The Trump era has introduced us to a whole plethora of horrors we never really thought we’d be exposed to, like a President who flirts with dictatorship, hypocrisy in warp drive, and a complete untethering between people and reality.  Recently, I had what could only be described as a surreal conversation with a new friend in my new city. While we were walking to brunch, we started talking about social issues in America and he blurted out with a bit of frustration, that he doesn’t understand why everything needs to change and what’s up with all this ‘social justice.  Why do people feel the need to tax the rich to help the poor; and then he said something truly mind boggling, “Why should I help them, no one gave me anything. I mean we’ve both worked our way up to have what we have.” Are you fucking kidding me?! I guess I should feel honored that he considers us on the same level but honestly, I wasn’t. I was quite incensed by it.

This person and me could not have come for two more diverse backgrounds, it’s like we were raised on different planets. This particular 38 year old went to fancy schools, works for his father’s investment office, lives in an expensive condo purchased by his father in a rich section of town. He only needed to show up with a suitcase of personal items as everything was already purchased and moved in for him.  He never worries about money. His family had enough wealthy that when he was 18, he told his father he was depressed and his father immediately ran out and bought him a brand new Porsche. This comes from his father’s many cush positions such as being routinely flown to private islands to give advice to other rich people for 3 days at a time and while there makes more in those 3 days than many of us make in 10 years or ever!

The reason I found this to be so surreal, and quite frankly insulting, is that after having spent some time with me, I’ve openly shared my background. He knows I was raised by a mum who, even when married, didn’t have much money and when she was in between husbands we were broke ass poor. I mean poor like when we needed furniture, we went to garage sales or Goodwill and I know what government cheese tastes like. I know more than 10 recipes for ground beef which my mum purchased in 10 pound plastic rolls.  I didn’t go to university until I was in my late 20s and had to pay my own way at a State school. I’m still paying that shit off and I graduated in 2003!! And even though I’ve worked for some good companies, I’m still only one illness away from homelessness. And not even a major illness, something simple like a broken leg could break me financially right now.  The fact that he thinks he and I are on the same level is shocking and insulting. The fact that he sees himself as a “self-made man” is delusional at best.

His entire life was literally given to him by his father.  His childhood was filled with lovely family holidays and fancy stuff. I bet he never had to share a room with his sibling. His biggest complaint in life from childhood was that his father worked a lot. My father was an abusive asshole who complained and about paying $100 a month for child support and that was for my brother and me.  My father often didn’t pay his child support and would force my mum to take him to court which cost her money she didn’t really have.  We never went on a ‘family holiday.’ I’ve never been to Disney, we didn’t go to museums, or water parks. Most of the time when my father could remember to come and visit us he’d take us out to DQ for a quick cheap meal, but many times he wouldn’t even show up, leaving me sitting on a curb crying and upset.  My entire life, my mum worked, sometimes she had two jobs and that meant that my brother and I were ‘latch key kids.’ I didn’t get to go to Brownies or Girl Scouts or dance class. If my mum had any extra money for activities it went to my brother. We did go to sleep away camp while my mum was married to one guy whose parents were Evangelical born again Christians; but they would only pay our way to a creepy religious camp, where I’d get felt up by every preacher’s son in attendance.  Instead of dance class, I learned how to do laundry, clean the house, and start dinner without burning the house down. And I was literally, my brother’s keeper when I was younger and had to make sure he got home from school safe. Which was a risky task when we were younger and newly returned to the US from the UK. We were living in a very poor neighborhood in South Dallas where we were 2 of only 5 white kids in our primary school. Getting our asses beat was a regular event for us.

Even though I didn’t have an easy childhood I still appreciate that as a white person I’ve received benefits from the system simply for the color of my skin because the system favors people like me. It has not escaped my attention that even as shitty as my childhood was, I AM STILL PRIVILEGED. This seems to be a central tenant that many people in this country simply can’t grasp.

As we listen to the Trump children wax prophetic about Hunter Biden, and the privilege he received from being the VP’s son, they seem absolutely clueless to what has happened in their own lives and they are literally the embodiment of “you spot, you got it.” Were it not for their daddy’s wealth and connection they would have shit. Jr’s book is on the NY Times Best Sellers list because daddy has made all his GOP peeps buy the damn thing in bulk.

This delusion of struggle with the those who truly have no fucking clue what that really means is why we can’t enact the solutions to correct the wealth gap. The people who are benefiting heavily from the status quo see themselves as hard working, pull yourself up by your bootstrap people. People who live in mansions, get into Ivy league schools, and always seem to have.  I’ve worked for wealthy people and I can tell you without a doubt that they don’t live the same lives we do. They live, holiday, fly, travel, and educate their children in areas far away from our gaze and presence and they have no desire to change that.  And because we, the working poor and destitute poor can’t get to their level we must deserve our lot in life because if they could rise up why can’t we? They fail to see that the system didn’t give us boots much less straps with which to pull ourselves up by.

Currently we have people like Warren, Sanders, AOC and others who are bringing up taxing them so they have to pay their fair share they are really taking notice and they don’t like it. Excessive greed is a major issue, not only for our country but the planet. This is a problem that could literally be improved with one main really inexpensive thing, a change of mindset. A change from “me me me me” to leaving no one behind and expanding your concept of who in included in your “us.”

They want us to think that any changes will cause them to shut down their businesses or have to lay people off which is all bullshit! Even if they pay their fair share, they will still have a shit ton of money and their lifestyle won’t change dramatically. They want us to believe that they play by the same rules we do but we all know that isn’t true. They want us to feel that any controls on them will lead to the demise and collapse of society. What they don’t want us to realize is that they are screwing us, lying to us, and that what they are protecting is their entitled sense of greed. Why should we continue to allow it to rain up in their house while it trickles down into ours?! How does that even make fucking sense? It doesn’t. It’s just mental masturbation.

I think it is time for a true reckoning. We need to take to the streets and put the fear of god back into the upper classes so that they’ll think twice before they fuck us over ala French Revolution style. It’s time to lift their veil of denial. Don’t forget that it was many a greedy CEO who sent our jobs away, took away our benefits, made us pay more, preferred to pay people slave wages and have put their money in offshore accounts so that it couldn’t be taxed. Well fuck that.  All of my income is taxable, so theirs should be as well. I pay taxes for things I don’t use or need. I’d be happy to support a system that supports all of us because that includes me and although I don’t have my own children, I’m happy to be part of the village to help pay for all children.

I’ve worked for major corporations and I’ve paid my fair share of taxes quite a lot actually, while also having to pay for everything in my life. Many of their Execs get their companies to pay for their homes, utilities, trips etc., benefits we don’t get. Yet all they do is whine. Listening to them whine now after Trump handed them the benefit of lower taxes really chaps my ass.  Particularly if you are a job seeker I know you are seeing much of what I am; job descriptions as long as a supermodel’s legs with compensation that only goes up to the ankle. WTF?! Time for this to end.

We aren’t asking for freebies or handouts because we are more than willing to work. We just want a more equitable society and to be treated with respect. Is that too much to ask for? I’m tired of being treated like I’m interfering in their precious world and that their greatest struggle is having to deal with so many people who won’t pull their weight. Fuck off! And when you’ve finished fucking off you can fuck right off again. Rinse. Repeat. Take snacks because if you do it properly you’ll be gone quite a while.

So when you hear them whining about Socialism and that taxing the wealthy won’t work, it will only usher in devastation for the common man, what you should hear and smell is their fear. Their fear of having to share. I’m all for a healthy blend of socialism and capitalism. Making society more just doesn’t mean we will all be the same, some people are natural strivers and innovators and will always shoot far beyond the rest of us and they should be able to have the wealth they create, but not at the expense of all others in society.  Many of the rich also have children who do not live to the standard that we are held to, they are useless assholes not innovators, who have no real work ethic outside of asking their parents for something and getting special favors because of their connections.  Meanwhile the rest of us struggle to get those sweet spots in life that make a real difference. What I’d really like to see is some sort of acknowledgement of that difference, because it’s fucking huge. The money they would have to contribute to increase their participation won’t be that noticeable to them but could be a game changer for many of us on the bottom. It would take so little in the grand scheme of things to lift many of us up and that wouldn’t even change their lifestyle in any discernible way. Think about that.

This delusional view they have of themselves needs to end for us to stand a chance at finding equality. Don’t get distracted from their real message of greed. Hear it for what it is, them telling you, “My life means more than yours: my children should have better than yours, my health is more important, my house has to be much better than yours and you should always be here to serve me.” If you hear anything else you’ve bought into the propaganda because I can tell you honestly, the only thing the rich white GOP members will give you is a sense of moral superiority and that costs them nothing and it gives you nothing. It’s sad that so many are willing to settle for that, the sense of feeling better than, rather than having better.

Where do you fall? What do you want? It’s time to start making demands, real demands.

Peace,

Wellsie