Conclusion
It has always been the case that rich people are powerful and strong, and those with less money are left to graft and struggle. It’s not fair, for sure, but it has been the same throughout history.
It’s easy to assume that the situation is nowhere near as bad as it was during the Victorian era, but that’s simply a fallacy. If you look at some of the world’s superpower economies, you’ll see that the balance of wealth is still significantly out of whack. You have affluent and influential families and business owners, but not too far down the street, you see families who are struggling to pay their rent every month and worrying how they’re going to put food on the table.
Even in developing countries, the problem is still the same. There is a vast discrepancy between rich and poor in these areas. You will see leaders with huge mansions, some even lined with gold and all the riches you could ever want. However, many of their citizens are not only on the breadline but far below it.
Wealth inequality is not a problem that can be solved quickly. It can’t be solved by one single country either. As Thomas Piketty concludes, the world needs to come together to confront and solve this problem once and for all. That doesn’t mean there will be no more wealth and no wealthy families because that’s simply unrealistic. However, fair taxation on wealth means that the balance will be much less off kilter. That taxation can then be funneled back into the economy to help those who have less.
Try this:
- Small acts of kindness go a long way. If you have more than enough, help out those less fortunate from time to time.
- Wealth inequality is something that needs to be addressed globally, but that starts at the grassroots level. Why not raise the issue with local government officials?
- Simply being aware of an issue means you can spread the word. Please speak to your friends and family and allow them to become as passionate about it as you are.
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