SocraticGadfly: Muddled thinking on financial inequality

January 28, 2012

Muddled thinking on financial inequality

Recent polls continue to show that Americans have not ambivalent, but instead, ultimately uninformed, unreflective, self-misinformed, even brainwashed attitudes about financial equality.

Polls continue to show that Americans want more equality of economic opportunity, but that the majority doesn’t worry about income inequality per se.

Usually, I’m not harsh in this blog, but there’s only one word for people who want more equality of opportunity but aren’t worried about growing income inequality.

DUMBASSES!

I'm sorry, but there's no other way to put it.

Decreased equality of opportunity is part of HOW the rich increase income inequality.

And, if you don’t stop brainwashing yourself with various myths of American exceptionalism, including the myth of how much social mobility there is in the U.S., you’re part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Because it's simply not true, and again, it's not true in part due to deliberate actions of the rich, their lobbyists and their pawns on Capitol Hill and in the White House. (Name me one concrete proposal of Obama or Bill Clinton, not just either Bush or Reagan, to address growing income inequality. The pawns are on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, in both parties.)

On economic mobility issues, the American public is so willfully stupid.

And, the older, white tea party types who fear the increasing numbers of black and brown faces should instead look at the white CEOs who are showing ever-fewer qualms about practicing age discrimination. That, too, is part of growing income inequality. And because blacks/browns are more numerous in younger population, it looks like "they" are taking your job; no, it's just because they're young.

1 comment:

WiseFather said...

You're right that buying into the myth is a big part of the problem. American Exceptionalism is the puffery used to excuse misadventure abroad and inaction at home. In a recent blog post I analyze the American Exceptionalism concept and contrast it with a healthy patriotism that could help unite the public against those few who are ruining America. http://www.ragingwisdom.com/?p=629