Inequality *Is* Wrong

[Fake Boris]

TED talk by Richard Wilkinson, author of "The Spirit Level"

Now I'm going to show you what that does to our societies. We collected data on problems with social gradients, the kind of problems that are more common at the bottom of the social ladder. Internationally comparable data on life expectancy, on kids' maths and literacy scores, on infant mortality rates, homicide rates, proportion of the population in prison, teenage birthrates, levels of trust, obesity, mental illness -- which in standard diagnostic classification includes drug and alcohol addiction -- and social mobility. We put them all in one index. They're all weighted equally. Where a country is is a sort of average score on these things. And there, you see it in relation to the measure of inequality I've just shown you, which I shall use over and over again in the data. The more unequal countries are doing worse on all these kinds of social problems. It's an extraordinarily close correlation. But if you look at that same index of health and social problems in relation to GNP per capita, gross national income, there's nothing there, no correlation anymore.

[regexcellent]

Yes, it's absolutely wrong that my dip**** cousin, in spite of unlimited opportunities for education and advancement, decided instead to become an alcoholic, abuse drugs, engage in petty theft, and get fired from every job he ever found for insubordination. The fact that I earn more money than him, own more stuff than him, and am happier than him is a great cosmic injustice.

[DaShi]

It is. Your post is all I know of him, and I already like him more than you.

[Lorizael]

...decided instead to become an alcoholic...

[Bereta_Eder]

It's a hard decision with many cons and pros, so one has to wage his options very carefully.

[regexcellent]

He chose to drink, and he chose to drink to excess, repeatedly, since he was 14 years old. Yes, alcoholism was his choice, or rather the obvious consequence of his choices.

He was given every opportunity to succeed and turned all of them down. His poverty is of his own making and nobody should feel sorry for him.

[Lorizael]

Making good decisions is a skill, like any other. If you don't learn the skill, for whatever reason, then you will in all likelihood make bad decisions.

[Hauldren Collider]

His sister didn't have difficulty with it. She grew up in the same house and went to the same schools as him. And Lori, holy ****. Becoming addicted to alcohol is totally a ****ing choice, how could it not be. Don't be retarded.

[Elok]

I don't know about your cousin--it sounds, just from what you're telling us, like he's got severe issues, and judging a pattern of behavior that started at 14 is a bit harsh, but he's just one data point so whatever--and I'm not watching OB's video, which I assume involves hypothetical ancient Egyptians becoming too malnourished from rising inequality to continue dragging stones to pyramid building sites. But I have a hard time believing the large numbers of our nation's poor are all consciously making informed choices to be tired, addicted and miserable.

[regexcellent]

I don't know about your cousin--it sounds, just from what you're telling us, like he's got severe issues, and judging a pattern of behavior that started at 14 is a bit harsh, but he's just one data point so whatever--and I'm not watching OB's video, which I assume involves hypothetical ancient Egyptians becoming too malnourished from rising inequality to continue dragging stones to pyramid building sites. But I have a hard time believing the large numbers of our nation's poor are all consciously making informed choices to be tired, addicted and miserable.

The point of the anecdote is to demonstrate that there is at least one case in which inequality is not wrong.

[Hauldren Collider]

He does have a severe issue. His severe issue is that he's a god damn moron.

[Fake Boris]

You're recklessly stupid, Regina.

The point is that inequality correlates with people making bad decisions.

[Fake Boris]

Iand I'm not watching OB's video, which I assume involves hypothetical ancient Egyptians becoming too malnourished from rising inequality to continue dragging stones to pyramid building sites.

"The more unequal countries are doing worse on all these kinds of social problems. It's an extraordinarily close correlation. But if you look at that same index of health and social problems in relation to GNP per capita, gross national income, there's nothing there, no correlation anymore."

[Elok]

So, poor people tend to act and feel bad. Gee, that sure needed a bloody TED talk to establish.

[regexcellent]

The point is that inequality correlates with people making bad decisions.

Maybe that's because making bad decisions tends to make you poor!