I agree with this, with the caveat that sometimes it's also about empathy, or the lack thereof. Ken Lay grew up dirt-poor, and all it did to him was make him greedy and selfish -- he had clawed his own way out of the swamp, but he had no empathy for those still trapped there. (And probably also a bad case of, "If I could do it, then anyone can do it," which doesn't allow for either individual variation or just plain luck.)
You have to be able to (1) see your own privilege, which can be a very threatening thing, and (2) see those without your access to privilege as actual people, not just spear-carriers in the story of your life. And a number of people fail on either or both of those points.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2013-04-02 06:26 pm (UTC)You have to be able to (1) see your own privilege, which can be a very threatening thing, and (2) see those without your access to privilege as actual people, not just spear-carriers in the story of your life. And a number of people fail on either or both of those points.