Author Barbara Ehrenreich has documented how the wealthy and their political allies claim the rich are being demonized in these difficult times — a not-surprising thing as everyone else loses ground. But she also points out how strong the defense of the wealth is, even among groups that traditionally sympathized with the poor.
In an essay in the Washington Post this weekend, she said: “In fact, if you keep your ears open, you can hear the praises of the rich ringing out almost everywhere. Evangelical Christianity, for example, once harbored an ancient biblical bias in favor of the poor, but now, at least in its high-profile megachurch manifestations, it has abandoned the book of Matthew for a ‘prosperity gospel’ that counts wealth as a mark of God’s favor.”
She added: “Nor should we forget those secular evangelists in the motivation industry who have advocated selflessly for the rich for years, as in these instructions from the 2005 bestseller ‘Secrets of the Millionaire Mind’: ‘Place your hand on your heart and say . . . ‘I admire rich people!’ ‘I bless rich people!’ ‘I love rich people!’ ‘And I’m going to be one of those rich people too!’’