Final Blog; Wealth

Throughout the past few weeks we watched a video called "People Like Us", we played Real Life Monopoly, and coin toss. While playing Real Life Monopoly, all players were put into real life situations. We all started with different amounts of money and were in put into different classes. For the rich, they had it easy, they had the most money and had an easier time than the lower class. For the lower class they had less money and it was harder for them to get through the game. Throughout the game there would be situations thrown in to make the game harder such as credit cards and divorces. During coin toss, we all started with 5 pennies and had to bet on the coin landing heads or tails. The more coins the more you could bet, whereas if you had less coins it was harder to bet more because there was a 50/50 chance you could win or loose. At then end of it all... the upper class had an easier time managing their money then the lower class. Being wealthy comes with some privleges such as better education, more leighway (bailing out of jail), and being able to socially network with other wealthy people. Being wealthy means your children will have good education, they will be taught well compared to kids in the middle and lower class. Also, when it comes to jail, since upper class have more money it is easier for them to get out of jail rather than lower class it is harder because they dont have as much money to bail like the wealthy do. Socially networking with others is a privlege because it is easier for things to happen more quick. For example, if you wanted to open a resturant, the process would be more quick.

-"What a man is depends on his character; but what he does, and what
we think of what he does, depends on his circumstances. The characteristics that
ruin a man in one class made him eminent in another." I believe that what Shaw is saying is that many people judge others. I think that he is trying to say that people base their opinions on people by their environment and class. Someone could be doing something totally normal from their point of view but to others in a different class or environment it could mean completely different. His quote basically is saying that what a person does and what we think a person does is based on their environment. Its like a person judging someone because of how they look and where they come from... this is what they are probably going to do or end up like. For example, in a situation such as furnishing a home... a upper class wealthy family may hire someone to decorate and furnish their home for them, willing to spend as much money as long as their home is decorated nicely. Where as a lower class family will probably just buy their own furniture and wont care as much about the look of their home.