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If poverty is a relative measure - and as a child who grew up poor, I can assure you that the lived perception of poverty is relative, not absolute - then large
by barrkel 9y ago
If poverty is a relative measure - and as a child who grew up poor, I can assure you that the lived perception of poverty is relative, not absolute - then large inequality implies substantial poverty, for usual income distributions.
This is relating to your parenthetical, not your quibble with causation, of course. But inequality of income is different to inequality of wealth, and there can be a causal link there.
- stale2002 9y agoThe point is that solving "inequality" is easy. Just find all the houses of rich people and burn them all down. That doesn't mean that this would make the world a better place. The world should absolutely try and help the poor and solve their problems, but this has nothing at all to do with inequality".
- chii 9y agoNo, removing wealth to create equality is definitely not what anyone would propose as a solution. But equality of opportunity seems a good idea.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- sokoloff 9y agoI think we experience it as a relative measure, because for most of us, it generally is. However, take Monaco. There appears to be significant wealth and income disparity among residents of Monaco and yet nothing that we would reasonably identify as poverty.
- mikeash 9y agoMonaco is such a tiny country that I imagine its residents' perception of poverty is relative to a big chunk of France.