Have you ever wondered why so many Intellectuals, Celebrities, and members of the social elite support liberal and sometimes even socialist causes? I mean, why would someone who is rich and well connected support an idea that, if put into practice, could threaten their way of life. It’s easy to understand why politicians, bureaucrats, and government employees would support socialism. It is in their self interest to support any socio-economic system that would expand their realm of influence, protect their jobs, and pad their pocketbook. But why would the wealthy support a system that could actually destroy them financially.
When thinking about this issue it is important to remember that people of all economic and social backgrounds are pretty much the same. Deep down we all do what we do for the same reasons. We are all greedy and selfish to one degree or another. We all have our fears and desires. We all want to feel good about ourselves and hope that others respect us. And most of us feel a certain degree of guilt. In other words we are all human. So if you put yourself in their shoes (Rich, privileged, and many times very well educated) you might start to understand why they take up the socialist cause.
I think the primary motive that can explain why people who would seem to be the least likely to join the cause of Socialism would do so can be explained in just a one word: Guilt! Being rich makes them feel guilty, especially those who were born rich or didn’t have to work hard all their life building their wealth. They have a little voice inside their head that tells them that they don’t deserve what they have. So they try to find a way to silence the voice of guilt and joining a liberal cause fills the bill nicely because it allows them to fight for the little guy without giving up their privileged lifestyle.
But contrary to what they preach they don’t give up their privileged lifestyle because they are selfish and greedy just like the rest of us. That’s why they keep their money, fly in their private jets, ride in gas guzzling limo’s, own mansions with 20 rooms when they are single, and lobby to keep offshore oil wells from destroying their view while they demand that everyone else sacrifice for the common good. They can justify protecting their assets because they have already done their part by lending they name and celebrity to the cause.
They begin to feel superior after years of being told how great they are by those around them. Fighting for a cause allows them to boost their egos even more. When they get involved in a cause the selfishly motivated true socialists within the cause feed their egos in order to ingratiate themselves to these benefactors. This boosts their feeling of superiority and quells the pangs of guilt even more. This feeling of superiority then causes them to look down on dumb racist “Red Necks”, small business owners, and Corporate CEO’s even though they are actually doing things to improve the lives of everyone around them simply because they complain about taxes or resist their calls to join the cause. This also explains why they are blind to their own hypocricy and ignorance of the true effects of the policies they support.
In the end we all wish that we could eliminate poverty. The difference is small business owners, investors and other conservatives of all types are actually working to make the world better by building businesses where people can find jobs and work their way out of poverty or maybe even higher while the celebrity elite and privileged join liberal causes so that they can feel better about themselves while keeping their money. So who is really being shallow, greedy, and selfish?