Envy, I’ve often thought, is the very worst human emotion. The epic Biblical narrative of Cain’s slaying of Abel reminds us that people have been jealous of others’ successes and well-being from time immemorial. When mixed, however, with the near-obsession with inequality that dominates much public discourse these days, there’s a serious risk that envy — and desires to appease it — can start driving public policy in ways that aren’t economically wise or politically healthy.
Remarks like “you didn’t build that” or François Hollande’s notorious 2012 “I don’t like the rich” statement don’t of course come out of a void. On one level, they reflect long-standing ideological complaints about the nature and outcomes of market economies as well as animus against particular groups. But the current fixation with economic inequality has arguably made it easier for our political masters to say such things out loud and with less fear of electoral retribution.
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