Inequality

Is capitalism a problem? It seems that one or two people believe so. Is it more than a problem, is it the root of all evil because it perpetuates greed and disparity? It’s an interesting question and I think it’s worth a closer look. It seems that “capitalism” and “inequality” are generally presented synonymously in this line of argument, so in this I will be speaking about inequality.

It’s alluring to diagnose inequality as a “global issue” because this places the problem into the realm of abstraction. It takes the problem out of daily living and away from the individual, placing it instead on the shoulders of the broad collective. The individual then feels righteous for perceiving a problem but has no sense of obligation to participate in a solution – he perceives the solution to be outside of himself and therefore outside of his sphere of influence. “They should…” perpetually replaces “I should…”

The habit of abstraction is attractive because it doesn’t require any measure of self-examination or objective research. We just “know” that something is wrong and hastily diagnose it based on our feelings. “Well, I don’t like having to work and I don’t like that this guy has more money than me and drives a fancier car, so this must be what’s wrong with the world. They should fix it.” Those who arrive at this conclusion perceive inequality to be the causal factor of most, if not all of our social and geopolitical unrest. Unfortunately their passion is wasted because they perpetually turn to the state to “fix inequality”- and the state is more than happy to offer Band-Aid solutions in the form of “social programs.”

I wish I could call this phenomenon “Leftism” but that would imply that the political right doesn’t pander to this world-view. Conservative or Liberal, all governments require their slaves to perceive them as something valuable and necessary – which is a con.

If you’re looking for it you can see inequality everywhere; between the sexes, the races, the cultures, the income levels, the geographical locations… It becomes one’s goal to combat the existence of these differences; to truncate language, as if confronting facts can be rendered invalid simply by changing their names every few years and being offended by the historically acceptable terminology. Obviously this accomplishes nothing; “Social Justice Warriors” are inexhaustibly throwing punches at their own shadows. Good grief, I dare you to YouTube the word “gender.”

At this point it’s correct to ask, “Why does he care so much about other people’s opinions? Isn’t everyone free to form their own world-view; live and let live?” Absolutely, please live and let live! The reason I’m writing about this is because this particular world-view doesn’t end in the minds of its proponents, it is enforced by their governments! The social programs that are inspired by these feelings-based assessments are being implemented at gunpoint. One is not adhering to the precept of “live and let live” if governmental intervention is called on; the most well-intentioned social programs still require funding and this revenue is accumulated through taxation. As well all realize by now (right? Please?), taxation is the initiation of force; the opposite of “live and let live.”

I do truly believe that these programs are well-intentioned but they require a closer examination. It seems to me that a great burden would be lifted from these people if they took a deep breath and stepped back:

What is so wrong with inequality?

Closely examine this. Is it wrong that there are differences between the sexes or is your perception of these differences the source of the “wrongness?” Apply this to every area; is the construct wrong in itself or are you simply perceiving it to be wrong?

I find the simplest way to determine the “goodness” or “wrongness” of any sociological topic is to apply it to nature. In nature, can you find a difference between the sexes? Can you find a difference in the species that live in vastly disparate environments? Do members of the same species compete for resources? If yes – are human beings unnatural? Wouldn’t it be more absurd if there were no differences between us?

Individuality is the only thing worth living for- truly. If we were all the same, having the same interests, talents, levels of intelligence (some of these equating to disparate income levels), what exactly would hold one’s interest in life? These various proficiencies and deficiencies among the sexes, races, cultures, and individuals is what makes human beings so powerful, and this is exactly why the powers that shouldn’t be are so eager to destroy these differences (first and most critically in childhood through government “education”).

So I submit that it’s misguided to assert that our biggest problem is inequality. If you are upset about capitalism, I suggest that what we are experiencing right now is not capitalism. There is a market but it is not free; the concept of capitalism has been hijacked by government to maintain control over us and to keep us running on the treadmill of debt and distraction. If you are sick of the treadmill- good! Let’s get rid of government and see how things look afterwards – maybe capitalism is a sham but we will never know until we are free to have a look.