Capitalism, the far right, and the psychology of power, privilege and belonging Why would anyone defend a system that makes their life harder? Why would someone with little wealth defend the interests of the wealthy, someone with little power support those who want to concentrate it, or someone who feels excluded blame the people who are even more vulnerable than they are? We tend to explain these contradictions by saying that people have been misled, that they are afraid of change, or that they do not understand what is in their own interests. Sometimes, that may be true. But I think we need to ask a more uncomfortable question: what if defending an unequal system is not always about what people have, but about what they hope to become, whom they want to belong to, and whom they need to believe they are better than? We have built a world in which success is often measured by money, status and power. We tell people that hard work will allow them to rise, that wealth reflects merit, and...