Maslow’s Law and the Elite

According to studies of the late psychologist, Abraham Maslow, humans have a hierarchy of physical and psychological needs. These needs form a pyramid which at the base is represented by the most basic needs of survival rising to the pinnacle of the pyramid often called “Self Actualization”.

Obviously People living in poverty are just trying to survive. The vast majority of the population can be classified as Working Class. In todays difficult economic environment most people struggle just to satisfy their immediate needs at the base of Maslow’s pyramid.

People at the top of Maslow’s pyramid include those who have gained tremendous financial success in business ie, Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey; Politicians ie., The Clinton or Bush families; Others with Inherited Wealth and Power ie., The Kennedy clan of Massachusetts. People at this level have satisfied all their lower needs and are left striving to fulfill the top level of fulfillment, Self Actualization.

Self Actualization is defined by Maslow and other psychologists as reaching ones’ creative potential, to view life as a mission which calls an individual to fulfill a purpose beyond themselves. I am hopeful that this definition will help the reader to start to understand the deeper motivations of the “Elites” as compared to the majority of middle class.

Often described as the 1%, Elites at this level like to belong to Charities, Non-Profits (which sometimes are very profitable, just ask the Clintons), and to be involved in the “Bigger Picture” issues like Global Warming and the Globalization of the World where borders are eliminated and a single currency and government are desired. Many of these Elites believe that the working classes are just not sophisticated enough to understand the complexities of this new world.

Hypocrites in action. Take for Example John Kerry. Married to Teresa Heinz, the heir to the Heinz Ketchup empire with a valuation at over One Billion dollars, John Kerry lives the most exclusive of lifestyles. As the self-anointed Climate Czar, John Kerry flies to and fro on his Private Jet preaching to the masses the importance of reducing your carbon footprint but not his. The Governor of California, Gavin Newsome has also been tarnished as a hypocrite by implementing strict Covid rules and regulations but not living under them himself. Newsome was seen eating with medical lobbyists at an exclusive Napa Valley restaurant without masks and ignoring the restrictions he enforced against the masses.

In politics today, we are also starting to hear more of this Class Warfare. Often phrased by some as a battle of the “Elites” vs the “Working Class” there does seem to be a different set of rules for the so-called upper classes. Not dependent on party affiliation, Elites from both parties often exhibit behavior that is often condescending towards the lowly common working men and women. Often described as Uneducated, Uninformed, Religious and Unsophisticated by many of the “Talking Heads” of MSNBC, ABC, NBC and CBS to describe the working classes demonstrate this behavior. In contrast, many Elites describe themselves as sophisticated, cultured, highly educated and very proud of their advanced degrees from Harvard and Yale, even if they are in some obscure major like East Asian Women’s Study or Russian History before the Bolshevik Revolution.

Americans, in general, are an optimistic group of people praising the achievements of many successful and self made of the newly rich classes. There is however a Political and Business elite whom have gained unbelievable wealth and privileges by corrupt means. These unethical people are becoming increasingly despised by the middle classes as more and more are becoming disillusioned with a game that seems stacked against them. Note to the 1%, many of the “Plebs” are starting to resent it.