“Fox News Defends Billionaires: The Supercut” — NowThis, 2019, 3:00 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_9SVStMrdk

A humorous compilation of Fox News hosts discussing billionaires. This video is a good example of the protestant ethic (and the spirit of capitalism) which ties together morality, hard work, and success. We believe that successful people must be righteous people and that the poor must be doing something wrong. If we accept that class inequality is growing, then billionaires can’t be the problem… it must be lazy poor people. Another good connection to this videos is how Americans view themselves as being only “temporarily” working or middle class. Many believe it is only a matter of time until they ascend the ranks into the top 1%. From this point of view, it wouldn’t be wise to tax the rich because it would be like taxing your (future) self. This video is also a great example of Marx’s false consciousness.

Are billionaires good or bad for society? How can we problematize this moralistic framing of billionaires as benevolent? What might help create class consciousness among the working classes?

From the video’s description: The Fox News Channel and Fox Business are obsessed with defending billionaires. Whether you're watching a Fox News live stream or a Fox Business live stream, on air, the Fox hosts are decrying democratic socialism and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. They champion Donald Trump and business leaders who would reject tax reform. 2019 has ushered in new ideas in politics but if you watch a Fox News Channel live stream you'll see them consistently defend billionaires and the wealthy. On Fox News, billionaires are the vulnerable people who need protecting and defending. In the current struggle between democratic socialism vs capitalism, it's clear what side Fox News is on.