Once, wealth was the American dream. Now the billionaire is the era’s supervillain

Even a billionaire can tire of being out of favor. That is what happened to Steve Roth, one of New York’s wealthiest real estate developers.

During an online conference, Roth made clear how weary he was of the shaming directed at America’s richest people. His complaint arrives in a political and cultural moment that the piece portrays as increasingly focused on wealth itself.

After a decade in which identity politics and culture wars dominated the United States, bank statements have moved to center stage. The class struggle, the description says, has returned with full force.