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Quackcast 724 - America's Plutocratic classism

Ozoneocean at 12:00AM, Jan. 28, 2025
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Is there a culture of plutocratic classism in the USA? I'm inspired by Trump's America and how people think that people like Elon Musk and him are above the law because they're rich, while conversely the lowest rank in society are the homeless and the poor. But what do I mean by “Plutocratic classism”? A plutocracy is a society where people's position is determined by their wealth, classism is our tendency to discriminate based on social class, put that together and you have people determining social value by how much money a person seems to have.

Gunwallace joins us for this Quackcast, replacing Banes while he has a sabbatical, he along with Tantz Aerine and myself examine this idea from an outsider's perspective. Gunwallace like me comes from an extremely egalitarian society where the idea of obvious classism is frowned upon. Australia and New Zealand were countries created by people leaving the classist aristocratic society of Great Brittain so that they could make something of themselves outside of that rigid system where class was determined by family name, accent, where you grew up, where you went to school etc. In our countries any sort of obvious classism is seen as extremely vulgar and worthy of social attack. Of course aspects of it still exist but it's bellow the surface. Tantz Aerine's Greece has been through a number of changes, coming from aristocratic origins as well as modern communist influences. It means we all have an external view on this subject

Plutocratic classism is a vision of the world that shows up all over American media, classically with something like Trading Places with Dan Akroyd and Eddy Murphy, even another Eddy Murphy film, Coming to America, Illustrates that beautifully. In the former a homeless black person and a wealthy white stock trader and made to switch places in society (mainly their level of wealth swaps), and they're subsequently treated extremely differently. In Coming to America an African prince comes to the USA and disguises himself as a poor person, the way he's treated changes dramatically. As the story progresses he meets various people at different social economic levels: the well-off middle-class small business owner father of his girlfriend in particular, as well as her rich ex, and all these people are treated as being on different rungs of the social class ladder depending on heir wealth.

It's seen in very common tropes like the “dead hooker” jokes, the way homeless people are constantly shown as expendable trash, and the way people who live in trailer parks are looked down upon in American media, it's pure plutocratic classism. This shows up in American pop-culture media constantly. While the wealthy are seen as ersatz aristocracy and their children are viewed as scions, princes and princesses.

Have you noticed this trend in American pop-culture media? Do you agree that it exists both in fiction and reality or is this all just communist bulsh1t that I'm blathering on about?

Gunwallace was kind enough to give us a theme inspired by Ghats - A hypnotically relaxing track that builds up the pizzazz level with a synth trumpet band. From a quiet spa retreat to a full on Vegas show! Get a lot of those sexy showgirls!


Topics and shownotes

Links


Featured comic:
Ghats - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/news/2025/jan/21/featured-comic-ghats/

Featured music:
Ghats - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Ghats/ - by Flumpy Tripod, rated E.

Special thanks to:
Gunwallace - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Gunwallace/
Tantz Aerine - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/Tantz_Aerine/
Ozoneocean - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/ozoneocean
Kawaiidaigakusei - https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/user/kawaiidaigakusei

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comment

anonymous?

PaulEberhardt at 9:59AM, Jan. 29, 2025

Or let me rephrase that one a bit: the thing that is really discouraged here is showing off wealth or any type of skill in a way that your watchful order-loving neighbours don't approve of. As long as you manage to lull them into a false sense of superiority, it's cool. They might even return the favour. ;)

PaulEberhardt at 9:45AM, Jan. 29, 2025

Germany, where I'm from, is very quick to accuse itself of this or that not being egalitarian enough. Not that it could hurt to keep a constant eye on this issue, mind you, but the way I see it this is mostly just another facet of German angst that can be safely ignored most of the time. Germans like to complain - just because it's a cliché doesn't mean it's all wrong ;). Also, we do have something of a tendency in our culture to discourage showing off wealth or even any type of skill. (I think of it as a drawback, but that's beside the point.) American culture seems much more open in that respect, which is why caricatures of Americans over here tend to portray them as loud-mouthed and bragging on a very superficial materialist level all the time, with little else to back it up. As Trump, and by extension Musk, come across as reinforcing that very cliché, this whole mess of current politics makes me feel sorry for all those I know who aren't anything like that at all.

PaulEberhardt at 9:39AM, Jan. 29, 2025

Can't wait for somebody with an inside perspective to reply. There definitely is something in it, though, and I don't think anyone here has blathered commie bull-excrement so far. Looking at American pop culture as an outsider, I'd say there certainly is some kind of favouritism towards the filthy rich underneath that dates back at least to Rockefeller. There is, or used to be anyway, this American Dream thing that anyone can in theory make it big, fashioning role models of those who apparently have. Naturally, this provides ample opportunity for satirically spoofing this very thing with a "the pauper and the prince" motif. (Btw. I instantly thought of Mel Brooks in "Life Stinks", precisely because of its fairy-tale like qualities, even if I consider it one of Brooks' weaker movies.) What's happening now, with Musk seizing his opportunity to gain power where it's definitely not due, rather reminds me of oligarchs in post-communist Russia. Scary thoughts here.

marcorossi at 11:12PM, Jan. 28, 2025

I'd say that in Italy there are people who have an egalitarian view and people who don't, however the policies under Berlusconi made this split more evident (some people really hated him, others really loved him). But it seems to me the same happens with Trump, Musk etc.: some people really love them, but many others hate them; the people who hate them are shocked to discover that there are so many lovers.

Ozoneocean at 6:46PM, Jan. 28, 2025

Italy isn't fully egalitarian though, it's always has a split personality in that regard Hasn't it?

marcorossi at 10:46AM, Jan. 28, 2025

I'm not sure about the USA. In my opinion/perception, Italy has a somehow egaltarian culture, and had the biggest communist party of the west, yet we had Berlusconi, and his followers clearly believed "if he is so rich he must be super competent". I think this logic exists in any capitalist country honestly, it is just that the political situation made it more obvious in Italy then, and in the USA now. It is the same logic that if a painting has a high price, people will also assume it having an artistic value: it is difficult to assess artistic value or personal skill, so we often use indirect measures or other people's implied judgment to make our judgments.


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