The Rich Think You're Jealous. The Science Says You're Not

Do poor people hate rich people?
It’s an idea we hear all the time, but what happens when you actually test it?

This video looks at what decades of research into fairness, inequality, wealth and social class can tell us about where resentment really comes from, why rich and poor people can see the same world so differently, and what happens when some voices are much easier to hear than others.

The evidence points somewhere rather more complicated than “envy”.

I’m Barry, a comedian whose personal journey through failure, homelessness, and rebuilding led me to explore the socio and behavioural economics of inequality.

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Video Written and Performed By Barry Ferns
Edited By Barry Ferns and Becky Goodman @beckygoodtimes

This channel digs into how systems of power shape our identity, behaviour, and beliefs, and how we can shift the stories we tell ourselves and each other about poverty, inequality, and who’s to blame.

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If you’re new to this, check out @garyseconomics first – his channel gives the structural and financial perspective. This one adds the lived, social and emotional side.

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Want to see the stand-up side of all this?
Find my live comedy and storytelling here:
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To learn more about my comedy club, Angel Comedy, and buy tickets for shows head here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/

Sources & Further Reading
Christina Starmans, Mark Sheskin & Paul Bloom (2017)
Why People Prefer Unequal Societies
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-017-0082

Werner Güth, Rolf Schmittberger & Bernd Schwarze (1982)
An Experimental Analysis of Ultimatum Bargaining
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0167268182900117

Shai Davidai & Thomas Gilovich (2016)
The Headwinds/Tailwinds Asymmetry: An Availability Bias in Assessments of Barriers and Blessings
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-50762-001

Michael W. Kraus, Paul K. Piff & Dacher Keltner (2009)
Social Class, Solipsism, and Contextualism: How the Rich Are Different From the Poor
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-19761-004

Suzanne Mettler (2011)
The Submerged State: How Invisible Government Policies Undermine American Democracy
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo12172200.html

Martin Gilens & Benjamin I. Page (2014)
Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/

Hillsborough Independent Panel (2012)
The Hillsborough Independent Panel Report
https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20170408004225/http://hillsborough.independent.gov.uk/report/

Grenfell Action Group (2016)
KCTMO – Playing with Fire
https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2016/11/20/kctmo-playing-with-fire/

Chapters
00:00 - 01:54 Introduction
01:54 - 04:50 More Money, More Hate?
04:50 - 08:04 Why people prefer unequal societies
08:04 - 09:12 Envy vs. Fairness
09:12 - 12:12 Headwinds & Tailwinds
12:12 - 13:21 Data From Your Seat in The Theatre
13:21 - 14:49 Invisible vs Visible Help
14:49 - 15:52 How it all stacks up
15:52 - 16:34 How this channel keeps going
16:34 - 21:50 Being heard is not the same as making a sound
21:50 - 24:39 What is the outrage aimed at?

#Inequality #Psychology #BarryEconomics