Harleyquinn, you should never have to feel guilty for being successful and having money. Shame on anyone for making you feel that way.
I do think everyone has a responsibility to show compassion and give according to their means. However, often I think people want to apply different standards to people who are very wealthy than they themselves abide by. If someone is a millionaire, then $50,000 does seem like a drop in the bucket to someone who is poorer, but proportionally, it is probably as much or more than most people on a middle wage would give.
And as others have said, just because you don't hear about it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. There were quite a lot of letters written in to the newspaper I read complaining that the government was donating 'taxpayer's money' to help the tsunami relief, but 'why don't they donate their own money as well?' - the assumption being that they weren't because they hadn't called a press conference to announce how much of their personal wealth they were donating. I donated money, but I didn't tell anyone about it; neither should wealthy people have to. In fact, if they did, the same cynical people who think they are selfishly hoarding their money and not helping charities because they don't hear about it, would probably accuse the rich people of trying to get praise and enhance their own reputation by making public their donations.
And as much as I detest Paris Hilton - how could someone that overexposed make the list of the 10 most intriguing people of 2004???
- she does actually work and so has earnt at least some of her money; it's not all social events
