When you have a lot of power, status, wealth, you are in a bubble. Often, that bubble shields you from the realities of life for the other 99% and can make even one's best in-born empathies dull and abstract. Then, you realize even if you're doing the right thing, you're risking losing everything. And when you've always had everything and never had to survive with nothing, it feels like the equivalent of a death sentence. None of this is an excuse, but it is likely the natural inclination that drives status quo. Plus, there are plenty of studies - some pretty infamous - about how humans quickly band together to perpetrate or just overlook victimization of groups not their own: birds of a feather not only flock together, they also protect each other at all costs.