Treading

When you tread water, you lift yourself up by pushing water down. Likewise, in any social hierarchy, people unsure of their own position will try to emphasize it by maltreating those they think rank below. I've read that this is why poor whites in the United States are the group most hostile to blacks. - Paul Graham


I've always felt people put others down in order to improve their status. Mr. Graham seems to think it is to maintain their position. Perhaps he is right.