A group of people who actively work to bring each other down are described as acting like “crabs in a barrel.” In conversation, the analogy goes like this:

“They (said group of people) act like crabs in a barrel, once one of them get to the top, the rest try to bring them down.”  

I heard a wise elder make the observation that, “It’s not the crabs, it’s the hot water.” 

Crabs in their natural environment, don’t pull each other down. Crabs in a barrel of hot water, pull each other down in an attempt to survive.

It’s easy to focus on the negative actions of a group of people, but we should also consider the environment they’ve been placed in.

People in environments that support everyone thriving can lift each other up. But, it’s nearly impossible to lift each other up, when you’ve been placed in hot water.