So what moral expectations do American citizens have about how society ought to work? Several things seem fairly clear. Americans care about equality of opportunity. We are deeply rankled by the idea that the good opportunities in society are somehow captured by an elite of any sort. Second is the idea of equal treatment of all citizens by the institutions of the state. Teenagers and persons of color rankle at being singled out for special attention by the police. Women rightly seethe at the persistence of institutions in the workplace that continue to treat them differently. Arab Americans rightly resent special scrutiny at airports. We don't accept status inequality easily -- especially in our own cases. And third, we are very sensitive about the inviolability of our rights -- our right to vote, right to go where we want, right to speak our minds and associate with whomever we want to.
What Americans don't yet seem to have is a specific moral sensitivity to extreme inequalities of income and wealth. The fact of the accelerating concentration of income at the top doesn't seem to produce the moral outrage in the US that perhaps it would in France or Germany. And maybe this comes from another element of our moral economy -- the idea that inequalities are all right as long as they are fairly earned. But more information about bonuses on Wall Street and the banking industry may begin to erode that tolerance.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
What do Americans Want (Social Justice Edition)
Social Justice and Democratic Stability, by Dan Little (also via Economist's View):
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Is the lack of sensitivity to inequalities of wealth a left-over of the Victorian Industrial Age? Do we romanticise and idolize Carnegie, Gates, and Edison with the belief "there, but for the grace of God, goes I?"
ReplyDeleteIn the middle class, I wonder if we tolerate the upper class with the belief (however unfounded) that the middle class can, with hard work and some luck, move into the upper echelons. However, as the middle class begins to shrink and the highest economic groups continue to outpace middle class earnings will the tolerance become frustration.
Inequality waxes and wanes. It last peaked right before the Crash of 1929. in the 50's the tax system and people's memories of the 20's, 30's and 40's kept inequality down.
ReplyDeleteFinally, people got tired of inefficient government and high taxes, elected Reagan, and now have even more inefficient government and greater inequality.
The tea party, and their wealthy backers want to keep things going the way they are. We'll see if they win out or not. Right now, the wealthy backers are able to convince the tea party that the government is at fault for said inequality. If the scales fall from these people's eyes, the wealthy better watch out.