Wealth worship – or, why Trump is revered by the supporters his policies hurt the most
I’ve been marveling at the slobbering knob-laving that lower -middle class and upper lower class Trump supporters display.
The disdain they feel for their fellow not-so-rich is not a new phenomenon, and has been described in the past thusly:
“If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”
This explains the right fringe’s disdain for those they scapegoat, but not their love for the rich who pick their pockets.
I think what I call “wealth worship” is a considerable part of it.
Reality TV shows everywhere about million-dollar house listings, lifestyles of the rich and famous, buying a retirement house in the Caribbean, etc.
People live the life of the 1% vicariously through such devices, and as a result, feel close to the wealthy people they depict.
Ooh! Look at the yacht! Look at those cars in his 5,000 square foot garage!
No matter that those people they lionize would consider them filth on the bottom of their Gucci shoes – the poor and lower-middle class who watch them still feel a false empathy and (in worst cases) idolize them.
(see: Donald Trump)
This is sad, because they’re not rich, they’re never going to BE rich, and I don’t even think that they rationalize it with “One day, I’m going to be rich, too.”
They know better than that.