I wish it were that benign.
It is Stalin and Mao writ large, as that is how they slaughtered scores of millions of their countrymen.
If only! Absolutely agreed, the consequences are disastrous.
That turn of phrase was only to capture my sense that this should be readily identifiable to all as a sucker's play, so to speak, just an old con game, that involves pushing people's envy-avoidance buttons...because the bag is, of course, empty.
It should be obvious that he can't deliver, because those committed to envy will simply move the goalposts...it would never be enough in real life.
I have a visceral reaction to it...I feel the same way as you about how destructive it is.