Sarcasm aside, there doesn't need to be a conspiracy for a privileged group, acting as individuals, to want to discourage changes that would upset their advanta

Sarcasm aside, there doesn't need to be a conspiracy for a privileged group, acting as individuals, to want to discourage changes that would upset their advantaged position in the status quo (and to use their privileged position to maintain it). They don't need to relish the suffering of others so much as maintain the indifference required to justify their own self-preservation. Virtually every member of the uber-rich buys into the gospel of the benefits of inequality and the necessity of a poor underclass, and votes and lobbies accordingly.