Why do some people not like Bill Gates?

[Stacerita]

Some people just hate seeing someone else succeed.

And just as Obi-Wan Pinobi stated, some people hate him because he never sent them the money that was promised if they forwarded that email to 10 more people.

 

[VSL]

I hate him because he never sent me all that money that was promised to me in that email if I forwarded to 10 more people.

OMG! Forgot about that
(forwarded the email.. )

 

[Robindianne]

IMHO it is as others have stated: don't want someone to have more than they do. I don't care how much money he has, he is under no obligation to give any of it away and certainly under no obligation to give 3/4 away (sorry, i didn't understand the point of that 3/4 post). We all loved him when he was an average joe and even while he was climbing cause (imho) it showed the "little guy" can make it. But once he went beyond just making it, we decided he was like the old AT&T and all powerful and we began to hate him. Same as Martha Stewart syndrome. We seem to need someone highly visible and rich to shoot our daggars at and blame for some other little guy not making it. OK, rambling here, sorry. But I do think it's an interesting phenomenom we hate them once they make it big and we decide they aren't a human but a corporation (like that cute commercial about "sticking it to the man" lol).

 

[ducklite]

One word to undermine that train of thought... Oprah.

Anne

 

[Robindianne]

Good point about Oprah. My guess, based on nothing but my own silly opinions, is that we still like her because her past was so sad and so awful (and we don't know that Bill's or Martha's were), and/or that her time being loved will come to an end when she "slips up" in the public's opinion, by not giving enough to charity one year or by making it "too" big, or something else. Remember when she became human and fell down a rung in some folk's eyes when she did Nutrisystem and then gained back the weight? I actually knew of people who were glad she gained it back cause (again, imho) then they weren't so bad for being large. Aren't we an interesting and complicated society?

 

[Feralpeg]

I think he is an incredible business man. He and his wife recently donated a very large amount of money to find a cure for maleria. I have great respect for him.

 

[Robindianne]

Yeah. Me too. After working in IT, and education, and now living in Seattle, I am more impressed with him, his family, his generosity, and his intelligence than ever.