The type of inequality being discussed is very different from 'keeping up with the Jones' that you are discussing. Historically, one of the major turning point

The type of inequality being discussed is very different from 'keeping up with the Jones' that you are discussing. Historically, one of the major turning points in the cycles of society/governments is when there is massive inequitable distribution of wealth such that the masses are left to divvy up a tiny piece of the pie while the top .05% hoard 80+% of the wealth. IMO we are currently seeing the wealthiest people on earth taking over the levers of the US government and it is unlikely we will ever return to the constitutional democracy we used to have. Moving forward Elon Musk and the other members of his Gothic MAGA will decide how much the government can spend each year and on what and for whose benefit. A very, very different scenario than being envious of the sports car in your neighbor's driveway.