I think it's more than just the political class. It seems like the entirety of american culture revolves around the idea that everyone should want to get rich by any means necessary.
It's like those pictures of bulldogs from the early 20th century. They look like real dogs, they don't have the health problems, and they just seem to be better. But then it becomes a competition. There is a public standard for success. And now we have flat faced monsters that can't breed on their own and need surgery just to breathe.
We're just seeing the natural progression of American individualism. What used to mean - be strong in the face of adversity, work toward a positive goal, and bring others along once you make it, has become a monstrosity. Winning means amassing resources, regardless of the steps you take to get those resources. Oh, and don't forget to pull the ladder up after you, because if someone else wins, you lose.
What we're seeing is the evolution, the simple, natural evolution of stoic individualism taken to the nth degree.
I completely disagree. I think this is the result of the war on the middle class and how expensive it has become just to stay alive in america. Social media platforms also promote the hell out of "grindset" accounts, or accounts that are just rich people doing expensive activities, and I refuse to believe that these trends that appear overnight are actually organic at all.
It feels like we're being conditioned to hate poor people.
I think the timeline of mass media, public relations weaponizing psychology, and consumerism being the focus of media messaging are relevant to that change — rather than it being the inevitable outcome of stoic individualism.
I think those are just further extensions. When all that matters is winning, and my own winning, the psychological outcomes of weaponized marketing literally don't matter. When my corporation selling things is what matters, and my success is what matters this quarter, rampant consumerism and the inevitable impacts on society/the planet don't matter.
Honestly, I do believe it all comes down to the cultural individualism as the prime component of success. Other countries have the same PR, mass media, and consumer goods, but don't seem to have the same cut-throat attitude to absolutely everything in their lives.
