The Veil of Opulence

...the very middle class we're supposed to cry about are the ones that keep voting Republican, dreaming that they too can all of a sudden hit the billionaire jackpot...they have the luxury of sitting in their recliners watching Fox News and dreaming that "hey, surely if I completely sell myself out and vote for these guys then I'll end up a gazzillionaire like Bush/Cheney; they're regular guys just like me, my people!" - XMASTIME

Q: How many times has Xmastime rolled his eyes at the stupidity of people voting against themselves because they're scared that despite being the night manager at the local Wal-Mart they'll wake up the next morning CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a professional basketball player?
A: too many to count; basically every other fucking day.

For years I've bitched about our insane thinking "well, X is rich, so if I vote for X then "I'LL be rich!", and this NY Times article explains it as being "the veil of opulence":

Those who don the veil of opulence may imagine themselves to be fantastically wealthy movie stars or extremely successful business entrepreneurs. They vote and set policies according to this fantasy.

The same veil also demands people assume all gains are evenly gotten, all fairly and on merit, which of course is bullshit and something I of course have lectured you poor people on many, many times. You're welcome, by the way.