• snooggums@lemmy.world
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    15 days ago

    More money, more problems is referring to an excess of money. As in having too much causes problems, which is on the other end of the spectrum from having too little money.

    When you have an excessive amount of money it draws attention and malicious behavior. Getting wealthy suddenly often means family coming out of the woodwork to try and get some of it, sales people will want to sell things, etc.

    It is a saying that leaves out the important part, just like “money is the root of all evil” leaves out the “love of money” aka greed part.

    So the real saying should be “love of money is the root of all evil” and “an excess of money leads to more problems”. They went with more money because it flows better.

    • derfunkatron@lemmy.world
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      15 days ago

      Interesting take. I’ve always interpreted this phrase as a folksy way of saying a cascade of causality or a progression of responsibilities.

      I think this phrase also has origins in extreme poverty, not from extreme wealth. Greed has a lot to do with why the world is shitty but I don’t think that’s the “wisdom” this phrase is trying to express.