[lebuffon]

The way this wealth inequality is so common around the world. makes me wonder if the next time the pitchforks come out, it will be some kind of global uprising. Perhaps accelerated by social media. Or are the elite better able to control the masses in this age?

[Spooky23]

Nah, it will be triggered by a debt crisis.

Remember the plurality of the rich are working off asset loans on paper wealth. Those credit lines get cut by an event, that triggers an asset sell off which creates a vicious cycle.

[aleph_minus_one]

> The way this wealth inequality is so common around the world. makes me wonder if the next time the pitchforks come out, it will be some kind of global uprising. [...] Or are the elite better able to control the masses in this age?

I rather believe that the individual problems in each country are very different (even though you summarize them by "this wealth inequality is so common around the world"). Additionally, it often happens that the interests of people in one country are antagonistic to the interests of people in another country, so I don't believe that people from different countries will club together, and have common wishes.

[wqaatwt]

> that the individual problems in each country are very different

When it comes to housing prices and general cost of living the patterns are extremely similar in most Western countries. Especially after covid and the infinite money hoses..

[jedimastert]

> Additionally, it often happens that the interests of people in one country are antagonistic to the interests of people in another country.

I find this honestly kind of difficult to believe, except when it comes to distractions by the people who want to stay in power

[aleph_minus_one]

Just to give one class of examples:

Should a country implement some very nationalist policies that serve the interests of the not so well-off people in its own country, but will be against the interests of other countries and their people?

Think of the uprise of right-wing, nationalist parties in many European countries that often present themselves as "the new worker parties", i.e. they intend to implement policies that are good for the workers in their own country, but on the other hand make it very clear that they have not the interests of people of other EU countries in mind.

[jedimastert]

These kinds of policies are exactly what I meant by "distractions", those policies tend to help the wealthy far more than workers, and then those same policies are turned towards the workers when there aren't any more immigrants to hurt