Why inequality?

Inequality has bothered me for a long time. It is firmly in my mind that it is the cause of much, if not most of human misery. I see it on an international scale where wars are fought over resources, on a national scale, where people are worried that immigrants will take away what they have and on a local scale, where people beg on the streets just to eat. There is a gulf between those that have plenty and those that have too little. 

I have never been able to understand why such inequality exists until now. Having read the first chapter of Yanis Varoufakis’ book ‘Talking to My Daughter’ it has become clear. 

Inequality exists because that is what people want.

It is a hard fact that inequality is a problem we could solve relatively easily. There is enough money in the world so that the vast majority could have a reasonable living yet the money isn’t distributed fairly. Instead it is concentrated so that a very small group has a huge amount and a very large group has very little. We have billionaires while we have people who die of starvation. 

The problem is that we have convinced ourselves that this is the way it has to be. Those that have, want more while those that don’t, wish they were among the haves. Once you have more, it is much easier to get still more, while if you have little it is a daily struggle just to maintain what you have. 

The system creates inequality. Those at the top think that they deserve to be there when in the main they are well off due to luck, usually by dint of birth. Those at the bottom see what others have and wish they were in their shoes. If only they tried harder then they too could be up there with the haves. 

Everyone wants to be above average yet this is impossible. For one person to have more money than average someone else needs to have below average. The way money works means that a few very rich people results in a much larger number of poor people.

There will always be inequality. There will always be some people better off than others yet such severe inequality as we see today need not be. Before any change can be made however, we need to realise that it is us that is causing the problem. The system stokes inequality and it is people with resources and money that game the system. We expect rich people to be in power and poor people to be told they are unworthy. Until this changes then the system will remain broken.

We have such inequality because that’s the way we want it.