Taking Stock Of A Rich Kid’s Mindset

I went to a school where most of the students were privileged; many were the children of millionaires. This was in the 1970s, when having a million dollars put you in the top 1%. Often, the families had inherited their fortunes.

History class was covering the Great Depression, and the lesson included a picture of a breadline. One girl asked:

Classmate: “Why are people standing in line to get free bread?”

Teacher: “Because they didn’t have any money.”

Classmate: “If they didn’t have any money, why didn’t they just sell some of their stock?”