Apparently, it's a reality. Psychologist Paul Piff has shown there is a reliable correlation between wealth and inconsiderate behaviour. "Wealthy people are more likely to exhibit rudeness in cars, take more than equal shares of available goods and think they deserve special treatment," says U of T professor of philosophy prof, Mark Kingwell, in a fascinating article in The Globe and Mail.
I totally agree. Haven't we all met, and don't we all know, assholes like this? Prof. Piff confirms experimentally the arguments of a book by Aaron James entitled 'Assholes: A Theory' that some people, born on third base, seem to think they have hit a home run. Amen to that. Kingwell goes on:
"Resentment is, after all, the rational response of non-jerks when faced with the behaviour of over(ly)-entitled jerks. It's not the rudeness that people hate so much as the assumption that they are allowed to be rude."
Amen again.
"This isn't always a function of wealth, just of narcissism and assumed superiority. I know several witless academic egomaniacs (I call them bone-headed intellectuals) who routinely give themselves a free pass to be uncivil. But because wealth is the most obvious marker of status in capitalist(ic) societies, it is also the most powerful lever of being a jerk."
OMG, so bloody true.
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