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In today's out of control economy, it seems acceptable for government to take from those who have and give it to those who have not. While I'm not being original in how I label this, I like to call this notion the Robin Hood Syndrome. I believe much of the American public has come to accept this as moral and ethical behavior.
The Free Online Dictionary defines syndrome as: 1. A group of symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or other abnormal condition. 2. a) A complex of symptoms indicating the existence of an undesirable condition or quality; b) A distinctive characteristic or pattern of behavior.
Robin Hood, you may remember, lived in the Sherwood Forest and his arch nemesis was the Sheriff of Nottingham. The Sheriff, with his greasy, twisted moustache, symbolized the government, and the poor people, who were hard working peons, had to pay taxes to him. In an interesting article by John A. Wilkins (Nov. 4, 2009) entitled: Taxing the Rich to Help the Poor--The Morality of the Robin Hood Syndrome, the author discusses the problem with this kind of thinking. He cites an IRS study (2004) showing that the top 25% of wage earners paid 85% of the taxes while the bottom 50% paid a mere 3%.
But Obama casts the rich "those millionaires and billionaires with their corporate jets and private jets," (you've heard the talking points), as the "haves," and thus, they must pay "their fair share." Does Robin Hood begin to sound relevant to this discussion?
Yet it was Robin Hood who was taking from the government coffers, and redistributing it to the workers. In other words, Robin was taking the tax money back and returning it to the people--not the other way around.
The moral lesson here is this: money gives people power and with power comes jealousy and victimization. Those with money are seen as evil and selfish, and are therefore worthy of contempt just for being rich, whether the money was inherited or earned through hard work--and this is how Obama has portrayed those "One Percenters."
I have no doubt that if Robin Hood were a real person, he would be a proud member of the Tea Party. Not just another guy in tights.
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The Free Online Dictionary defines syndrome as: 1. A group of symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or other abnormal condition. 2. a) A complex of symptoms indicating the existence of an undesirable condition or quality; b) A distinctive characteristic or pattern of behavior.
Robin Hood, you may remember, lived in the Sherwood Forest and his arch nemesis was the Sheriff of Nottingham. The Sheriff, with his greasy, twisted moustache, symbolized the government, and the poor people, who were hard working peons, had to pay taxes to him. In an interesting article by John A. Wilkins (Nov. 4, 2009) entitled: Taxing the Rich to Help the Poor--The Morality of the Robin Hood Syndrome, the author discusses the problem with this kind of thinking. He cites an IRS study (2004) showing that the top 25% of wage earners paid 85% of the taxes while the bottom 50% paid a mere 3%.
But Obama casts the rich "those millionaires and billionaires with their corporate jets and private jets," (you've heard the talking points), as the "haves," and thus, they must pay "their fair share." Does Robin Hood begin to sound relevant to this discussion?
Yet it was Robin Hood who was taking from the government coffers, and redistributing it to the workers. In other words, Robin was taking the tax money back and returning it to the people--not the other way around.
The moral lesson here is this: money gives people power and with power comes jealousy and victimization. Those with money are seen as evil and selfish, and are therefore worthy of contempt just for being rich, whether the money was inherited or earned through hard work--and this is how Obama has portrayed those "One Percenters."
I have no doubt that if Robin Hood were a real person, he would be a proud member of the Tea Party. Not just another guy in tights.Tweet
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