We study, we struggle, we thrive, and we survive. It’s the same story for a lot of us. Yet, most of us skip to the next step of success because of privilege and luck. Others are left behind, stuck in a loop that drains them.
While we go about buying expensive plans for our phones and premium plans for streaming, others struggle to pay for groceries. While some are buying expensive coffees, others are hoping they can spare a buck for some hot tea at a small cafeteria.
We think we have it all, I mean, not as much as a millionaire and a billionaire, of course. Soon enough, we are going to have our first trillionaire. We may not have as much as they do, but we certainly like to emulate their lifestyle. And in doing so, we need to ignore important factors like income and budgets, and focus on how to look down upon those who aren’t even in the same earning bracket as you.
They earn less than you, even if it is by a small margin, but it is there. Therefore, they must be treated like inferiors. So when the snooty go to restaurants, it is mandatory to disparage servers publicly so that it is evident to witnesses that you have a little more than what the staff makes.
If you want your plumbing fixed, you need to highlight the various schools you graduated from and hold a steady job in front of the person who is helping you fix a pipe that you have no idea how to do yourself.
And let’s not forget to roll our eyes at the construction workers. They live really simple lives. Most of them are stuffed in one apartment with bunk beds. Food is provided to them in plastic bags that they sit on the streets and eat. They work long hours in the heat to build a place where the “rich” can live, then they go back home, eat a meagre meal, and sleep until they wake up early the next day to work.
But yes, let’s look down upon those who have the skills to build something and put in physical labor. We definitely need to rub it in that we are spending their one week's salary for one meal in a fancy restaurant.
The people who build, who serve, and those who clean and fix, all of them are thought to be inferior when they provide the backbone of the economy.
So, what’s the point of the class system?
The point is to keep us separated, to get us engaged in trying to show off wealth rather than see what our politicians are up to and how it impacts us in the long run.
In an economy where all of us are trying to survive, when did it become appropriate to put down those who are struggling too, but don’t have the same benefits and environmental factors to help them out?
Most importantly, when did we start putting a price tag on humans and treating them well only if their worth is high enough?
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