> ... the constant “only rich people are meaningful human beings” message that is blared 24/7 from western culture ...
I don't think it's only Western culture that is to blame. Middle Eastern, Indian and Chinese cultures seem to have even more ingrained versions of this core assumption.
I wouldn’t call it the least materialistic but capitalist culture is dominant in most of the world now. Honestly I think the lack of materialism in most cultures is largely mythologized. If African tribes measure your wealth by how many animals you have, well, that’s just materialism via other materials and I’m sure leads to its own kinds of conspicuous consumption (invite the whole village to your party for instance).
Religious orders seem to be the easy-to-identify exception and those exist in all the large cultures.
I don't think it's only Western culture that is to blame. Middle Eastern, Indian and Chinese cultures seem to have even more ingrained versions of this core assumption.