In a statist society, politicians are acutely aware of and really good at using the power of envy as a tool to garner support for their agenda. They rarely say it outright, instead cloaking their message in collectivist terms. Few people want to admit that they’re envious, but if a politician indirectly appeals to our envy by means of collectivist slogans, chances are that we will bite. Often calls to “tax the rich”—or, today, even to “eat the rich” or “guillotine the rich”—manifest envy.
Think Right or Wrong, Not Left or Right 