is that today, we seem to have more of a tendency to blame people for their misfortunes, rather than see them as a result of bad luck, or random chance, or social and historical conditions. In the past, there were, as there are today, charitable organizations that tried as best they could to help people in trouble, charities, churches, etc. Today, these functions are taken over more and more by government agencies, financed by public funds.

The result is that people who, in the past, might feel compelled to contribute to charities now prefer to believe the unfortunate are just trying to access their tax money. In a society that values the private accumulation of wealth as a social virtue, those who seek help from others are destined to be treated as freeloaders, lazy, somehow immoral. The idea is, that those who are poor or destitute, have no one to blame but themselves and have no claim on public resources. The obvious corollary, of course, is that those who are wealthy are, by definition, worthy and productive, and entitled to the honors (and subsidies) of society. These abstract concepts are easily translated to public policy; for example, income derived from investments is taxed at a lower rate than earnings derived from wages.

I suggest you read the works of Ayn Rand, a contemporary philosopher, much admired today, who tends to favor these arguments. The Virtue of Selfishness, in some circles today, it has become a cult.