Will the post-pandemic economy continue to create inequalities that poison our politics and undermine any sense of national community? Or will it honor the dignity of work and share the risks of ill health and hard times? https://t.co/EkuxrTk8Ig— Phil Oliver (@OSOPHER) April 14, 2020
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
All in it together?
Contrary to all those re-assuring, warm-hearted PSAs featuring wealthy and privileged celebrites, America has never committed itself to social equality. Is there any reason to think the pandemic will change that? What would Marx say? Or Hagglund? Or Darwin?
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In all honesty, I don't think Social equality will ever truly be achieved. At least not in our lifetimes. America was built on the back of social inequality. We measure our successes and losses by the distinctions made from having it. High class, middle class, low class. Middle and low are subject to the high and high believe themselves to be better than the lower unless they initially came from the middle and low. Fundamentally, we award the higher with more and punish the lower with less.
ReplyDeleteIf we take a look at the COVID-19 pandemic, higher class people are angry that they are stuck in their luxurious 12000 SqFt mansions. Middle are mostly working from home still. Both have enough money to offered having everything in their life delivered. Lower class were the first to be fired, laid off, forgotten by the middle class and high class business owners. They needed the help most in this crisis, but most of us were left scrambling for jobs. Our original jobs barely paid the bills and unemployment only offers a certain percentage. So now we have to find a job at one of these essential businesses and hope we don't get sick because if we do, chances are the hospital won't accept us anyway. As news piles in and the COVID-19 precautions are extended to further dates, High and most of middle simply shift in their seats, while we are still left scrambling and struggling because all the normalcy is gone, and we can't afford a day off now.
We are seeing the social inequalities present in our system more clearly than ever, and the pandemic will likely make it worse in the long run. Those who don't have the kinds of jobs or salaries that allow them to stay home indefinitely are either out of work or are more vulnerable to contracting the virus as they continue to work. So, those who were already struggling economically are more likely to go into debt and/or suffer from coronavirus complications, carrying the risk of death or even lasting health effects for some severe cases. What happens next, I am not sure. I am hopeful that we can learn from this and fix the problems that are being revealed, but I am doubtful that this will happen under our current "leadership."
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Patricia and Heather that COVID-19 exacerbated old inequities, inequities that can be traced along the familiar lines of class, race, etc. Today, my children's school district announced they would not reopen prior to the end of the academic year. An understandable move, for sure, but one likely to present problems for lower-income families whose resources--internet included--are increasingly strapped. Juxtapose this alongside the celebrities being "held prisoner" inside any one of their mansions, like Patricia said. It'd be nice if we took advantage of this heightened awareness to implement lasting reform.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.npr.org/2020/04/15/834247954/the-rich-really-are-different-they-can-shelter-in-nicer-places