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10 Chairs of Inequality

10 Chairs of Inequality. Introduction.

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10 Chairs of Inequality

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  1. 10 Chairs of Inequality

  2. Introduction • Countries are stratified based on race, class, gender, nationality, & language. Not only is inequality between nations becoming more pronounced, so too is inequality within nations increasing. The U.S. is no exception. While billionaires double their wealth every 3-5 years, we have by far the highest poverty rate in the industrialized world. No industrialized country has a more skewed distribution of wealth. The processes that get labeled as “globalization” affect North Americans as well as those in the “Third World.”

  3. 10 Chairs • Assume there are 10 chairs • Each chair represents 10% of the wealth in the U.S. & each occupant represents 10% of the population; thus when a chair is occupied by 1 student, the wealth is evenly distributed. • Your wealth is what you own: your stereo, part of the house/car that is paid off, savings, etc.

  4. Question 1 • 1. Estimate how much wealth each family would have if the wealth were equally distributed? • Answer - $250,000. • In reality the poorest 20% of the population is in debt & the next 30% averages only $5000 in wealth (primarily in home equity).

  5. Question 2 • 2. Back to our chairs, what percentage of the total wealth do you think the richest 10% of people control? • Answer – 71% of the wealth (or 7 chairs) • So one person pushes 7 people off the chairs onto the floor • In fact, one “arm” of the occupant is the wealthiest 1% of families & it controls from 22% to 38% of the wealth.

  6. Question 3 • 3. What is life like for the displaced people who had to move out of the chairs? • What do those in power tell us to justify the dramatic inequality? • Consider: • Wouldn’t there be more for the rest of us if 1 of our people on the floor didn’t take welfare? • Why didn’t our “9 students” who were displaced re-organize to force a redistribution of the wealth?

  7. Question 4 • 4. Describe the 1% (the arm) of the “super rich.” Who are they? How do they get money? • Consider: • Athletes & entertainers whose salaries are hyped in the medial & newly rich entrepreneurs like Donald Trump & Bill gates. Do they deserve their money?

  8. Concluding Questions • 5. Why is wealth so unequally distributed? • 6. Where does wealth come from? • 7. Why does our system concentrate wealth in the hands of so few? • 8. What can ordinary people do to effect change?

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