Merely ignoring the poor would only be so bad (we’re used to doing without) but politicians around the world win votes by exploiting irrational hatred of the poor and actively making things worse.
Honestly, it’s a slightly different cause and effect.
The wealthy keep taxes low by funding both media that concentrates on blaming the poor. And funding politicians that support the argument.
Same result, just different initial source. Think the old cartoon with the monopoly man sat at a table with a huge pile of cookies. Another guy with one cookie and a third with none.
I don’t think you need propaganda. I think it’s baked into people from birth to feel fear, disgust, etc. I think it’s easy to misattribute those feelings as having an external source, blaming them on the poor, and allowing that to shape their opinions and values. It’s surprising to me that we don’t even have a word for “hatred of the poor” because I think it’s pan-cultural, regardless of whether politicians or the wealthy exploit it or not. (Which of course they do, but they can only universally do so because the bias exists.)
Hardly a new take.
It’s why labour did not care about the left post Corbyn.
Why the Tories ignore the poor. And both are happy to lump blame on immigrants or shaft the disabled.
FPTP makes it worse, as community size is more powerful. But PR would only improve it a little.
Larger, more loyal voting blocks will always have more power than smaller or overtly anti the current leadership.
Merely ignoring the poor would only be so bad (we’re used to doing without) but politicians around the world win votes by exploiting irrational hatred of the poor and actively making things worse.
Honestly, it’s a slightly different cause and effect.
The wealthy keep taxes low by funding both media that concentrates on blaming the poor. And funding politicians that support the argument.
Same result, just different initial source. Think the old cartoon with the monopoly man sat at a table with a huge pile of cookies. Another guy with one cookie and a third with none.
“Hey that guy wants to steal your cookie”.
I don’t think you need propaganda. I think it’s baked into people from birth to feel fear, disgust, etc. I think it’s easy to misattribute those feelings as having an external source, blaming them on the poor, and allowing that to shape their opinions and values. It’s surprising to me that we don’t even have a word for “hatred of the poor” because I think it’s pan-cultural, regardless of whether politicians or the wealthy exploit it or not. (Which of course they do, but they can only universally do so because the bias exists.)