Why do leftists hate the rich and successful?

The Left is an enigma I just can't quite wrap my head around.
I'm not trying to attack them here. I’m just trying to corner them. Let's keep this civil, please.
I honestly can't wrap my head around their logic. It's the complete opposite of how I see things.

I mostly wanted to start a thread about their... economic I don't care about their stances.
I get their whole deal—pro-gay, anti-nationalist, anti-military. I don't have any questions about where they stand.

Why are leftists so obsessed with redistribution? Is it just pure envy, malice, or some twisted idea of equality?
I come from a solid middle-class background. My parents are highly educated, I am too, and we’re all financially stable. We actually work for a living. So, definitely no Ivanka Trumps in my family.

Look, I don't have any beef with wealthy people.I'm talking about people who built their wealth the legitimate way. I don't give a damn about those crooks who got rich through shady privatization schemes.).
I actually want more wealthy people in the States, especially if they’re coming from abroad. I see them as a net positive. Let them start companies, create jobs, and buy from local suppliers. But whenever I scroll through the comments on sites like CNN or the New York Times, all I see is pure contempt. The second someone successful comes up—like that woman who founded Zora—it’s just constant hate. People act like she only achieved what she did because she’s rich. It’s pathetic.

Hold on a second. I might actually be able to wrap my head around your argument if she had built her fortune by trafficking kids, but she made her money through legitimate means.

As Ludwig von Mises put it, In a capitalist system, you only get rich if you actually solve someone else's problems. You build wealth by making other people wealthier. It’s pretty simple: you offer products or services that people actually find valuable enough to pay for. At the end of the day, consumers call the shots. They’re the ones in control, deciding through their spending exactly which companies thrive and which ones go bust.

So, why do leftists have such a massive chip on their shoulder when it comes to wealthy, successful people? Why do they treat success like some kind of moral failing, and why are they so hell-bent on burying them under draconian taxes?

I’ve got three theories:

Equality.
The obsession with equality is exhausting. The further left you go, the more they demand total parity. You’ve got the hardline communists wanting everyone in the same uniform with universal access to everything, while the moderate liberals push for progressive taxation. But what is this fixation on equality, really? People aren't equal. It’s simple. Some people work harder, some are more capable, some have more ambition or higher intelligence. I get equality before the law. I'm all for equal voting rights. And look, I don't mind "free" healthcare or public schools—I accept that. But you could fund those things with a low, flat income tax. Even if we could cover all our social services through a flat tax, the left would still demand progressive rates. They aren't looking for equal opportunity; they want total economic leveling. They don't seem to realize that the only way to force that kind of fantasy world into existence is through raw power. The only way they achieve it is by having the state forcibly seize the wealth people worked their lives away to build.
Maybe equality isn't even their end goal. It might just be a cover for something else entirely.

2. Jealousy
Is this whole obsession with equality just a smokescreen for some deeper leftist agenda? Take Sweden, for example. It’s a place where the government holds your hand from birth until death. But if you actually sit down and read a pamphlet by someone like Ludwig von Mises, you start to see the cracks. Occupy Wall StreetThey’re obsessed with fighting the wealth gap. Just a heads-up though: if you look at the Gini index, Sweden is basically the most equal country in Europe.

3. Bias and prejudice
Maybe this is it. They probably think the only way to make a buck is by playing dirty. Exploiting people, cheating, stealing. That's just how they see it. 🤷

What do you guys think? I’m calling on all the forum keyboard warriors to step up and explain themselves.

Admin, please don't lock this thread. If you think it’s too political, just move it to another section. I'm not here to troll or start fights; I'm just breaking down how the left-wing mindset actually works.

Back when I was in high school, I was definitely one of those people who felt the world was fundamentally unfair. In my case, it was a mix of feeling undervalued and seeing others get ahead way too easily. I wouldn't say I was actually jealous—I was pretty content with my own life—but I just couldn't wrap my head around why one person's work could be valued at 100 times more than someone else's. At the time, I didn't really grasp how capital functions or why the right allocation of resources is so vital to the whole system. Now that I've grown up and understand those mechanics, that sense of injustice has pretty much vanished.

I’ve got absolutely nothing against the wealthy. In fact, I’m all for it if they’re more capable, more driven, smarter, or better educated... and consequently end up with more cash than everyone else.

The real issue pops up when people who don't fit that description—simply because the deck was stacked against them from birth—end up with way, way more money than someone who is objectively much more talented but just didn't get the same head start in life.

If we all started at the exact same finish line, I wouldn't have a single complaint about wild capitalism or the "survival of the fittest" mentality. But let's be real: that's impossible. Since we don't all have the same opportunities, I believe the total wealth should be distributed as fairly as possible. We need a system that still rewards hard work, discourages laziness, and tries to give everyone a fighting chance to make it big. Now, don't get me wrong—I know a kid working on a ranch in Wyoming will never have the same path to success as Prince William. But the government should at least ensure that through fair wealth distribution, even that kid has a shot at climbing the ladder if they’ve got the grit and the drive to earn it.

Peter Reyes63 said:The Left is an enigma I just can't quite wrap my head around.
I'm not trying to attack them here. I’m just trying to corner them. Let's keep this civil, please.
I honestly can't wrap my head around their logic. It's the complete opposite of how I see things.

I mostly wanted to start a thread about their... economic I don't care about their stances.
I get their whole deal—pro-gay, anti-nationalist, anti-military. I don't have any questions about where they stand.

Why are leftists so obsessed with redistribution? Is it just pure envy, malice, or some twisted idea of equality?
I come from a solid middle-class background. My parents are highly educated, I am too, and we’re all financially stable. We actually work for a living. So, definitely no Ivanka Trumps in my family.

Look, I don't have any beef with wealthy people.I'm talking about people who built their wealth the legitimate way. I don't give a damn about those crooks who got rich through shady privatization schemes.).
I actually want more wealthy people in the States, especially if they’re coming from abroad. I see them as a net positive. Let them start companies, create jobs, and buy from local suppliers. But whenever I scroll through the comments on sites like CNN or the New York Times, all I see is pure contempt. The second someone successful comes up—like that woman who founded Zora—it’s just constant hate. People act like she only achieved what she did because she’s rich. It’s pathetic.

Hold on a second. I might actually be able to wrap my head around your argument if she had built her fortune by trafficking kids, but she made her money through legitimate means.

As Ludwig von Mises put it, In a capitalist system, you only get rich if you actually solve someone else's problems. You build wealth by making other people wealthier. It’s pretty simple: you offer products or services that people actually find valuable enough to pay for. At the end of the day, consumers call the shots. They’re the ones in control, deciding through their spending exactly which companies thrive and which ones go bust.

So, why do leftists have such a massive chip on their shoulder when it comes to wealthy, successful people? Why do they treat success like some kind of moral failing, and why are they so hell-bent on burying them under draconian taxes?

I’ve got three theories:

Equality.
The obsession with equality is exhausting. The further left you go, the more they demand total parity. You’ve got the hardline communists wanting everyone in the same uniform with universal access to everything, while the moderate liberals push for progressive taxation. But what is this fixation on equality, really? People aren't equal. It’s simple. Some people work harder, some are more capable, some have more ambition or higher intelligence. I get equality before the law. I'm all for equal voting rights. And look, I don't mind "free" healthcare or public schools—I accept that. But you could fund those things with a low, flat income tax. Even if we could cover all our social services through a flat tax, the left would still demand progressive rates. They aren't looking for equal opportunity; they want total economic leveling. They don't seem to realize that the only way to force that kind of fantasy world into existence is through raw power. The only way they achieve it is by having the state forcibly seize the wealth people worked their lives away to build.
Maybe equality isn't even their end goal. It might just be a cover for something else entirely.

2. Jealousy
Is this whole obsession with equality just a smokescreen for some deeper leftist agenda? Take Sweden, for example. It’s a place where the government holds your hand from birth until death. But if you actually sit down and read a pamphlet by someone like Ludwig von Mises, you start to see the cracks. Occupy Wall StreetThey’re obsessed with fighting the wealth gap. Just a heads-up though: if you look at the Gini index, Sweden is basically the most equal country in Europe.

3. Bias and prejudice
Maybe this is it. They probably think the only way to make a buck is by playing dirty. Exploiting people, cheating, stealing. That's just how they see it. 🤷

What do you guys think? I’m calling on all the forum keyboard warriors to step up and explain themselves.

Admin, please don't lock this thread. If you think it’s too political, just move it to another section. I'm not here to troll or start fights; I'm just breaking down how the left-wing mindset actually works.

You're overlooking one key thing: today's leftists aren't the same as the original, historical left (what I consider the "real" left 🙂). What we see now is partially a bit of a joke 😢. Think Gauche caviar—the "caviar left" in France, or rather, the salon left. Historically speaking, though, the left was a positive phenomenon and a completely legitimate political and social movement. If it weren't for the left and its struggles, Western society would likely be a much more unjust place today. Thanks largely to the actions of political leftists, people aren't working 16-hour days anymore and actually get paid vacation. Women gained the right to vote, too. We'll also see how things develop in places like China; there, the communists have essentially become the most ruthless capitalists ever, and they lack that specific Western historical left to moderate the "brutal" capitalism—or the harsh realities of life and society in general.

3. discomfort

Leftists generally fail to grasp the concept of labor. Much like my grandfather used to claim that hoeing a field was real work while office tasks were mere play, people today assume "work" only counts if you're on the front lines. They think management is just sitting in meetings all day.

In reality, leadership is far more critical work; a competent leader can perform miracles with a team, whereas an incompetent one will achieve nothing at all. Identifying societal needs and investing to create jobs for others is an even higher form of labor than simple management.

Yeah, sure, but you have to look at how much of that wealth actually came from honest work versus just straight-up theft, war profiteering, and general shady dealings. You really can't compare the billionaires over in the States to what we see here. Over there, they spent two or three generations building up that kind of legacy, whereas around here, people are pulling it off in ten years or less.

Real work? Please. It’s all just a bunch of cronies sitting on corporate boards, shaking hands and deciding which cousin gets which cushy job.

Peter Reyes63 said:The Left is an enigma I just can't quite wrap my head around.
I'm not trying to attack them here. I’m just trying to corner them. Let's keep this civil, please.
I honestly can't wrap my head around their logic. It's the complete opposite of how I see things.

I mostly wanted to start a thread about their... economic I don't care about their stances.
I get their whole deal—pro-gay, anti-nationalist, anti-military. I don't have any questions about where they stand.

Why are leftists so obsessed with redistribution? Is it just pure envy, malice, or some twisted idea of equality?
I come from a solid middle-class background. My parents are highly educated, I am too, and we’re all financially stable. We actually work for a living. So, definitely no Ivanka Trumps in my family.

Look, I don't have any beef with wealthy people.I'm talking about people who built their wealth the legitimate way. I don't give a damn about those crooks who got rich through shady privatization schemes.).
I actually want more wealthy people in the States, especially if they’re coming from abroad. I see them as a net positive. Let them start companies, create jobs, and buy from local suppliers. But whenever I scroll through the comments on sites like CNN or the New York Times, all I see is pure contempt. The second someone successful comes up—like that woman who founded Zora—it’s just constant hate. People act like she only achieved what she did because she’s rich. It’s pathetic.

Hold on a second. I might actually be able to wrap my head around your argument if she had built her fortune by trafficking kids, but she made her money through legitimate means.

As Ludwig von Mises put it, In a capitalist system, you only get rich if you actually solve someone else's problems. You build wealth by making other people wealthier. It’s pretty simple: you offer products or services that people actually find valuable enough to pay for. At the end of the day, consumers call the shots. They’re the ones in control, deciding through their spending exactly which companies thrive and which ones go bust.

So, why do leftists have such a massive chip on their shoulder when it comes to wealthy, successful people? Why do they treat success like some kind of moral failing, and why are they so hell-bent on burying them under draconian taxes?

I’ve got three theories:

Equality.
The obsession with equality is exhausting. The further left you go, the more they demand total parity. You’ve got the hardline communists wanting everyone in the same uniform with universal access to everything, while the moderate liberals push for progressive taxation. But what is this fixation on equality, really? People aren't equal. It’s simple. Some people work harder, some are more capable, some have more ambition or higher intelligence. I get equality before the law. I'm all for equal voting rights. And look, I don't mind "free" healthcare or public schools—I accept that. But you could fund those things with a low, flat income tax. Even if we could cover all our social services through a flat tax, the left would still demand progressive rates. They aren't looking for equal opportunity; they want total economic leveling. They don't seem to realize that the only way to force that kind of fantasy world into existence is through raw power. The only way they achieve it is by having the state forcibly seize the wealth people worked their lives away to build.
Maybe equality isn't even their end goal. It might just be a cover for something else entirely.

2. Jealousy
Is this whole obsession with equality just a smokescreen for some deeper leftist agenda? Take Sweden, for example. It’s a place where the government holds your hand from birth until death. But if you actually sit down and read a pamphlet by someone like Ludwig von Mises, you start to see the cracks. Occupy Wall StreetThey’re obsessed with fighting the wealth gap. Just a heads-up though: if you look at the Gini index, Sweden is basically the most equal country in Europe.

3. Bias and prejudice
Maybe this is it. They probably think the only way to make a buck is by playing dirty. Exploiting people, cheating, stealing. That's just how they see it. 🤷

What do you guys think? I’m calling on all the forum keyboard warriors to step up and explain themselves.

Admin, please don't lock this thread. If you think it’s too political, just move it to another section. I'm not here to troll or start fights; I'm just breaking down how the left-wing mindset actually works.

Usually, I dismiss threads that make sweeping generalizations, but this one caught my eye. We’ve already established the tropes: the leftists are jealous, uneducated, thieves, war profiteers, and lazy—people who don't grasp the concept of work, yet somehow all manage to sit on various corporate boards doing essentially nothing.

Quite amusing... It's obvious how much this fits under politics, though how long it lasts depends entirely on how much "fun" we have.

It’s pretty straightforward.

Ever since the revolution, leftist ideology has basically boiled down to one slogan:

First, we rob the wealthy, and then we figure out how to split the loot.

Most revolutionaries stick to that script because they don't bother distinguishing between people who built legitimate businesses and those reckless industrialists looking to exploit everyone.

Back during the era of communist rule, hatred toward the rich was systematically stoked by framing them as imaginary "internal and external enemies." The goal was to remind the masses that they only had the party to thank for protecting them from those terrifying capitalists. Of course, the smarter folks knew that workers' wages under those "evil" capitalists were actually way higher than their own—even though they were supposedly the "self-managed" owners of their own factories.

Once democratic governments took over, they all turned out to be essentially leftist, as every administration competes to see who can snatch more from those with means to redistribute to the masses. That’s why they sow resentment against anyone successful; it makes them easier targets for theft. In their eyes, a business owner who avoids an excessive tax bill is a far worse criminal than a car thief. But that works perfectly for a leftist government, because a car thief is just stealing from citizens the state doesn't care about. The government cares deeply about having enough cash in the coffers to buy votes and fund social programs.
Politicians are always bragging—WE gave you this, WE gave you that!
Well, they didn't.
They took it from the people who actually work and produce, just to spend it on buying votes.
And, honestly, it’s much easier to line your own pockets when you're stealing from a massive pile.

Let’s be honest—for most of these so-called "average Joes," what we’re actually seeing is pure, unadulterated envy.
These people don't even have the decency to identify as leftists—they don't hold any real ideological convictions whatsoever—they just harbor a deep-seated resentment toward anyone more successful than themselves. They genuinely believe it is perfectly acceptable for the government to plunder the productive members of society just to hand out handouts to them.

I mean, I guess you could argue that most of these ultra-wealthy folks didn't actually earn their fortunes fairly, and they certainly aren't using that cash for anything particularly noble, so maybe seizing those assets could work as both a legal penalty and a way to actually help people who are struggling through no fault of their own.

Peter Reyes63 said:The Left is an enigma I just can't quite wrap my head around.
I'm not trying to attack them here. I’m just trying to corner them. Let's keep this civil, please.
I honestly can't wrap my head around their logic. It's the complete opposite of how I see things.

I mostly wanted to start a thread about their... economic I don't care about their stances.
I get their whole deal—pro-gay, anti-nationalist, anti-military. I don't have any questions about where they stand.

Why are leftists so obsessed with redistribution? Is it just pure envy, malice, or some twisted idea of equality?
I come from a solid middle-class background. My parents are highly educated, I am too, and we’re all financially stable. We actually work for a living. So, definitely no Ivanka Trumps in my family.

Look, I don't have any beef with wealthy people.I'm talking about people who built their wealth the legitimate way. I don't give a damn about those crooks who got rich through shady privatization schemes.).
I actually want more wealthy people in the States, especially if they’re coming from abroad. I see them as a net positive. Let them start companies, create jobs, and buy from local suppliers. But whenever I scroll through the comments on sites like CNN or the New York Times, all I see is pure contempt. The second someone successful comes up—like that woman who founded Zora—it’s just constant hate. People act like she only achieved what she did because she’s rich. It’s pathetic.

Hold on a second. I might actually be able to wrap my head around your argument if she had built her fortune by trafficking kids, but she made her money through legitimate means.

As Ludwig von Mises put it, In a capitalist system, you only get rich if you actually solve someone else's problems. You build wealth by making other people wealthier. It’s pretty simple: you offer products or services that people actually find valuable enough to pay for. At the end of the day, consumers call the shots. They’re the ones in control, deciding through their spending exactly which companies thrive and which ones go bust.

So, why do leftists have such a massive chip on their shoulder when it comes to wealthy, successful people? Why do they treat success like some kind of moral failing, and why are they so hell-bent on burying them under draconian taxes?

I’ve got three theories:

Equality.
The obsession with equality is exhausting. The further left you go, the more they demand total parity. You’ve got the hardline communists wanting everyone in the same uniform with universal access to everything, while the moderate liberals push for progressive taxation. But what is this fixation on equality, really? People aren't equal. It’s simple. Some people work harder, some are more capable, some have more ambition or higher intelligence. I get equality before the law. I'm all for equal voting rights. And look, I don't mind "free" healthcare or public schools—I accept that. But you could fund those things with a low, flat income tax. Even if we could cover all our social services through a flat tax, the left would still demand progressive rates. They aren't looking for equal opportunity; they want total economic leveling. They don't seem to realize that the only way to force that kind of fantasy world into existence is through raw power. The only way they achieve it is by having the state forcibly seize the wealth people worked their lives away to build.
Maybe equality isn't even their end goal. It might just be a cover for something else entirely.

2. Jealousy
Is this whole obsession with equality just a smokescreen for some deeper leftist agenda? Take Sweden, for example. It’s a place where the government holds your hand from birth until death. But if you actually sit down and read a pamphlet by someone like Ludwig von Mises, you start to see the cracks. Occupy Wall StreetThey’re obsessed with fighting the wealth gap. Just a heads-up though: if you look at the Gini index, Sweden is basically the most equal country in Europe.

3. Bias and prejudice
Maybe this is it. They probably think the only way to make a buck is by playing dirty. Exploiting people, cheating, stealing. That's just how they see it. 🤷

What do you guys think? I’m calling on all the forum keyboard warriors to step up and explain themselves.

Admin, please don't lock this thread. If you think it’s too political, just move it to another section. I'm not here to troll or start fights; I'm just breaking down how the left-wing mindset actually works.

Personally, I don't identify as left or right. I’m for HONESTY!! And let me tell you, in our American brand of capitalism, honesty is the rarest commodity there is. Then everyone acts surprised when Americans vote to dismantle social safety nets, only to end up hating capitalism later. It turns out most American capitalists built their empires through shady, bottom-of-the-barrel tactics.

Historically speaking, the first communist was Lao CE. And after him, Jesus Christ. You can see that psychological pattern perfectly played out in this story:

Because of all this, I actually put together this little narrative:

There’s a tale involving Lao Cea and the Chinese Emperor regarding the nature of sin. I’ll recount it in my own way, imagining it takes place in Ancient Rome during the time of Christ:
Back in those days, the Roman Emperor heard word of Jesus of Nazareth. People were telling him about this incredibly honest, selfless man. So, the Emperor decided to appoint this sage as the Chief Justice in Rome. Now, Christ didn't exactly jump at the job—he only agreed because the Emperor was being incredibly persistent. The Emperor even threw the threat of imprisonment at him. In the end, the Emperor made a deal: if he accepted, the state would give a tenth of its taxes to the poor, and Christ would be granted two hours every single day to preach his teachings at the Roman Colosseum. So, Christ became the Chief Justice in Rome, and on his very first day, he had to preside over the case of a common thief. The man had been caught stealing from a shop that dealt in Chinese silk. Jesus sentenced him to three years of forced labor as a galley rower. But that wasn't all. He also sentenced the shop owner to the exact same six-month sentence. The courtroom was absolutely stunned. The next day, the Emperor called Christ in for a private meeting:
"My wise teacher from Israel, why on earth did you sentence the shop owner to forced labor as well? We get that the thief deserved three years in the galleys, but I don't see what the silk merchant did to merit such a punishment."
Jesus replied simply: "Your Majesty, I interrogated both men to uncover the absolute truth. The thief was merely a simple criminal, so I gave him three years of rowing. But I punished the merchant for entirely different reasons. To me, he is also a thief, just a more sophisticated one. He owns multiple shops across Rome selling Chinese silk. He sources it in China and moves it via caravan to Europe. He buys it dirt cheap and sells it at astronomical prices. After fifteen years of trading, he has managed to amass enough wealth to own seven shops, a villa, and a massive estate in the countryside. He has fifty slaves working for him and over 150 servants and maids. There is no honest way to accumulate that much wealth in such a short span of time."
....
......

p.s.

I have a particular soft spot for these COMMUNIST CAPITALISTS. For example:
😲 😁

The fundamental issue with leftists is that they just plain hate work. Everything else—all their little crusades and movements—is just a byproduct of that core resentment.

You don't really see this hatred in your average blue-collar guy or even some career politicians; it’s most obvious in those "artists" who lean left. Whether we're talking about poets, singers, or novelists, to them, waking up at 5:00 AM to the sound of a factory whistle is basically a death sentence. They can't wrap their heads around the idea of someone actually being happy to head into a plant or a workshop every morning. It’s completely foreign to them. Usually, these people come from working-class families, and they view their parents' lives as this miserable hellscape they need to escape, all while simultaneously swinging their fists at the "evil exploiters."

That’s the bottom line with the left: they have an inherent loathing for hard work.

The thread should actually be titled:
"Why do conservatives roll over for billionaires and exploiters?"
Ever wonder why there isn't a thread with a title like that?

Starting a discussion like this is an easy way for people to label you a psychopath.
It’s basically getting a kick out of watching others react with outrage just so you can feel morally superior. It’s pathetic.

Sure, a thread like this won't get shut down, but it doesn't even need to be—it's a perfect way to see people for who they really are....

Charles Fox10 said:Usually, I dismiss threads that make sweeping generalizations, but this one caught my eye. We’ve already established the tropes: the leftists are jealous, uneducated, thieves, war profiteers, and lazy—people who don't grasp the concept of work, yet somehow all manage to sit on various corporate boards doing essentially nothing.

Quite amusing... It's obvious how much this fits under politics, though how long it lasts depends entirely on how much "fun" we have.

Aha, so I get it now. Insults like that are totally fine, but the second you say something about a great leader, you get slapped with a ban????

It's painfully obvious what's going on here...

Gregory Peterson2 said:I’ve got absolutely nothing against the wealthy. In fact, I’m all for it if they’re more capable, more driven, smarter, or better educated... and consequently end up with more cash than everyone else.

The real issue pops up when people who don't fit that description—simply because the deck was stacked against them from birth—end up with way, way more money than someone who is objectively much more talented but just didn't get the same head start in life.

If we all started at the exact same finish line, I wouldn't have a single complaint about wild capitalism or the "survival of the fittest" mentality. But let's be real: that's impossible. Since we don't all have the same opportunities, I believe the total wealth should be distributed as fairly as possible. We need a system that still rewards hard work, discourages laziness, and tries to give everyone a fighting chance to make it big. Now, don't get me wrong—I know a kid working on a ranch in Wyoming will never have the same path to success as Prince William. But the government should at least ensure that through fair wealth distribution, even that kid has a shot at climbing the ladder if they’ve got the grit and the drive to earn it.

I think you meant "subjectively more capable"—since an objective assessment usually relies on measurable criteria. Besides, someone born into a royal family doesn't really have much room to maneuver—I suppose. William probably couldn't just pick his own career path, since he’s expected to become king and follow royal protocol from the moment he's born.

Leftists are nothing more than dreamers living in a fantasy land. I suppose it’s perfectly fine to hold those views when you're young and haven't yet grasped how the world actually operates. But when you have an adult—someone who identifies as an intellectual, mind you, in their 40s or 50s—still playing the leftist role... well, that suggests something else entirely is going on. From my observations, there are really just two types of leftists:

The "Sincere" Leftist (an adult who claims to be well-informed) is essentially a narcissistic sociopath who uses leftist ideology as a substitute for reality. They truly behave like narcissists; the moment you attempt to dismantle their ideology with actual logic, they lose their sense of self and react as if they've been personally assaulted.

Then you have the Manipulators. This group doesn't give a damn about ideology at all; they've simply realized they can rake in a paycheck by rambling incessantly about leftist utopias.

It is my firm contention that a sincere, mentally stable adult simply cannot be a leftist. ☕. That said, I am more than willing to hear an example—a specific individual—who might prove me wrong.

To guy is a thief to me too, just a more specific kind. He owns several shops in Rome selling silk from China. He sources it in China and hauls it by caravan all the way to Europe. He gets the silk dirt cheap and flips it for a massive markup. After 15 years of doing this, he’s built an empire—seven stores, a villa, and a country estate. He’s got 50 slaves working for him and over 150 servants and maids. There's no way he did that honestly; you don't get that rich that fast without cutting corners.

Jesus might have been a decent carpenter, but he wasn't exactly an economist. What's even the point of this story? Is a man a thief just because he sells a non-essential product at a price people are willing to pay? Is he guilty simply because he struck it rich in 15 years? What would Jesus say to Zuckerberg, who became a billionaire in a heartbeat? Would he sentence him to death? 🤷

In the States, you don't really see a significant number of people who are actually sincere socialists—it’s more like an uneducated crowd driven mostly by envy, I guess. The average working-class person in a city like Chicago doesn't necessarily crave free education or healthcare (since they already have access to those things)—they just dream about swapping out their fake Louis Vuitton bags and Prada sneakers for the real deal. It seems to me that the lower class here is actually the biggest consumer of culture that promotes this easy lifestyle and tacky "wealthy" aesthetics; most mainstream music just features stories about neighborhood thugs living it up, dropping stacks of cash at clubs, and driving luxury cars.

Larry Summers headed off on vacation on some little boat; apparently, it takes 24 hours just to fill the tank, and that’ll run you about $170 $0.00.
Who are these people claiming leftists don't care about money? Who in their right mind doesn't love cash?