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Income inequality in America has been growing rapidly, and is expected to increase [PDF]. While the widening wealth gap is a hot topic in the media and on the campaign trail, there's quite a disconnect between the perceptions of economists and those of the general public.
For instance, surveys show people tend to underestimate the income disparity between the top and bottom 20% of Americans, and overestimate the opportunity for poor individuals to climb the social ladder. Additionally, a majority of adults believe that corporations conduct business fairly despite evidence to the contrary and that the government should not act to reduce income inequality.
Even though inequality is increasing, Americans seem to believe that our social and economic systems work exactly as they should. This perspective has intrigued social scientists for decades. My colleague Andrei Cimpian and I have demonstrated in our recent research that these beliefs that our society is fair and just may take root in the first years of life, stemming from our fundamental desire to explain the world around us.
http://theconversation.com/lifes-not-fair-so-why-do-we-assume-it-is-45981
(Score: 5, Insightful) by tangomargarine on Thursday September 10 2015, @06:25PM
We all want to think people treat each other decently and look out for the disadvantaged and society as a whole functions. There's a meaning to life, and if you live a good one you get rewarded afterwards, etc., etc.
Either that, or you admit that capitalism is all just everyone racing to fuck each other over before they get fucked over first, and rich people are callous bastards, and politicians don't even believe in the system, and if you try hard from nothing you probably won't make it unless you fight dirty. Then you live a mediocre life, you have some kids, which you really don't have all that much control over how they turn out, and then you die and it's all over and the world doesn't care that you even existed.
"Fair" is one of those painfully idealistic words.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 5, Insightful) by bob_super on Thursday September 10 2015, @06:47PM
Without the illusion of fairness, the whole social contract is in danger:
The poor don't have to behave, they'll never get anywhere
The middle can scrape a living, but should cheat at all times to enjoy whatever they can put their paws on, until they get caught by an arbitrary rule and fall. Behaving well does not allow them to escape the arbitrary rules or the poor, and is therefore a liability.
The rich hide in their castles and keep on grabbing everything their power allows them to, as long as they can keep enough guards.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by jdavidb on Thursday September 10 2015, @07:27PM
ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings
(Score: 2) by Zz9zZ on Thursday September 10 2015, @07:48PM
The problem is with the pyramid structure of society. Whenever you have a small peak controlling the large base you are in danger of abuse, which is inevitable over time. We will always have some amount of power focused on individuals / small groups, but it should be as distributed as possible. Also, full transparency for anything that runs on public funding. Obviously there will be a few exceptions, but overall the shell games of spying and arms races are stupid, wasteful, dangerous, and lead to more national insecurity.
~Tilting at windmills~
(Score: 2) by jdavidb on Friday September 11 2015, @05:13AM
The problem is with the pyramid structure of society. Whenever you have a small peak controlling the large base you are in danger of abuse, which is inevitable over time. We will always have some amount of power focused on individuals / small groups, but it should be as distributed as possible.
I agree with you and my solution is that power should only exist when voluntarily granted and it ought to be revocable.
And for me a popularity contest doesn't voluntarily grant power over the losers of the contest.
Respecting all of this would disperse and distribute an enormous amount of power and would be devastating for the pyramid/hierarchy you mentioned.
ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings
(Score: 2) by jdavidb on Friday September 11 2015, @05:16AM
Also, full transparency for anything that runs on public funding.
Just imagine if every individual could say "No, I don't want my money going to that," and revoke the power to have their money taken for it? If you wanted people to fund something you'd have to actually persuade them to believe in it enough to support it.
Of course to do that we'd each have to individually give up the dream of having the power to make people do what we believe they should do.
ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings