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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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 11 2015, @01:27AM
Yes that is what we are discussing. Do you have something to say about it?
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Friday September 11 2015, @02:49AM
David Bowie, in the movie "Labyrinth", playing the Goblin King, Jareth (not to be confused with "Jared" the subway kiddie porn guy), said, in response to Our Heroine (Jennifer Connelly)'s complaint that "it's not fair", "You say that so often, I wonder what your basis for comparison is?"