[pluies_public]

This is one of these situations where the first (pg's) choice is rationally better, but has also been shown to result in higher chances of low self-esteem and depression. It's very hard to shake off the feeling of being "among the lowest", even though in absolute terms you're perfectly well-off.

[rayiner]

It's not not necessarily irrational, it just seems that way because the hypothetical is artificially simplified. In the real world, relative wealth imbalances lead to power imbalances, which have global ramifications.

This is the heart of the current American malaise. Americans don't feel wronged because their standard of living is so terrible (it's not). They feel wronged because they feel that the rich have leveraged their wealth in a way that captures a disproportionate share of new wealth creation--wealth their labor is ultimately responsible for creating.