Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee
What's wrong with social inequality? Mr. O'Greedy asks in the video but some research suggests this:
-Higher rates of social problems (obesity, mental illness, homicides, teenage births, incarceration, child conflict, drug use)
-My personal favourite, lower rates of social goods (life expectancy, educational performance, women's status, SOCIAL MOBILITY...
"Pickett and Wilkinson argue that inequality and social stratification lead to higher levels of psychosocial stress and status anxiety which can lead to depression, chemical dependency, less community life, parenting problems and stress-related diseases.[89]"
All the above from a 2 second search and finding Wikipedia so feel free to tear that apart if need be.
I think the reality is that usually in history if the wealth inequality continues to grow then you end up with revolution, like France. I don't think it has as much to do with how hard a rich guy works, and in fact I remember reading that there is research that points to how the richer you get, the more you start to believe it is because of how great you are and not so much all the other countless factors that led you to the position you're in.
I think personally, just like literally everything else in life, there needs to be a balance. There has to be some social inequality to drive work ethic but there can't be too much and there needs to be a societal mechanism to re-distribute at some point.
The game is rigged the way it is now in many countries.
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A big problem is being born in the right circumstance. Are you born in Africa or China or India? If you are, odds are that you're born into abject poverty. If Mr Wonderful had been born to a poor family in Uganda or Congo he's more likely to have become a child soldier than a millionaire d bag. But hey if you win the birth lottery and are born in north america, spin the wheel again!
Are you born to a rich white family? No? Well, good luck. If Mr Wonderful had been born to a poor family in Chicago surrounded by poverty and gang violence, odds are he'd be just another statistic and been shot or wound up in jail due to drug/gang violence.
Social mobility and inequality aren't the problem of the rich until it becomes so out of proportion the 99% put down their tools and pick up torches and weapons.