I come from a fairly privileged background.
My parents are well-educated, and I grew up in a household where they were both employed, and always able to provide for my brother and I.
I go to a public school in West Windsor, New Jersey, where the education I receive is among the best in the country. Throughout my life, I’ve been surrounded with friends and family who come from similar backgrounds as me, who have similar daily lives, and face similar challenges.
If all goes well, I could live my life without even having to encounter some of the inequalities that are faced by millions of Americans today.
So why should I care?
Inequality between the richest and poorest sectors of American society is at an all time high. The top 20% of Americans, based upon income, hold more money than the bottom 80% combined. In comparison, people in the bottom 20% of income earners possess less than 1% of the total wealth in America.
One could argue that some levels of income inequality can be good for a free market economy, even necessary. And it is true that in order for there to be economic growth, we must depend on different levels of wealth.
But a winner-takes-all economy has far more downsides than you could imagine. America’s current state of inequality is far beyond what is defined as acceptable, and it has more to do with you and I than we would think.
Here’s why:
Living in a place where wealth and socioeconomic status can promote one’s interests in politics and the workforce, many take advantage of their economic standing for personal gain. Simply put, money equals power.
And striving to be “successful” becomes a never-ending goose chase of what the richest people think is necessary to gain respect in society.
With increasing levels of inequality, areas become segregated depending on what the different social groups can afford, meaning different neighborhoods, different schools, and different public scenes, which is detrimental for social harmony.
Lastly, for many people living with substantial inequality, social-status is intergenerational, leaving hope for social mobility out of reach. Growing up in America, the country of opportunity, as declared by the infamous American Dream, one should expect that everyone has the ability to succeed.
If opportunity, the very thing that attracts people from all over the world, and labels our country “the promised land” is flawed, then what does America have to offer?
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