Crab mentality is dangerous. It seems like a lot of people would rather pull others down to where they are than allow everyone to be lifted up to somewhere better.
The issue seems to be that many people don't consider their situation in absolute terms, but tend to look at how others have it.
An interesting book on the subject is Envy: A Theory of Social Behavior (original German title: Der Neid: Eine Theorie der Gesellschaft) by Helmut Schoeck.
That book is incredibly relevant to current trends. While envy in small societies spurred improvement, in today’s complex societies it breeds destructive tendencies, vast disparity in achievement makes envy less about motivation and more about resentment, fueling calls for collectivism and redistribution. The rise of Progressive politics might be less about fairness and more about an unaddressed, deep-seated envy. We know historically there are only destructive outcomes for policies rooted in such emotions, rather than constructive societal development.
Envy is who has a problem with Inequality.
Charity is who has a problem with poverty.
Easiest way to reduce inequality is kneecap those at the top and share the lucre with your downtrodden political allies.
Easiest way to help poverty is teaching a man to fish after giving him a couple fish so he doesn't need to worry about starvation during class.
That's the idea anyway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_mentality) but honestly I haven't observed nearly enough crabs in buckets to say with confidence that it's typical for the species. It's entirely possible that a few asshole crabs have given them all a bad reputation and that I'm just perpetuating an unfair stereotype.
If I get the chance to get to know more bucket crabs I'm perfectly willing to change my view of them if turns out that they're largely cooperative and helpful.
The issue seems to be that many people don't consider their situation in absolute terms, but tend to look at how others have it.
An interesting book on the subject is Envy: A Theory of Social Behavior (original German title: Der Neid: Eine Theorie der Gesellschaft) by Helmut Schoeck.