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Life's Not Fair! So Why Do We Assume It is ?

posted by cmn32480 on Thursday September 10 2015, @05:46PM   Printer-friendly
from the get-a-helmet dept.

AnonTechie writes:

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

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 11 2015, @01:19AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 11 2015, @01:19AM (#235017)

    You think male victims aren't blamed. When did people stop laughing at prison rape jokes? When did people stop using the phrase "man up" whenever anyone wants to shame a male into doing something?

  • (Score: 1) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday September 11 2015, @03:56AM

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Friday September 11 2015, @03:56AM (#235081) Journal

    When the hell did I say that?! If men took a good long look at the way what is called "the patriarchy" works, they'd realize the ones hurting them are OTHER MEN a huge majority of the time!

    I'm active, low-level, against human trafficking and prostitution. A surprising number of the victims are males. And there is almost nothing out there for them. I, a lesbian and a feminist, have been told "you're the first one to listen to me and take me seriously about this." What does that say?

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...