If you talk about inequality and poverty in the US for long enough, conservatives and even liberals of a certain recent vintage will invariably raise the point that bottom incomes in the US are higher than many incomes elsewhere in the world. Sure, they say, it may not be that those on the bottom of… Continue reading James Baldwin on the Immiseration of Inequality
Year: 2017
Take Other Kids to Work Day Highlights the Absurdity of Social Mobility
Richard Reeves of Brookings has a piece in Quartz where he argues that, for social mobility sake, people should not take their own kid to work. Instead, Reeves explains, they should take a kid from a different social class. This week, parents are being urged to take their kids to work for the day. But… Continue reading Take Other Kids to Work Day Highlights the Absurdity of Social Mobility
Tax Day and the Rich
On Tax Day in America, we all recognize two important traditions. First, like all days, we salute the troops for making Tax Day possible. Second, we rehash stuff that has been beaten into the ground so much that you want to die reading about it. This year, the latter tradition is being carried on by… Continue reading Tax Day and the Rich
Asian Poverty Varies a Lot by Group
Andrew Sullivan has a post where he argues that the economic success of Asians in the United States suggests that the lack of success of other groups cannot be chalked up to racism. One response to this kind of argument is that, as a historical matter, anti-Asian racism did hold Asians back and Asians only… Continue reading Asian Poverty Varies a Lot by Group
Come See the Violence Inherent in the System
United Airlines violently removed a passenger from an airplane earlier this week. The company had overbooked the flight, which is standard practice in the airline industry, and then failed to entice enough people to give up their seats by offering as much as $800 to anyone who would volunteer. The final solution to the conundrum… Continue reading Come See the Violence Inherent in the System