Why Do Poor People Vote for the Rich? Cultural Hegemony Explained
2 min Machine translated Politics
Why do poor people vote for the rich? People without land vote for landowners.
Precarious workers end up idolizing millionaires.
Is that collective masochism or stupidity?
I'm Candela Antón, your anthropologist you can trust, and today we're going to answer this very complex question.
Because we're actually facing one of the great political paradoxes: Why do people vote against their own economic interests?
Of course, the easy answer is: they're stupid or they've been deceived.
But Gramsci posed the question in a slightly deeper way, and called it cultural hegemony.
The most effective power is the kind that convinces you that its view of the world is the only one possible.
Basically, it's the one that sells you aspiration instead of redistribution, The one that sells you meritocracy instead of equal opportunity And, most brilliantly, the one that makes you believe these ideas are all your own.
Ong, who conducted her research in Malaysian factories in the’80s, encountered exploited female workers who defended their bosses, without any politics of fear or any coercion.
They had simply internalized the idea that hierarchy was fair and that the boss’s success meant progress for everyone.
Bourdieu called this symbolic violence, which is basically domination without using brute force.
Think about it. How many times have you thought, “If I work hard, really hard, I’m sure I’ll succeed”?
How many times have you admired a self-made millionaire?
How many times have you felt that poor people are poor because they’ve done something wrong?
All these ideas are benefiting someone very specific.
And I wonder: how many of my political opinions are really mine and how many are actually the legitimation needed to keep the system running?
That's a good question to ask yourself. Uh, if you're interested in these topics, on my Patreon, Empathy, you'll find a podcast, an anthropological book club, all kinds of reflections and articles, a really great, very active community on Telegram,
educational videos, and the icing on the cake is that we also fund science. The link's in my bio.
See ya, fishy!
End of transcript · 346 words · machine translated
Original transcript (Spanish)
¿Por qué los pobres votan a los ricos? Gente sin tierra vota a terratenientes.
Trabajadores precarizados acaban idolatrando a millonarios.
¿Es eso masoquismo colectivo o estupidez?
Soy Candela Antón, tu antropóloga de confianza, y hoy vamos a responder esta tan compleja pregunta.
Porque en realidad estamos ante una de las grandes paradojas políticas: ¿por qué la gente vota en contra de sus propios intereses económicos?
Por supuesto, la respuesta fácil es: son tontos o han sido engañados.
Pero Gramsci planteó la cuestión de forma un poco más profunda y lo llamó la hegemonía cultural.
El poder más eficaz es aquel que te convence de que su visión del mundo es la única posible.
Básicamente, es la que te vende aspiración en lugar de redistribución, la que te vende meritocracia en lugar de igualdad de oportunidades y, lo más brillante, la que te hace creer que estas ideas son todas tuyas.
Ong, que hizo sus investigaciones en fábricas malayas en los 80, se encontró con obreras explotadas que defendían a sus patrones, sin ningún tipo de política del miedo ni tampoco ninguna coacción.
Simplemente, habían interiorizado que la jerarquía era justa y que el éxito del jefe era progreso para todos.
Bourdieu llamó a esto violencia simbólica, que básicamente es dominación sin ejercer la fuerza bruta.
Dale una vuelta. ¿Cuántas veces has pensado: "Si trabajo duro, muy duro, seguro que triunfaré"?
¿Cuántas veces has admirado a un millonario hecho a sí mismo?
¿Cuántas veces has sentido que el pobre es pobre porque ha hecho algo mal?
Todas estas ideas están beneficiando a alguien muy concreto.
Y yo me pregunto: ¿cuántas de mis opiniones políticas son realmente mías y cuántas son en realidad la legitimación que se necesita para que el sistema siga rodando?
Es una buena pregunta que hacerse. Eh, si estos temas te interesan, en mi Patreon, Empathy, tienes un pódcast, un club de lectura antropológico, reflexiones y artículos de todo tipo, una pedazo de comunidad muy activa en Telegram,
vídeos de divulgación y la guinda del pastel es que además financiamos ciencia. Tienes el "link" en la "bio".
Chao, pescao.
Up next
Keep watching Swipe through more videos, one after another
6:38 Bukele Defends Legislative Majority and His View of Democracy in El Salvador 
2:49 UBA Student Discusses the Economy and University Funding 
1:08 Pucela Four seek support ahead of trial over Vuelta a España protest 
2:27 Hooded speaker alleges Bueno Bank lobbied for Israeli firms in Paraguay 
2:05 Paraguayan congressional staffer questioned about salary and duties 
0:37 November 7 Events in Madrid Canceled After Unjust Events 
0:58 Who Will You Vote For? Responses on Vox, PSOE and Other Parties 
0:44 Gaza Flooding: 70,000 Tents Inundated Amid Criticism of Israel and Europe 
0:25 Pedro Sánchez’s appearance and its role in his political leadership 
0:16 Justice for Silverio Villegas González and Immigrant Communities 
0:36 State Power Against Crime and Government Complicity 
1:00 Criticism of Nicolás Maduro’s Religious Identity and Chavismo
iPhone app Translate videos on your iPhone Paste a TikTok, Instagram or X link, add subtitles in your language and save the video to Photos. 
Made with TranslateMom
TranslateMom transcribes and translates videos from X, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Paste a link and you get a page like this one, in your language.