The news that broke a few days ago that now science reveals that wealthy and powerful people are more likely to lie, steal, cheat, and generally disregard the norms that apply to mere humans seems to have surprised some readers. They evidently have forgotten The Philadelphia Story, one of the sources of formation for our household. (We endeavoured to counteract the message that paternal adultery improper flirtation was justified because of the faults of mother and elder daughter.)
Evidently people haven’t been paying attention to the daily news, to the Con-Dem coalition’s agenda, to the protests about the results of the 2008 ‘World Throws Boatloads Of Money At Losing Gamblers’ crisis, the congressional follies and the Republican primaries… the list could go on indefinitely. So to underscore the message, Scotland Yard loaned a retired police horse to underprivileged Rebekah Brooks, perhaps so that she could unwind between sessions of her trial for phone hacking.
I think people are too quick to pick on the felonious, unscrupulous, mendacious, cruel-hearted members of the upper class. They have feelings, too. Just don’t expect those feelings to extend to pretty much anyone but themselves.
(Can you tell I’ve been writing a commentary on the Epistle of James?)
Good thing the News of the World didn’t get hold of the story about Rebecca’s horse!