed has absolutely nothing to do with the amount of wealth one has acquired. In my mind, greed is more of a characteristic of the extremes on is willing to go, in order to obtain wealth. Would you compromise your ethics? Would you degrade yourself? Would you make a faustian deal, in order to obtain wealth, status, or power.

A rich person should not be considered greedy based upon his monetary value. His actions should be the determining factor, not the size of his estate. Just as not all rich men are greedy. Not all poor people are selfless. In fact, I have met just as many of poor people who are apt to lie, cheat and steal, as I have met rich people of the same mind. The reverse is also true. Most of the time money has nothing to do with a person's character. More often it is the person's perspective on life that determines whether they are greedy.

Greed is not natural. Greed is a behavior that is learned. It is a corrupting force, just as a socialist's altruism exists as a source of corruption. Your attempts to label all conservatives as greedy and all capitalists as exploitive are disingenuous, childish. I suggest you take another look at the world before you speak on concepts such as greed, and try to apply them to only one class of people. Nothing could better prove the ignorance of a person than the limited view many present in these forums.

[synthesis]

I suggest you take another look at the world before you speak on concepts such as greed

*looks

*does a double-take

*shit looks the same

[Ghost Writer]

If a man gains wealth as a product of his hard work, you would call that greed. I suppose that is why you are a leftist. No my friend, greed is wishing to plunder the wealth of another man in the name of equality. Theft is theft, and exists as a symptom of greed. Greed is one of the main reasons that I oppose communism. Chew on that.

[synthesis]

If a man gains wealth as a product of his hard work, you would call that greed.

In capitalism, I would call that luck.

[synthesis]

And under socialism, I would call it guaranteed.

[Ghost Writer]

That's retarded.

[Donut Master]

Ghost Writer: on your definition of greed, I agree for the most part, actually. Greed is the level of obsession for attaining wealth, not necessarily how much wealth one has obtained. However, it is commonly the case that very wealthy people have attained it through greedy means, and that people who are already fabulously wealthy will become greedy simply by taking what they have for granted.

You even admit that greed is not part of human nature. This is probably the first time I have ever heard a capitalist say this - congradulations.

I disagree with your last words, however. Of course "not all conservatives are greedy", but we have to understand that greed does play a part in class warfare.

I have no problem with wealth, as long as it is attained through honest work. I would not call being a CEO honest work - you're simply making fat profits off your worker's toil! Not to mention some take it a step further and commit illegal theft and fraud - remember Enron? That kind of thing happens more often than the media reports it. This is greed for you.

[Ghost Writer]

"I disagree with your last words, however. Of course "not all conservatives are greedy", but we have to understand that greed does play a part in class warfare."

I made this apparent when I said:

"greed is wishing to plunder the wealth of another man in the name of equality. Theft is theft, and exists as a symptom of greed. Greed is one of the main reasons that I oppose communism."

However, clearly it is the leftists who are engaged in class warfare. Who benefits from class warfare? Not the wealthy people who have their wealth plundered, but the poor f*ckers who loot it.

Obviously, you do not know that many rich people, as your generalization does not hold up to my own observations. The majority of rich people did not get rich through greed, just as the majority of poor people did not get poor through laziness.

[Voice of Reason]

success in life is based off luck? i guess you subscribe to the "lottery of life" theory. after all, its so much easier to blame fate then yourself. too bad most people in the world dont.

any term like greed is always relative. I think every aborigine today would say living that you dont "need" a house, or a car, or a microwave, or a clock, or pens and pencils, or anything except food.

its that type backwards train of thought that is stopping history from moving forward. By making everyone else just laugh at you... you discredit your "enivitable" communist ideas making you your own worst enemy. I suggest dropping the greed argument cause ppl stop listening when communists start talking about it.

[Liberty Lover]

Friendly advice:

Voice of Reason: Get yourself an avatar.

Ghost Writer: Get yourself a better one.

[Chiak47]

What is a greedy person in a leftist view?
Someone that uses more than 3 sheets of toilet paper per day?

http://www.bragg.army.mil/reupxviiiabn/images/confused.jpg