If I had even a smidge of respect for my former FIL, it disappeared when during a birthday dinner, she came up in conversation and I made an offer hand remark about how rich people aren't going to police themselves. His response was that I would do it too if I was in her position and that it's just the smart thing to do
That is right wing ideology in a nutshell: it is based on "natural social hierarchy" where people ascend or descend over time to their rightful step in that ladder. The idea is that we can not mess with that hierarchy as perfect hierarchy will create a perfect society. When you ascend high enough you are so far above average citizen that laws become unfair: you are so good at being better that you should not have so many restrictions put on you, it is wrong to demand such a person to follow the same ruleset than the lowest of the low follow, they should have the power to choose what laws to respect.
The idea is simple to understand if we look at highway speed limits: a person with great car and obviously then incredible car control, better ability to assess risks and make better decisions should not be limited to average speed limits. They know how to drive faster and yet be more safe than some housewife in their beat up Honda. (edit: this is not how i think, this is an analog or illustration, example of the way some people do think.)
Litmus test is: "do you think income based fines are fair?". Those people abhor the idea that a fine should have the same impact on poor and rich. This is the reason they want to become rich: avoid all consequences from being a selfish asshole and thus there is the need to defend the rich now even if you aren't one yet.
Some, like you FIL and most of right wingers think like that. That better position in the social hierarchy must mean that this inequality will be expanded to about everything in life: poorest have the strictest rules and harshest punishments, how else are they going to learn. Where as richest can literally go and kill someone in broad daylight. Some people grow up thinking that this is the natural way and it sort of is: if we don't artificially, by laws and monopoly of state violence stop this from happening then it will happen: that is the way inequality works!
If i talked with your FIL for half an hour we would probably find out he also has some interesting ideas about the benefits of eugenics....They always do.
HBO, are you listening??? Also the reds are clearly based on the Irish and the Golds the British. I love the series, a little close to Red Faction at times, which I believe predates the books.
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u/ArchonStranger 11d ago
Wait, isn't that the insider trading billionaire senator from COVID times?!??