4. In a World of Inequality, Are There Really Villains and Victims?

IN A WORLD IN which economic inequalities are universal, why do so many envision the existence of villains and victims? Does this view stem from a belief that there is a static quantity of wealth or resources in the world, and when someone gets more than an equal share, someone else must receive less? Or does the view stem from a belief that rich people have garnered their wealth undeservingly, by unscrupulous, greedy, or inconsiderate behavior? Or does it stem from envy, resentment, or simply a blatant attempt to increase one’s own status by decreasing that of another?

For many, possibly most, such villain/victim assertions do not stem from any deep reasoning. The ideas are simply a regurgitation of what they have read and heard in the news. Spewing the words and ideas of others is particularly likely when one belongs to a political, social, religious, or racial camp. Camp leaders, especially political ones, appear in the news daily, damning their adversarial camp leaders with senseless headline-grabbing charges designed to excite their followers and, hopefully, capture a few more gullible camp converts.

For those who join a camp, the spokesperson becomes similar to kin, and those in opposing camps automatically become foes; the people involved resemble participants in a feud. No matter what the kin says, those in the camp will accept it and despise whatever the foe advocates. It’s easier to become a parrot when aligned with any group, be it political, social, religious, or racial, than to think for oneself. Regardless of the type of group, the spokesperson will tell the crowd what they want to hear.

Crowds gather to support their kin and maybe pick up another malicious one-liner to put in their quiver to shoot mindlessly at the next foe they encounter. Unless one is critical and truly considers whether the spokesperson’s statements actually make sense, one may likely continue to advocate policies that would produce the very opposite of what one actually desires. Rent control laws, drug and alcohol prohibitions, and government subsidies are just a few examples where such policies produced the opposite of their desired goals.