QOTD: Chris Hayes
by digby
The central question for liberalism? Here’s Chris Hayes talking about inequality.
The argument that I make in the book is that inequality is bad because of what it does to the people at the top of the social pyramid. That it actually makes the people at the top of the social pyramid worse… It just is impossible, in practical terms, to separate equality of opportunity from equality of outcome. The latter subverts the former almost as what I call in the book a kind of iron law.
To me this is the most startling observation of the book. (Not the only one, mind you, just the most startling.)If he’s right, that income inequality always ends up rigging the game on behalf of the elites, then the whole liberal project of “equality of opportunity” is called into question, right? Opportunity alone is never going to cut it.
And frankly, the fact is that not everyone is going to become one of the elites, for a variety of reasons, no matter how equal the opportunity playing field really is. So, it’s really a lottery system — some people born American, with successful parents, more talent, more energy, more luck — are able to take advantage of the “equal opportunity” to climb to the top. Terrific as far as it goes.
What happens to everyone else?
.