'Fight Inequality' Is a Poor Rallying Cry
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'Fight Inequality' Is a Poor Rallying Cry
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Re: 'Fight Inequality' Is a Poor Rallying Cry
#2I'd take the calls to "fight inequality" more seriously if they didn't have such a nationalist tone. 71% of the world population lives on less than $10 a day, if inequality was ended on a global scale the majority of the people out there protesting would see a dramatic drop in income. I have a feeling that isn't what they are talking about.
Re: 'Fight Inequality' Is a Poor Rallying Cry
#3a lot of these protests such as "Occupy Wall Street" or "Black Lives Matter" have the right idea, but they are not sharp enough to be meaningful. Know your audience.
Re: 'Fight Inequality' Is a Poor Rallying Cry
#4If you want people to fight inequality with you, you have to first prove to them it's actually a problem.
It's a bit of a leap to convince somebody that just because Bill Gates is much richer than the typical person, somebody more deserving must have gone without for him to get so rich.
Re: 'Fight Inequality' Is a Poor Rallying Cry
#5Obama used a few phrases that not only sounded pleasing, but accurately addressed what's happening to Americans:
"Everyone, including the rich, need to pay their share."
"Americans from all backgrounds should have a fair shot at a quality education, not just those who happen to grow up in nice neighborhoods."
He tapped into equality of opportunity, while acknowledging that some will be more successful than others. That should be the rallying cry, not the idea of ending inequality outright.
Re: 'Fight Inequality' Is a Poor Rallying Cry
#6Midway down the author mentions a study that showed most Americans object to "unfairness" rather than "inequality". I've found this to be the case for me personally. If someone tries hard, works diligently, and makes smart decisions, but are still living in poverty, I want to help them. No hardworking, disciplined, motivated person should live in poverty, or have trouble making ends meet, in my opinion.
Unfortunately the lower income people I know do not fall in to this camp. I have a fair number of friends and relatives who make very little money and struggle to keep their heads above water. They make routinely bad decisions or fail to do the barest minimum to be proactive about things. They have watched every show on netflix, or played every video game possible (at $60/pop). They spend money on frivolous things and fail to plan in any way for the future. Their impulse control leaves much to be desired.
But the weird thing is - they mostly realize this. They don't get too fired up about inequality. Whether it's consciously or subconsciously, they seem to realize they are not really giving it their all, and that other people work harder and are more disciplined. They appear to prefer their current situation to the stresses of "succeeding" at life.
Granted, this is all anecdotal, so take with healthy dose of salt.
Re: 'Fight Inequality' Is a Poor Rallying Cry
#7Obama used a few phrases that not only sounded pleasing, but accurately addressed what's happening to Americans: "Everyone, including the rich, need to pay their share." "Americans from all backgrounds should have a fair shot at a quality education, not just those who happen to grow up in nice neighborhoods." He tapped into equality of opportunity, while acknowledging that some will be more successful than others. Th…
I personally disagree that this should be the rallying cry.
Why should someone who invests nothing in their own children get to see their children have equal opportunities to the children of another person who invests everything into their children?
Why should a person who has 10 children get to see each one have the same amount of opportunity as each one of the children of someone who has 2 children, assuming equal total parental investment?
The rallying cry should be equality before the law.
Re: 'Fight Inequality' Is a Poor Rallying Cry
#8The author has been on the payroll of the Koch brothers for most of his career.
Re: 'Fight Inequality' Is a Poor Rallying Cry
#9Obama used a few phrases that not only sounded pleasing, but accurately addressed what's happening to Americans: "Everyone, including the rich, need to pay their share." "Americans from all backgrounds should have a fair shot at a quality education, not just those who happen to grow up in nice neighborhoods." He tapped into equality of opportunity, while acknowledging that some will be more successful than others. Th…
I personally disagree that this should be the rallying cry. Why should someone who invests nothing in their own children get to see their children have equal opportunities to the children of another person who invests everything into their children? Why should a person who has 10 children get to see each one have the same amount of opportunity as each one of the children of someone who has 2 children, assuming equal…
Because the children have no control over who their parents are, and we shouldn't punish with a lifetime of diminished opportunities because their parents aren't as "good" as others.
Re: 'Fight Inequality' Is a Poor Rallying Cry
#10If you want people to fight inequality with you, you have to first prove to them it's actually a problem. It's a bit of a leap to convince somebody that just because Bill Gates is much richer than the typical person, somebody more deserving must have gone without for him to get so rich.
Yeah - especially when the opposite is much more likely to be true.