For me, it's not necessarily derision, but lack of sympathy is natural. If someone in my community (say a teacher) is making 45k a year, and they get laid off

For me, it's not necessarily derision, but lack of sympathy is natural. If someone in my community (say a teacher) is making 45k a year, and they get laid off through no fault of their own, I will feel sympathy. They were contributing to the community as best they could, they were important, and now they are possibly struggling financially. A developer making $300k? Working for an ad company? Not too much sympathy - they will probably be okay. People here usually brag about how much they make and how easy it is to find a job, anyway. On top of that, there is this perception (not necessarily reality, but there is a kernel of truth) that California in particular has an outsized influence on the rest of the country, and does not really respect the beliefs of large swaths of our culture. You have corporations making unfathomable amounts of money dictating communications, interactions, etc, all from the silicon tower in California. That is a recipe for derision, whether it's logical or not.