The White Man's Poverty, Pt. 1

Written on January 18th, at 2:43 PM; found buried in my notes on February 8th.

I grapple with the idea of inequality and the many crevices of human organization its various vestiges can creep into. Like a mold, inequality jeopardizes the foundation of man's greatest structure: organized civilization. Similarly, like a virus, inequality spreads, and keeps spreading until it is nearly ubiquitous; the suffering of a majority of minorities creates as a natural byproduct a relatively elevated platform with protection for those not yet struck by inequality's forceful pull. In the context of inequality, this is the herd immunity enjoyed by certain demographics — even if dynamically but not temporally so.

Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, the rules of the game are in inequality's favor. Progress seems to be measured by productivity, and productivity seems to be recognized only in relation to the unproductive. Goodness seems abound from badness as death is from life and vice versa; but unlike all other commingled virtues, inequality seems to be present in individuals as much as it is present in groups.

I know Switzerland is a flourishing country because of its relative peace and general level of satisfaction amongst its populace. But these measures are implicitly made in relation to the countless unnamed countries that are invoked only in the subtext of "flourishing" and "level of satisfaction." I know Switzerland is as such because I know, for example, that the Central African Republic is not. Even still, in absence of such countries, what becomes the perception of countries like the U.S.A., Russia, China, Brazil? I do not wish to answer or to elucidate that they are one and the same, but only to show that indeed our judgement of one nation is inextricably linked to our notions of another, conscious or subconscious. This must be remembered at all times.

With this in mind I look at inequality. Yet it seems wrong to suggest that inequality can be measured on a sliding scale; for surely, there must be some absolute and objective degree of its measurements? Some certain indicators of equality that would point towards a certain decrease in inequality? Or are these notions inherently capricious — based merely on biased perception, and unlearned criticism from the allegedly unenlightened and inexperienced?

These questions lead me to the various experiences of different categories of individuals in the world. The very idea that I can write that sentence with truth to it is perhaps the largest objective indication of inequality in the world; for no two men or women will have equivalent experiences in the same world.

The above, nonetheless, is a moot point. I think we are all in agreement that inequality exists; we tend to only differ in our tolerance levels in regards to its presence. What then remains is the inequality amongst individuals — a form of inequality that can be overcome with knowledge. I do not speak of the obfuscation inherent when discussing inequality racially or socioeconomically; though indeed both leverage the experience of the individual to cement and institutionalize the experience of the group and vice versa. I look to individual inequality in the dimension of the self as understood through character, and individual inequality in the dimension of groups as understood through an ability to unite over shared experiences.

Food for thought while I wait for the muses to strike again and finish Part 2. — February 8th, 2:04 PM.