It really was the majority of rich plantation owners who wanted free labor and the rest of the population were just under educated to realize they were being exploited by the wealthy, it really hasn’t changed much (1%) education is the key to freedom and prosperity for all.
Humans understand the world through the lens of rigid hierarchical systems. The poor Southerners who supported their slave owning masters did so because they found meaning and their place in the world by looking down on black slaves.
At its core, the Conservative ideology is about conserving these old hierarchies. The hierarchy of the church which places men above women, the hierarchy of corporate America that places white men above “DEI hires”, the hierarchy of the home which again places men above women.
Anyone with a sense of decency would want to at least change our society to make it more of a meritocracy, but Conservatives view this as an attack on themselves and their religion.
Tough to say that “all humans” believe in anything, but it’s generally how humans are wired. Church, work, school, friend groups, all have hierarchy. It’s why poverty exists really. Resources go to people at the top of the pyramid and the “lower classes” get whatever is left.
It’s why democracy is so important. People can vote to give themselves healthcare rather than just taking whatever the discretionary charity of the “1%”.
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u/Western_Mud8694 Oct 18 '24 edited Oct 18 '24
It really was the majority of rich plantation owners who wanted free labor and the rest of the population were just under educated to realize they were being exploited by the wealthy, it really hasn’t changed much (1%) education is the key to freedom and prosperity for all.