Avra Bossov (George Washington University) on Economic Inequality
March 29, 2012
Is Economic Inequality the Single Greatest Problem in America Today?
Take a moment and try to think of the last time you paused. The last time you truly took a moment to sit down with your thoughts and notice the world around you.
It’s hard to do. We are so accustomed to rushing and to-do lists and appointments, without taking the time to see how many homeless people we pass; how much trash litters the streets; how much smoke fogs our awareness of life beyond our own little spheres.
For the homeless, whose lives are public 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and for the children in schools who rely on breakfast from the cafeteria instead of home, and for the family that uses food stamps at the grocery store, hanging heads with shame—this is a reality that an increasing number of our nation’s citizens face every day.
Fact of the matter is, even though we are the richest country in the world, the disparity within the consumer society we have created is overwhelming. The idea is overwhelming, as are the statistics. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current unemployment rate is 8.3%. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, 3.5 million Americans experience homelessness. According to the New York Times, roughly 4 million families lost their homes to foreclosure between the beginning of 2007 and early 2012.
What’s worse is this isn’t just an American problem—most of the world lives on less than a $1 per day.
Why is economic inequality the single greatest problem in America today? The same reason why in January 2007, 1,097 commuters at the L’Enfant Plaza metro stop in Washington, D.C. passed by a violinist whom they thought was a street performer that was actually Joshua Bell, well-known prodigy. Ignoring this problem of economic inequality has become a cultural norm.
Money can’t buy happiness, but it could buy equality.
With enough food to feed all 7 billion of us on this planet, it is up to us to make sure no one goes hungry, especially in America, where we boast of freedom, liberty and justice.
For the homeless, whose lives are public 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and for the children in schools who rely on breakfast from the cafeteria instead of home, and for the family that uses food stamps at the grocery store, hanging heads with shame—this is a reality that an increasing number of our nation’s citizens face every day.
Fact of the matter is, even though we are the richest country in the world, the disparity within the consumer society we have created is overwhelming. The idea is overwhelming, as are the statistics. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current unemployment rate is 8.3%. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, 3.5 million Americans experience homelessness. According to the New York Times, roughly 4 million families lost their homes to foreclosure between the beginning of 2007 and early 2012.
What’s worse is this isn’t just an American problem—most of the world lives on less than a $1 per day.
Why is economic inequality the single greatest problem in America today? The same reason why in January 2007, 1,097 commuters at the L’Enfant Plaza metro stop in Washington, D.C. passed by a violinist whom they thought was a street performer that was actually Joshua Bell, well-known prodigy. Ignoring this problem of economic inequality has become a cultural norm.
Money can’t buy happiness, but it could buy equality.
With enough food to feed all 7 billion of us on this planet, it is up to us to make sure no one goes hungry, especially in America, where we boast of freedom, liberty and justice.
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