Why do some people feel empathy for the rich and powerful (like royals), but not for people who are in the same situation as them?

r/

I’ve always found it strange that some people can feel sorry for a billionaire going through a breakup or a royal dealing with “stress,” but show zero empathy toward someone around them who’s struggling with real-life problems—like financial hardship, job loss, or relationship issues.

Is it media influence? Internalized classism? Or something deeper in human psychology?

Comments

  1. brock_lee Avatar

    > Is it media influence?

    Of course. We had a whole show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, which was carefully-crafted propaganda to encourage people to idolize the “rich and famous” and desire that kind of life for themselves. People often feel they are, as someone put it, “not poor, but temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”

  2. JacksonLightBrown Avatar

    No clue, but I share your bewilderment.

  3. molten_dragon Avatar

    Parasocial relationships.

    People feel like they know famous people because all of the media attention. It’s easier to empathize with someone you know.

  4. Exact-Farm-9245 Avatar

    Probably the same reasons you don’t think a billionaire going through a break up or having stress is as a real problem.

  5. alkalineruxpin Avatar

    It’s not empathy – it’s aspiration. They see themselves as they want to be – they’re not identifying with the reality. And in all likelihood they would find nothing but disappointment.

  6. LightHawKnigh Avatar

    Cause they think they are temporarily broke millionaires.

  7. Sad-Band2124 Avatar

    Can you provide an example?

    I can’t think of anyone outside of my circle of friends and family I actually care about whether they live or die, let alone care about their milestones and ups and downs.

    Like, even if my favorite movie star died, I’d probably just be mildly shocked for a moment and then still get up, wash my face and go to work.

  8. bangbangracer Avatar

    Basically they believe that the rich person was right in some way. They were able to “pick themselves up by the bootstraps” or “make lemons into lemonade”. Meanwhile the people who aren’t doing well are failing personally or from their own actions.

  9. IZZETISFUN Avatar

    I think your friend is just being a dick

  10. AHumanWithThoughts Avatar

    In the west, everyone thinks they’ll be extremely rich in five years time, so they naturally have a lot of empathy for the group they’re going to be a part of (at least in their minds)

  11. neamhagusifreann Avatar

    They’re often under the impression that rich people worked hard for their money while poor people are poor because they’re lazy.

    Both of these things are almost never true.

  12. catecholaminergic Avatar

    It’s vicarious. We can identify as others as a coping mechanism.

    In terms of psychology, the subcortical “animal” brain can’t distinguish between seeing a video and having personal visual experiences.

  13. DizzyMine4964 Avatar

    People have a serf mentality.

  14. nonlinear_nyc Avatar

    We’re primed to suck up to them at early age.

    See all “princess” line for girls. Why does any female protagonist need to be a princess?

  15. Brilliant_Banana2330 Avatar

    Oh they breathe air, have 10 fingers and toes, walk on the same soil, live under the same moon and stars, they are human, they got red blood brains and hearts, they got familys and kids alot of the times.
    You should have empathy for everyone is my point here no matter their situation