People are mad, but they aren't mad at the powers that be, they are mad at arbitrary groups of "others" whom they dehumanize into a threat to their way of life.

People are mad, but they aren't mad at the powers that be, they are mad at arbitrary groups of "others" whom they dehumanize into a threat to their way of life. Its an intentional misdirection through disinformation, but rich and powerful men have been adept at it for centuries now, they learned well from the examples of the French, Bolshevik, and similar revolutions on how to make sure the impoverished masses are focusing their discontent on anyone but the ones truly responsible for their plight. If you wield power as long as you keep the poor fighting amongst themselves they can never organize against you. See how Occupy Wall Street fell apart through mostly infighting and misinformation as a simple example of this effect that isn't exactly contemporary.