The paradox of feudalism
Why are politicians in feudal societies not ashamed to show off their obscene wealth and power?
I’ve been thinking about this for a while and have came to a realization. I call it the paradox of feudalism.
The more wealthy/powerful/famous a person is perceived to be,
the more others feel in awe,
and the more his/her supporters feel noticed when the leader/person pretends to reach out to the masses = results in higher levels of devotion and support.
If you ask me, this explains why Elon Musk has such a fanatical fan base (the richest man on earth shitposting like a 12-y-o and replying to random tweets from normies is a perfect way to make his supporters feel noticed and why Malaysian politicians seem to enjoy plenty of support despite their ugly display of wealth.
And when they make insensitive comments on Instagram, instead of getting angry at their out-of-touch comments, supporters fall deeper in love because it makes them think wow Bossku makes mistakes just like me, he’s so powerful and rich but still so human. It gives normal people like us the illusion that these powerful gods might reach down to us, connect with us and bring us up to their level if we worship them enough.
Lesson: if you are a politician, don’t hide that expensive Burberry shirt. Show it. Then go jalan-jalan at the pasar a bit or belanja journalists makan KFC a bit and people will fall heads over heels for being visited by such a rich and powerful person, even though what the leader does is not even reaching the bare minimum.
Meanwhile leaders who are humble and not prone to showing off their wealth will have to do actual work and may still not get noticed at all.
Not fair, but that’s the reality.