I don't think it matters all that much if they interact with them on a daily basis as much as whether they are constantly bombarded by it in social media. In fact, I actually think the impact of the constant bombardment by the media's focus on the wealthy has a bigger impact than actually interacting with the wealthy in person. I grew up in an extremely wealthy area here, we have like 23 billionaires in this area alone and that wasn't the biggest factor impacting whether or not I felt bad growing up about what I had, it was more of the media's focus on the wealthy,. like it is somehow normal for you to have all these things and if you don;t then there is something wrong with you. One of my best friends family was insanely rich, but I never knew it until like a decade later and I went to hisOr it is the wealth gap, which is what a lot of sociological studies have shown to be one of the biggest, consistent correlations to rise in crime. If everyone around you is dirt poor and there's no realistic expectation that any of you could get rich then you'll be content with the circumstances. If you're dirt poor and regularly have to interact with people who are stinking rich that will eventually breed resentment. This coupled with the increasing focus on consumption and ostentatious displays of wealth in Western culture since the 80's is a great breeding ground for the kinds of anti-social behavior that he's lamenting.
The Media's focus on people like the Kardashians, MTV Cribs and " lifestyles of the rich and famous" is far more of a problem than just being around the wealthy in person. No matter where you look, whether it is sitcoms, magazines, Instagram... you are flooded with " all these people are better than you". It is the constant promotion of the idea that you aren't shit and you don't matter unless you have all this crap that is the bigger problem.
Growing up poor in a wealthy area on the other hand gave me access to resources I could have never obtained otherwise. If it were not all the scholarships I received from my community, I would have never even been able to go to college at all..
Last edited: