From Inequality Towards Greater Social Justice

Americans are fond of quoting Alexis de Tocqueville when they talk about the greatness of our society. "America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good it will cease to be great." What de Tocqueville lauded was an egalitarianism unlike what he had seen in Europe.

But is America still good? We are the wealthiest nation in the world, yet we have the widest margin on inequality on the planet with the exception of Mexico and Russia.¹ We are a nation that turns a blind eye to the 1.35 million children who are homeless in any given year. Instead of decrying the growing income disparity in this country, we revere the increasing numbers of people who have won the financial lottery—a testament to our undying hope that such a random stroke of good fortune, outside of our own locus of control, might somehow happen to us, too.

As Americans, we don't expect that idle hands will be rewarded equally as hard-working ones. No, we expect to see unequal outcomes result from different levels of effort. And most of us support our capitalist system, a system that rewards those individuals who work hard and apply themselves over those who do not. But we also cherish the idea of the "level playing field" where every last one of us is provided with opportunities for success, and it offends our sense of fair play when we find that this isn't the case.

Is it enough to simply believe in the promise of equal opportunity if the facts clearly bear witness to a different story? Are we willing to admit defeat and declare that the promise to which we so fervently cling is no longer tenable in a society that allows for ever-widening stratification? Perhaps we should instead relinquish of the manna of hoped-for random riches and get back to our heritage, holding out hope, instead, for a society in which it is held as self-evident that all people are truly created equal.

What You Can Do

At Elfenworks, we believe that together we can change the direction of our country, mitigate the historic levels of poverty and inequality that we are seeing, and get this country back on track. Do not underestimate the power of your efforts and your voice - they are just exactly what is needed. There are many ways in which your involvement can make a difference, and helping one person can start a ripple that sends waves of change throughout a community (and makes a difference to you personally, too). See our RIPPLE page for ideas.

¹Source: Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty & Inequality - inequality.com