Fanaticism and poverty

A post I read today set me thinking about the link between fanaticism and economic and social deprivation. Logic would suggest that the dispossesed and the disenfranchised would have less of a stake in furthering stability and peace in society.
Its not surprising that the uneducated and the impoverished in third world countries are loyal followers of all manner of fanatcial and extremist ideologies -- from religious fundamentalism to the fanatical adulation of film starts and politicians, the latter being unique to the South Asian sub-continent. Recall the hysterical outpourings of grief that are routinely witnessed when politicians who are idolised in their lifetime decide to kick the bucket -- MGR in South India, Jinnah in Pakistan and Mujibur Rahman in Bangladesh are a few examples.

The only exception to the rule seems to be Middle America. Last week, I was watching Barbara Walters interview uber-evangelist Joel Osteen about his church in Houston, TX. as far as evangelical Christians go, I suppose Osteen is pretty mild -- nothing in the league of Pat Buchanan or Sen. Rick Santorum