Post #2843590

2026-03-14 21:45 UTC

@GrahamDowns@mastodon.africa Sure! Please allow me to further simplify. Asking 'What if someone makes it out of the working class? Are they a bad person?' misses the point. Your premise "It is possible, with a few strokes of luck, and a lot of discipline, for the average person to break their way out." Is increasingly difficult and increasingly unlikely. We have clear, unambiguous evidence of the ownership class reducing the possibility of someone "breaking out" as a matter of policy choice. Things are getting worse. Not better. Fewer people have more money, societally. Categorically. The amount of "luck" and "discipline" needed have increased measurably and dramatically within my lifetime, let alone my parents' lifetime. That's the point. Pretending it's as easy as budgeting well is disingenuous. The original post is about categories, not anecdotes. But if you want a specific answer? If your friend strikes it rich and then uses that wealth to advocate for policies that further entrench the wealth they have and disadvantage workers, then yes, that's villainous. @clarity@xoxo.zone

Replies (1)

@GrahamDowns@mastodon.africa 2026-03-15 07:47

@NaClKnight@c.im @clarity@xoxo.zone I saw the original post as being about us vs them. More than just categories, it was about who is the enemy of whom. Someone with investments that produce returns is the enemy of someone who works for a paycheque. Correct me if I'm wrong. And I took exception to that because once again, it creates this divide. This idea that anyone different to us is "other", and "other" is dangerous, and "other" is the enemy and we need to control them. The person who works for a paycheque is not necessarily the enemy of the person who makes all their money through returns on smart or lucky investments, or the one who makes their money through a combination of things. Nor is the person who happily works for a paycheque their whole lives more or less worthy than the one who is restless and ambitious and unsatisfied with that lot and is always scheming of a way out of that lifestyle, whether they make it or not. Nor is the person who was lucky enough to be born of a billionaire and never has to even consider what it might be like to have to work for a paycheque... We'd love for them to learn, of course, because it's good to expose yourself to other people's struggles, but it doesn't make them less worthy, nor should they be punished for their luck. Why must it always be about us vs them and friends vs enemies? Why can't people with different opinions, different life experiences, and different outlooks just get along? That's what prompted my response, and that was my point. I understand that it's a lot more difficult to break out today than it was even 20 years ago, let alone 50. But even 50 years ago, there were working class people who would've considered those who made it as "the enemy", so nothing's really changed from that perspective.

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