This
reminded me of the upper class (or even the middle class) versus the lower
class (including the homeless) in the United States of America. The amount of
times I have heard awful and judgmental things about people who are a part of the
lower class is absolutely ridiculous and uncalled for. Many statements that are
made are from uneducated and just plain ignorant, privileged people who have no
sympathy or understanding about anything except for their own perfect, suburban
lives. Almost every day in my hometown of Covington, I would hear someone
saying disgusting things about people who are on welfare, or even homeless who also
struggle with mental illness. “They must have done something terrible to be in
that situation.” They would basically paint them as terrible people just because
of their economic status. Sometimes,
they would even blame people on welfare for their own financial issues, which
are really none because they are middle class people living in the suburbs.
They get so upset because they want the poor to practically fail, because they
paint them as “bad” people, while they keep getting more and more money. Upper
class and middle class people keep thinking of new ways to paint the poor and
the people with the least advantages in life as bad people so that they can
just get more and more.
Although
it has not been stated, I am not trying to say that all of the wealthy people
in America are hateful, greedy, and ignorant people, but the wealthy who aren’t
like that are few and far between.
I do agree that there are wealthy people in this world who don't care to show compassion towards the less fortunate, but there are also people from upper and middle classes that donate to charities to specifically help the less fortunate everyday. I believe that in this argument, one should try to look at it with as little bias as possible. The most negative statements and behaviors will always be the ones stuck in our heads when thinking about a certain situation, and I think that clouds our judgement as to the other good things people do for the less fortunate.
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DeleteComing from what some might consider a "lower class" background, I have to say it mostly depends on which side of the spectrum you are coming from. Some poor, lower, and middle class people I personally know are just as uncompassionate towards the higher class people often showing bitterness and labeling them as selfish. Growing up I was constantly told these things from people who lived in my neighborhood and a number of my friends were on welfare. It wasn't until later in life when I started to form my own opinions and step back and see how wrong both sides were in not assessing each other's circumstances before criticizing each other.
ReplyDeleteI see your point and I've witnessed it myself. However, the roles can be reversed. The rich may belittle the poor, yet in the same breath the poor can misjudge and stereotype the rich. It's a matter of mindset. People judge and misinterpret simply out of ignorance.
ReplyDeleteClass warfare is definitely alive and well especially in Memphis. Nietzsche would say the problem is the Ressentiment of the poor and the sense of weakness they feel. He would say in reality the poor are the ones with the fuming hatred on the inside and that is the reason for this common narrative. Life is complex and it is hard to say that someone always deserves to be the place they are in though.
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