195. Does a greater wealth change your politics?

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This is an interesting observation, even if also a somewhat disappointing one. I have over the years known many cases of people who have evolved, as their wealth and age increased, from a somewhat antisystem, progressive political outlook, to a conservative mindset. This is, at first sight, a change in politics, from left to right. But appearances can be deceiving, and I think it really is something else. This is the politics of ‘whatever suits my personal circumstance, and not society, best at any given point’. And it remains consistent. When poorer and younger, more sharing of the wealth of the haves and help for the have nots. Once you are enlisted in the ranks of the haves, the opposite, lower taxation, individualism and a conviction that those who have not choose that situation and do not deserve help. I guess how steady your politics are as your circumstances change depends on how you answer the fundamental question ‘Does society exist to serve me, or does it exist to serve all?’ 

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Location: Hereford, UK

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