>>"Instead of the comforting rationale that merit breeds success and the
>>successful have merit, a more rational approach would be to speculate that
>>in our society wealth and power tend to accrue to those who are ruthless,
>>cunning, avaricious, self-seeking, lacking in sympathy and compassion,
>>subservient to authority and willing to abandon principle for material
>>gain..." --Noam Chomsky
>>Watch the docu "Born Rich" on HBO and C's words ring even clearer.
>>
>>
I just finished reading _A Natural History of the Rich_ by Richard
Coniff, and y'all might get a kick out of it as well. Coniff decides to
examine the rich as a naturalist would, by noting behavior tactics,
mating rituals, displays of status and power, and the like. Of course,
it's far from a scientific survey, nor is it a careful scrutiny of
everyday life among the ultraprivileged. Conniff contents himself with
anecdotes of outrageous or excessive behavior among the Ted Turners and
Donald Trumps, and drawing parallels with things like peacocks and
throat warblers. It's closer in tone to Thorstein Veblen than Jane
Goodall, of course, with a lot of _Vanity Fair_ thrown in as well.
Personally, I'm more fascinated by the less extravagant aspects of life among the wealthy. How are people shaped, when their materials needs are more than met, and they have the wherewithal to do pretty much whatever they like? How do they view others? How do they view themselves? People can grow up rich-- or very affluent-- and develop social consciences. They can even do this while carrying with them the same sense of class that others of their social strata share. And then there are the aristocracies within the Left, like the Boudin family. (It's always a weird experience for me when I encounter people whose families have long histories of left-wing activism. They seem to know one another, notables are referred to by their first names, they have the best lawyers ready when Civil Disobedience is called for. It's a bit like the scene in _Quiz Show_, where Rob Morrow enjoys a picnic with the Van Dorens and "Bunny" Wilson.)
(By the way, when wotzisface came out with _Bobos in Paradise_, did anyone else get the feeling that he'd mined Veblen? Didn't even mention the guy in his index.)