You are kinder in your description than is deserved. Their acts seem like a secular update to the indulgence practice that ran amok during the medieval Catholic Church. Instead of genuine pious acts relieving sin, an exchange of money was calculated for such relief. Even though the practice became genuinely corrupted, it might at least have led to a beautiful church where even the poor could also worship. Now we have indulgences that pay for policies to relieve guilt that punish the poor. Three years ago, I was shopping for party supplies in our local Chinatown. The petite store owner apologized for having so many goods behind the counter out of reach. I learned that men were being dropped off in the area with backpacks, and she and her sister felt unsafe. It was a horrible tale. This poor woman came to the US for an advertised better life, willing to work hard in a small store. But it was false advertising because she had to fear the consequences of policies made by those whose wealth is not behind a counter, but behind gated walls. Perhaps we should call this an epidemic of "matronizing."
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You are kinder in your description than is deserved. Their acts seem like a secular update to the indulgence practice that ran amok during the medieval Catholic Church. Instead of genuine pious acts relieving sin, an exchange of money was calculated for such relief. Even though the practice became genuinely corrupted, it might at least have led to a beautiful church where even the poor could also worship. Now we have indulgences that pay for policies to relieve guilt that punish the poor. Three years ago, I was shopping for party supplies in our local Chinatown. The petite store owner apologized for having so many goods behind the counter out of reach. I learned that men were being dropped off in the area with backpacks, and she and her sister felt unsafe. It was a horrible tale. This poor woman came to the US for an advertised better life, willing to work hard in a small store. But it was false advertising because she had to fear the consequences of policies made by those whose wealth is not behind a counter, but behind gated walls. Perhaps we should call this an epidemic of "matronizing."