Societal Blindspots
The ways we accept a way of life that is morally unacceptable
As promised here is a short section of my book. When immersed in a dysfunctional society we become blind to its injustices, accepting as normal, what might be considered unacceptable in a society with different values. I’m hoping to ignite conversations about our own values and how we inculcate them into our communities by re-defining and re-creating our system of education.
“We are at a stage in our history where we can no longer pretend that market forces care about human welfare. We just have to look at the poverty of our workers and the struggle to survive while working full time. The call to pay increasing amounts to shareholders far exceeds the call to pay workers a fair wage. The cost cutting, profit making mantra of unregulated capitalism demands wages for workers that are so low they can no longer afford to meet their expenses; it demands such strict long hours that workers can’t organize; it fails to recognize the value of family or community; it is self-serving, greedy and corrupt. This is a damning assessment but if we don’t own it we can’t change it. The lack of government oversight has allowed this model to evolve. Throughout much of corporate America this is the reality. The very purpose of capitalism is to make a profit and the needs of the people who do the work have become unimportant. What is not acknowledged is that without those workers the wealth would not be created.
The income gap between the wealthy and the poor is nothing short of obscene. Let’s take a look at some statistics. The federal minimum wage is $7.25. While in some states it has been raised, it remains at the $7.25 level in 20 states. However, in all states the minimum wage doesn’t allow a worker to be able to afford to rent a 2 bedroom apartment. This means taxpayers supplement this income through housing vouchers, food stamps and other benefits, in effect subsidizing the employer for not paying their workers enough to live on. The official poverty rate in 2022 was 11.5% or 37.9 million people. This figure represents the number of individuals living on an annual salary of $14,580 or less. The poverty rate for a family of 4 is $30,000. More than half of American households live on less than $50,000, and over 60% of households live paycheck to paycheck. By contrast the top 1% of American households has a minimum net worth of over $11million and the 3 richest Americans own more wealth than the bottom 50%. The top 1% of Americans control $41.52 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve. That's roughly 16 times more wealth than the bottom 50%.
The statistics tell a story of exploitation and injustice. How have we allowed this to happen? Why do working class Americans work under these conditions? Anyone of any age can look at these statistics and say it isn’t fair and yet we continue to live with such inequality as if it was normal.”
This extract is purely political. Where is the connection with education?