this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2025
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Hatred of the poor is universal phenomenon that cuts across all cultures, and yet does not even have a name. The closest we have is "classism", but this is something different. This isn't a preference or a bias, people go out of their way to abuse the poor. Abusing the poor fills some kind of emotional need.
I think it's a kind of Just-world fallacy, "If I see people suffering, they must be bad people who did something to deserve it, because the world is just and people get what they deserve."
Kind of a separate thing, but I think the psychological need fulfilled by that fallacy comes down to "I do not need to worry about this bad thing happening to me because I believe I am a good person and bad things don't normally happen to good people. Not worrying about this is important because my very busy life has not given me the time to develop any other coping skills for that kind worry, and so if I did dwell on how this bad thing could very easily happen to me I would probably just be overcome with anxiety and depression."
This, 100%. How people view the homeless (as a group, if not individually) is the quintessential, textbook example of just-world fallacy.
And your interpretation that it is a coping mechanism is also accurate. People need to resolve the cognitive dissonance of "I'm a good person, and good people help the homeless, but I'm not helping the homeless for X,Y,Z (possibly legitimate) reasons". One of the easiest ways to resolve that is the just-world fallacy
I think it also comes down to the reality there is no purpose or reasoning for our existence. And the more money and time you have to realize it, the more the mind needs to have the conclusion, but, there has to be more. So they strive to create a fanciful story to follow... otherwise, the veneer cracks. Personally, I find a sense of serenity in the idea, but I might be a rarity. Either way, just my ramblings on it lol
--Peter Tosh, "Fools Die (For Want of Wisdom)"