Privilege And Bullying

There is, and there always has been, antipathy in people from rougher backgrounds toward people from more privileged backgrounds. I do not expect this to change, so it must be addressed.

America had a president named Richard Nixon. He came from a rough background, and he made a lifetime cause of attacking the high-born. America had another president named Bill Clinton. He also came from a rough background, but he had ill will toward nobody. Clinton remains popular, while Nixon remains hated. Clinton is the proof that a person from a rough background does not need to be a bully in order to rise in society.

I attended a private school on a merit scholarship. My parents, being immigrants, were poorer than most other parents, and many other kids treated me badly. However I have also been treated badly by people from rougher backgrounds. I have not found a correlation between levels of privilege and levels of personal goodness.

One mistake that many people from privileged backgrounds make is being out of touch with concerns of people from rougher backgrounds. This gets them accused of being elitists and snobs. I do not make the same error. I am deeply involved in the concerns of people from rougher backgrounds, and I do not treat them as less than myself.

Bill Clinton's way has shown to work a lot better than Richard Nixon's. And it is advisable for people from rougher backgrounds who seek to rise in society.