Last post I referred to an essay that discusses how principles of democracy are compromised by capitalist impulses when such impulses become exaggerated in a society. I did a little homework and found it fairly quickly: Herbert Croly's The Promise of American Life, an essay published in 1909, I presume as a response to the Gilded Age's excesses and Social Darwinism. I skimmed the essay and found this gem that I had highlighted:
"...under a legal system which holds private property sacred there may be equal rights, but there cannot possibly be any equal opportunities for exercising such rights."
And then a few sentences later in the same paragraph:
"Those who have enjoyed the benefits of wealth and thorough education start with an advantage which can be overcome only by very exceptional men,--men so exceptional, in fact, that the average competitor without such benefits feels himself disqualified from the contest."
Croly goes on to argue that industry should be regulated by government to serve the ideals of democracy, the purpose being to make these ideals available to the majority of citizens. At the same time, Croly wants government to empower industry so that industry can better serve the needs and livelihoods of citizens.
I have read analyses of Croly's essay that are directly opposing in understandings, I'm sure at least in part because Croly advocated for aspects of both democratic and republican ideologies in his essay. Here's my thing: no matter what ideological side one falls on with Croly, it's undeniable Croly wanted people to have fair footing in terms of economic opportunity at the outset of life, and he felt it was the responsibility of government to help. Good paying jobs were a big part of that equation.
So the issue and questions from last week are the ending point for this post: Is America providing equal economic opportunity to all its citizens? As a follow on, do Americans enjoy equal access to the fulfillment of their rights as citizens, rights empowered by a fair distribution of wealth? Using Croly's line of reasoning, after a simple check of the data posted last week, the answer to both questions seems to be "no."
I don't lack faith in things changing because things did change in the 20th century after the publication of Croly's essay. Wikipedia (yes I am one of those who thinks Wikipedia is a decent source for general information--I've seen the accuracy percentiles used by journalists when determining credible sources) claims economic inequality lessened in the US from 1890-1940, and then began to increase again from 1970-2000. From what I have seen we can extend that curve through to 2010, given 2011 hasn't finished yet.
I believe the worm will eventually turn, but how and under what circumstances? Technology seems the most likely key, but again, there is quite a premium on cutting edge technology, meaning those who control and have access to cutting edge technology are still the power and wealth elites.
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