Evolution is based on hardships and pressures. Which hardships and pressures influence which evolution. This is true for both genes and memes. If you are on a handout and informed that all your flaws and faults are caused by invincible, indomitable outside forces, then your society will not advance. If you must struggle, no handouts, then even in the unlikely event if outside forces are actually keeping you down, evolution of ideas will occur to maximize within that held-down environment. Which will really, REALLY suck for the "unfit" ones in the model, but improve the group immensely.

Many groups have paid this price already. Some have not. The smart individuals of the groups that have not, change groups. As we can see in a number of examples of people casting off crab-bucket-mentality.