Capitalism is a philosophy of individual success, not group identities.
Socialism has myths of triumphant groups inheriting the earth. There is some power in that sort of myth. Capitalism's myths are of the Horatio Alger sort. But the academics try very hard to ridicule that. The great American industrialists of the late nineteenth century were all pilloried as "Robber Barons".
Everyone -- even many Conservatives -- wants to drag down the people at the top. Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Ken Lay, Martha Stewart -- they don't have too many friends. Achieving the dream of success under capitalism really puts a target on your back. Building a glorious myth out of that is hard.
But Ayn Rand did it, so it can be done.
"Everyone -- even many Conservatives -- wants to drag down the people at the top. Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Ken Lay, Martha Stewart -- they don't have too many friends. Achieving the dream of success under capitalism really puts a target on your back. Building a glorious myth out of that is hard."
I have to disagree. Ask almost any sentient person anywhere on the planet if he would rather be super rich and successful or a glorious worker for the revolution and the revolution loses every time. The problem with capitalism is that we have encumbered it with many of the trappings of socialsim, regulation, the nanny government, and public scrutiny making it very hard for the average guy to aspire to such success. That was the success of the days of the robber barons. Most people really believed that reaching such success was possible, if not for them then for their children. There was a myth. Modern American and European socialism killed it for most folk.