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by jakecrouch 3036 days ago
People at the top of our economy are generally oblivious to how bad things are for the bottom half. The top 0.1% commands the same wealth as the bottom 90%. Historically wealth inequality finds its outlet in political unrest, and there is probably more of that to come in the next decade. In the last election a socialist and a populist both got suprising amounts of support, even though the broader economy was supposed to be doing well. The next recession will hit the bottom 50% hard, and we could see truly strange things if that occurs near an election.
2 comments

That's an easy statement to make, but I don't think it holds true for most wealthy people. Especially wealthy people in Silicon Valley. If anything, most wealthy people I know are extremely aware of how bad things are for the bottom half and regularly vote against their economic self-interest for progressive candidates.

Runaway inequality isn't due to some evil conspiracy by rich people to hoard money from everyone else. It's due to the leveraging nature of technology and the plummeting demand for unskilled labor

> People at the top of our economy are generally oblivious to how bad things are for the bottom half.

Generally oblivious or willfully ignorant with malice?